experts at PS

Wow! There are pro players playing $5 sit n goes at pokerstars. Today I got blasted by half of the table for not checking down against a guy all in with 90 chips. Myself and the other player were in the 2000 to 2500 range, 25/50 blinds, 8 of 9 players left.
The total pot was 890 preflop. I flopped 2 pair (2A2Q) and bet 450, the other player folds. The all in player had rags but hit runner runner for a str8. The player that folded proclaims that he would have had a flush. Then it begins. You swear I just busted AA with 72.
I think I did the right thing. I don't believe in checking down when there is a side pot worth taking. There are 400 of my chips in there.
Am I wrong?

no way those morons think they are pros but most of the time they get lucky i would have done the exact same thing you are trying to win not just survive and u hit a high hand so i think you made the right play

Absolutely correct. There are definitely situations like this one where you should protect your hand vs the draw and take that side pot.

You didn't make a BAD play, not with 2 pair, but hey, f the other player folded, all yer out is the main pot anyway.

The ones I hate are fools who make big bets into dry sidepots with np/nd, just 2 high cards. Now that is infuriating!

If they were pros, they would not have blasted you for your play.

This is the dogma that I hate the most. You hit the flop you bet. He is upset because you bet him off a winning hand. How many times in an hour do you fold after the flop but see your cards come on turn and river if you stayed in. Do you blast someone then for pushing you out of the hand?

Checking it down is only profitable in certain situations and that was not one of them. You protected a good hand. You won money by removing the suckout. Tell them to find a pacifier and stop crying.

I fully agree. As in most situations, a passive approach hook you on the turn or river. You want to be aggressive, especialy if a short stacked is all in with rags, to either build a side pot and recoupe the main, or push off the other idiot that wants to stay in with a shitty draw.

we have had this discussion before.


its pretty simple if you bet into a dry sidepot with only something like top pair medium kicker then yes that is pretty silly. If you bet into dry sidepot when you are on the money bubble yes that is silly.


if you are not even close to the bubble then screw it bet. if you have a good hand but is vulnerable like yours was then yes protect it. Checking it down is like a unwritten rule but its in no way law or anything. Now if you were going to Bluff a dry sidepot then yes I would yell at you. Had guy do that today he bet into zero sidepot with KT HIGH, no pair at all. Hit K on turn.


People love to complain in poker, especially at low limits. I hardly ever see or hear anyone crying at higher limits. People at low limits act like they are playing for millions, they read one book and think they are experts.

Next time, tell these people to learn the game. When the flop improves your hand, particularly as strong as it did in this case, it's common wisdom to fire at the pot, even if there weren't a side pot. The fact that there is a player all-in doesn't mean that you can't bet to protect your hand when you happen to connect with the flop, and whatever happens with the turn and river is absolutely irrelevant at that point. You did the right thing.

Thanks everyone. I fealt that what I did made sense. Tried to defend myself but gang mentality took over to the point that it put me on tilt. First time I've tilted in a loooong time.
Think it's time that I disable the chat. Of course I would reenable to say hi to any members of this forum.

I'd say this is exactly when you should bet the dry sidepot.

Say I have TJs and call a min raise from a short stack with one other caller.

If the flop comes J74 type of thing, you better believe I'm betting that.

I'm probably ahead of the short stack but I don't want to give the other guy with chips the chance to hit his AKQ or anything else without paying for it. I can't ever recall being criticised for this, though I've seen plenty of people berated for betting with air. Defend your hand if it's vulnerable and you have a good chance of being ahead of shorty.

If I keep the shortstack in as a result, I'm happy that my play is right in the long run.

Bring the bubble into play and there's perhaps a different case depending on stacks etc.

I assumed we were talking about near the bubble, if we arnt close to the bubble then im betting my hands 100% of the time.

Ah, sorry. Fair enough then.