{"id":2542642,"date":"2025-05-15T17:59:34","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T17:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/?p=2542642"},"modified":"2025-12-23T20:10:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T20:10:18","slug":"multi-way-4-bet-pot-with-a-premium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/multi-way-4-bet-pot-with-a-premium\/","title":{"rendered":"A Multi-way 4-bet Pot with a Premium"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Setting the stage<\/h2>\n\n\n\"PeakGTO:<\/a>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n

Invisible to me behind the dealer, in the #1 seat, is Carl. Carl doesn\u2019t believe much in folding before he sees the three cards in the middle of the table. He doesn\u2019t like folding after those three cards either, but he really feels that you can\u2019t evaluate a poker hand until you\u2019ve seen at least five cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opposite me, in the #4 seat, is Steve. Steve is definitely a for-profit player. I don\u2019t think that he\u2019s a pro \u2013 he\u2019s one of those Bay Area guys who\u2019s probably making way more money working for The Man than he could make even crushing mid-stakes poker. Steve and I have tangled a couple of times already this session \u2013 I open, he 3-bets, I fold. I open, he 3-bets<\/a>, I 4-bet, he snap-folds. Steve has no fear of piling chips into the pot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I mostly avoid Steve, but sometimes the cards don\u2019t give you a choice.<\/p>\n\n\n

\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\tTLDR:<\/strong>\u00a0See AI summary of this article.<\/span><\/div>

Understanding how to navigate multi-way 4-bet pots with strong hands like AKs is key to maximizing EV and making optimal high-stakes decisions.

Facing a 4-Bet with AKs (e.g., A\u2660K\u2660):<\/strong> Hero 3-bets the button and faces a cold call plus a 4-bet from a tough, capable opponent. Solver-approved play is to jam AKs, especially with dead money in the pot.
Live Player Pool Dynamics:<\/strong> In many live games, 4-bets are extremely strong (often QQ+), but certain aggressive players, like Steve, can be wider, especially when motivated by dead chips.
The Solver\u2019s View:<\/strong> At 180 BBs deep, solver prefers 5-bet jamming AKs or mixing calls and small raises. With added dead money, jamming becomes clearly +EV.
Hero\u2019s Dilemma:<\/strong> Despite knowing the solver-approved play, hero folds due to fear of losing the $800 profit already earned\u2014highlighting a disconnect between optimal play and emotional decision-making.

Key Takeaways
* Trust the Math, Not the Emotion:<\/strong> Solver data showed a clear +EV jam. Folding due to fear of loss cost hero long-term value.
* Live Game Reads vs. Solver Ranges:<\/strong> Adjusting for player type is fine, but strong hands like AKs should rarely be folded preflop in profitable spots.
* Dead Money = Added Incentive:<\/strong> When a cold-caller adds chips to the pot, it makes aggressive options like jamming significantly more profitable.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTable Of Contents\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
  1. Setting the stage<\/a>
  2. Like when you get AKs<\/a>
  3. Things I\u2019m thinking about<\/a>
  4. Things the solver thinks about<\/a>
  5. Things Steve thinks about<\/a>
  6. Things I worry about<\/a>
  7. What I did, what I wish I\u2019d done<\/a>
  8. Let\u2019s do the numbers<\/a>
  9. Why I did what I did<\/a>
  10. Lesson learned<\/a><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\n\n

    Like when you get AKs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    We\u2019re nine-handed, when Steve makes it $30 in the UTG+1 poker position<\/a>. He gets a cold caller, because don\u2019t you love California poker. I find A\u2660\ufe0fK\u2660\ufe0f on the button and make it $150. Now I\u2019m looking at Steve, but then I see that he\u2019s looking over at Carl. I lean forward to look past the dealer and sure enough, Carl in the small blind is cutting out $150, because that\u2019s the current cost of admission to the flop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ruh-roh. I have a feeling I know where this is going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It gets back to Steve, who looks at our stacks. I started with $1800 (180 straddles), Carl started with $1200, and Steve covers us both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Steve makes it $625 \u2013 the original cold caller realizes they\u2019re in the wrong pot, and folds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Things I\u2019m thinking about<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    4-bets in my game tend to be of platinum quality. Many people in my player pool never 4-bet AK or QQ. There are 2-3 players at my table who don\u2019t 4-bet anything less than KK (in fact, Carl is one of them).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"4-bet<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Steve, on the other hand, is not one of those players. He has no fear of putting big bets in when he feels they\u2019re warranted. He certainly can have hands weaker than KK here. But he\u2019s no maniac \u2013 KK and AA now represent a decent portion of his poker range<\/a>. He respects my game and knows that I\u2019m not wildly out of line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Things the solver thinks about<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Part of our problem here is that most solvers don\u2019t (yet) have an \u201cInclude Carl\u201d mode \u2013 that is, they can\u2019t model Carl cold-calling my 3-bet. If the pot were heads-up, that is, had Carl folded behind me, then the solver wants Steve to 4-bet an airtight range of AK and KK+, with whispers of QQ, AQs, KQs, A8s, and 65s. QQ calls when it doesn\u2019t 4-bet, the rest fold, and probably better had I never mentioned them. A5s is the only non-premium that has a substantial mix of 4-betting, and that is about 50%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Things Steve thinks about<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    However, Carl and the original cold-caller have generously donated 18 straddles to the pot. Steve is highly motivated to pounce on those dead 18 straddles. Sure, he runs into me having a premium sometimes, but that\u2019s why they call it gambling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Steve is smart enough to know all this, and has probably expanded his 4-bet range at least a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Things I worry about<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    This is where various other precincts of my being were reporting in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"4-bet<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    In my head, I knew Steve could be wider than the KK+ hands that would leave me in bad shape. But in my gut, I knew that the way he played the hand was totally consistent with having one of those monsters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My gut also reminded me that I was in for a $1k buy-in, which I had grinded up to $1800 over the prior three hours. And should Steve and I get it in for 180 straddles and my AKs didn\u2019t improve against his (e.g.) JJ, all my profits, not to mention my original $1k buy-in, would be wiped out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    GTO poker<\/a>, and the best players, don\u2019t think about that stuff. At our current stack depth, the solver mostly 5-bet jams AKs, 5-bet raises without jamming some (!), and actually calls 30% of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That said, I think we can all agree that with Carl\u2019s mostly dead money behind me, jamming would be the only correct way to continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What I did, what I wish I\u2019d done<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    I would like to say that I shipped in my $1800 and Steve was left to sort out the mess (or snap call with his kings).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Unfortunately, my gut got the better of me, and I ended up folding. Carl reluctantly folded (it drove him nuts not to see those three other cards) and Steve dragged in a big ol\u2019 pot, paying an entire $1 in rake for his efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Let\u2019s estimate Steve\u2019s total range. JJ+ (three each AA and KK, six each JJ and QQ), A5s (three), AK (nine), and some random bluffs or weak value hands (six total?). The bluffs and weak value are easy folds. With AK, Steve has to call, though he can\u2019t be thrilled about it. QQ and JJ are in a miserable situation, and because I\u2019m over there in the #9 seat with that big red disc in front of me, Steve has zero fold equity. He might very well choose to fold JJ, which would be a fantastic outcome for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Let\u2019s do the numbers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    To help drive the point home to myself, I created a spreadsheet (thank you to Andrew Brokos for the original version) that shows the various outcomes, and my Expected Value (EV)<\/a> for each of those outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I guessed that Steve would call JJ+ and AK, and fold his bluffs and weak value hands. Conveniently enough, this has him calling with exactly 27 of my proposed 36 hand combos, or 75% of the time. Against that range, I have 43% equity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"4-bet<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    So I have +$220 in EV by jamming. Note that to the degree Steve folds JJ, QQ, or AK, I\u2019m making more money, and (e.g.) Steve\u2019s JJ certainly doesn\u2019t have a fist-pump call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Why I did what I did<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    On my best cash game strategy<\/a>, I would have quickly gotten the all-in disc in front of me. It\u2019s clear to me now in hindsight, and I even feel that my brain was lobbying for that decision all along. My brain was perfectly happy taking the risk of running into Steve having a premium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My gut, however, won the argument, with some balderdash about not wanting to turn an $800 win into a $1000 loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The good news, which was later pointed out to me by a poker buddy, was that I realized that I wasn\u2019t playing my A-game. I had let my gut make a decision that my brain knew wasn\u2019t correct. It happens to all of us \u2013 the key is to recognize it and stop it, one way or another. A couple of orbits later, I picked up my chips, and left the club to go find dinner and think. This is what Tommy Angelo calls \u201cA good quit,\u201d and at least I got that part right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Lesson learned<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Of course, this exact situation will never come up again. But I reinforced an important lesson by rethinking the hand many times over a delicious Ethiopian vegetarian combo, discussing it with some trusted buddies, and writing it down here. That will help ensure that when I get into a similar spot, my brain will tell my gut that it\u2019s only money, and sometimes you\u2019re just destined to get broke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And I won\u2019t have to walk out of the club thinking, \u201cDamn. He probably had A5s in full.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Setting the stage Invisible to me behind the dealer, in the #1 seat, is Carl. Carl doesn\u2019t believe much in folding before he sees the three cards in the middle of the table. He doesn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":205,"featured_media":2542648,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[877,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2542642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-poker-basics","category-poker-strategy"],"acf":{"peak_live_date":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Multi-Way-4-Bet-Pot-with-a-Premium.jpg",1280,720,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Multi-Way-4-Bet-Pot-with-a-Premium-373x210.jpg",373,210,true],"medium":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Multi-Way-4-Bet-Pot-with-a-Premium-746x420.jpg",746,420,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Multi-Way-4-Bet-Pot-with-a-Premium-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Multi-Way-4-Bet-Pot-with-a-Premium-1024x576.jpg",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Multi-Way-4-Bet-Pot-with-a-Premium.jpg",1280,720,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Multi-Way-4-Bet-Pot-with-a-Premium.jpg",1280,720,false],"author_image":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Multi-Way-4-Bet-Pot-with-a-Premium-100x100.jpg",100,100,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Lee Jones","author_link":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/author\/jonesleehgmail-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Setting the stage Invisible to me behind the dealer, in the #1 seat, is Carl. Carl doesn\u2019t believe much in folding before he sees the three cards in the middle of the table. He doesn\u2019t […]","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2542642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/205"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2542642"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2542642\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2542677,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2542642\/revisions\/2542677"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2542648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2542642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2542642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2542642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}