What a river bet is actually worth
On the river there is no more equity, only accounting. Two boards make the accounting strange: a pot-sized bet can be free, a half-pot bet can be the same as a fold, and a "crying call" can be a blunder. Pot of 100 in every table below, your net result after the hand.
You hold the nuts on both boards
| 1 caller | 2 callers | 3 callers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bet 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 |
| Bet 75 | 175 | 250 | 325 |
| Bet 50 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Bet 33 | 133 | 166 | 199 |
Temptation says bet small to keep everyone in. The table says the bigger bet wins more even with one caller, and three small calls are worth less than one big one. Go big.
Nuts on one board, nothing on the other
| All fold | 1 caller | 2 callers | 3 callers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bet 100 | 100 | 50 | 100 | 150 |
| Bet 75 | 100 | 50 | 88 | 125 |
| Bet 50 | 100 | 50 | 75 | 100 |
| Bet 33 | 100 | 50 | 67 | 83 |
Read the one-caller column: 50, whatever you bet. Heads up, the size of your bet changes nothing when called; you get the bet back and split what was there. The bet earns only if it makes him fold, or if two or more people call. So the right bet is the one most likely to fold everyone: the pot. You cannot lose it, and if it works you take the whole thing instead of half.
The exception: when the betting tells you one opponent has the other board locked and a third player is still in, bet small, so the third player pays you for your half.
You win one board and split the other
| He folds | He calls | |
|---|---|---|
| Bet 100 | 100 | 125 |
| Bet 75 | 100 | 113 |
| Bet 50 | 100 | 100 |
| Bet 33 | 100 | 92 |
A half-pot bet that is called earns exactly what a fold earns. A pot bet that is called earns 25 more. Do not congratulate yourself for the small bet that got called by the hand you expected; you still left money on the table.
A bet comes at you: nut straight on one board, nothing on the other
| Split that board | Quartered | |
|---|---|---|
| Facing 100 | 50 | -25 |
| Facing 75 | 50 | -12 |
| Facing 50 | 50 | 0 |
| Facing 33 | 50 | 9 |
Your straight may be shared. If it is, you get a quarter of the final pot. Against a pot-sized bet that costs you 25 when quartered and wins 50 when your straight is alone, so you need to be alone one time in three. Against half a pot or less, always call. And never raise: a raise with a lone nut straight is paid off only by the hand that shares it.
A bet comes at you: second-nut flush on one board, nothing on the other
| You win the board | You lose | Your flush must be good | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facing 100 | +50 | -100 | 67% |
| Facing 75 | +50 | -75 | 60% |
| Facing 50 | +50 | -50 | 50% |
| Facing 33 | +50 | -33 | 40% |
A flush cannot split, so you either win half the pot or lose your whole call. Against a pot-sized bet your king-high flush has to be best two times in three. Against half a pot, half the time. The automatic crying call is wrong exactly when the bet is big, which is when most people make it.
Before you call a pot-sized river bet
It says one of two things: "I have you on both boards" or "I am strong on one board and want you to give up the other". Ask which one fits the way the hand was played. A player who checked the flop and called the turn and now pots the river has one board. A player who bet every street may have both. The answer decides whether your one strong board is a call.
These are our tables. Georg Funke works the same five situations in chapter 3 of "Mastering Double Board Bomb Pots" (PLO Mastermind), and our numbers agree with his.
THE 30-DAY COURSE
A plan for your next game.
One lesson. One drill set. A little more clarity at the table.