What is a big pot?

[scubed]

I was having an in-person conversation with another poker player when I realized that a "big pot" and a "medium sized pot" in our conversation was fairly - very - subjective. It occurred to me that I've not personally read any material that defined, in big blinds, a big or medium or small pot size.

This poll is very generalized, it is not intended to take into consideration cash/tournament , or stakes, or limit/pot/no-limit variations. It is not intended to be science. It is intended to be a feel of what most of us perceive to be a big pot.

Most of our poker variations have big blinds in common so we'll use this as the unit of measure. In big blinds, what do you perceive to be a big pot?

 

[Edison A]

I do not understand the purpose of the question, where are you going to get so many BBs, I know that depends on the time elapsed from the tournament, but if not, how are you going to ask that question?......Has no sense!

 

[scubed]

I do not understand the purpose of the question, where are you going to get so many BBs, I know that depends on the time elapsed from the tournament, but if not, how are you going to ask that question?......Has no sense!

It does not depend on the time in a tournament. Any given pot has (x) big blinds in it that can be related directly to the big blind amount at any moment in time.

For example: if the current blinds are $30 sb and $60 bb. A pot that has a value of $240 is equal to 4 big blinds. I would call a 4 big blind pot a small pot.

Another example: In some of the freerolls on many occasions I have seen players go all-in $1500 on the first hand and get 2 callers. At this time the blinds typically are $15sb and $30bb. If there are 3 players in the pot then the pot is $4500 or 150 big blinds. I personally think that this is a big pot.

I think that big blinds of a measurement does make sense because the measurement is relative to the moment only - it doesn't matter if this is a cash game, early in a tournament or late in a tournament. If you believe there is a better way to judge if a pot is small, medium or big please advise, I'm willing to learn!

 

[Edison A]

It does not depend on the time in a tournament. Any given pot has (x) big blinds in it that can be related directly to the big blind amount at any moment in time.

For example: if the current blinds are $30 sb and $60 bb. A pot that has a value of $240 is equal to 4 big blinds. I would call a 4 big blind pot a small pot.

Another example: In some of the freerolls on many occasions I have seen players go all-in $1500 on the first hand and get 2 callers. At this time the blinds typically are $15sb and $30bb. If there are 3 players in the pot then the pot is $4500 or 150 big blinds. I personally think that this is a big pot.

I think that big blinds of a measurement does make sense because the measurement is relative to the moment only - it doesn't matter if this is a cash game, early in a tournament or late in a tournament. If you believe there is a better way to judge if a pot is small, medium or big please advise, I'm willing to learn!

I insist, your question does not make sense, but wait for some other opinion

 

[Gohaku94]

Ok so the reason your question have more answers is because there are more variables in it. Like limits you play at cash games, stage of the tournament, at the start you might consider a 50bb pot small and in the end of the mtt when you double up to 20bb it's a really big pot.
So if you want an answer like 200 bb in cash games is medium, 300+ is big, nobody cares to clasify it in something like that since it's all relative.

 

[scubed]

There is a poll to vote at the top of this thread. Unsure if it is being overlooked since only 2 persons have voted so far. Please scroll up to vote in the poll.

 

[bekel285]

I won't vote in this poll because all answers could be correct depending on the situation.

 

[Zorba]

I won't vote in this poll because all answers could be correct depending on the situation.

This ^^^^

No Cake or Bastard options either, I vote Cake.


:top:

 

[Zinngraf]

Pote

Hello!
The pot size can be made according to the stack, which is the best way to classify a pot. Ex: suppose you have a stack of 50 bb in a 9 player section and the level is 10/20 bb. You are in the last position, the pot is 200bb and one player before you goes all-in with 60bb. This pot is big.

 

[scubed]

Ok so the reason your question have more answers is because there are more variables in it. Like limits you play at cash games, stage of the tournament, at the start you might consider a 50bb pot small and in the end of the mtt when you double up to 20bb it's a really big pot.
So if you want an answer like 200 bb in cash games is medium, 300+ is big, nobody cares to clasify it in something like that since it's all relative.

The pot size can be made according to the stack, which is the best way to classify a pot. Ex: suppose you have a stack of 50 bb in a 9 player section and the level is 10/20 bb. You are in the last position, the pot is 200bb and one player before you goes all-in with 60bb. This pot is big.

Thank you both for constructive, helpful responses that provide a line to think about this question more deeply. I think what both of you are saying is that in your opinion the Stack to Pot Ratio (SPR) is a good way to determine if a pot is big or not.

I haven't thought about using SPR idea as a guide because honestly - when I am short stacked 20bbs and double (or triple) up I don't consider 40bbs (or 60bbs) to be a "big pot." I consider a double-up (or triple up) such as this to be an important pot for my tournament life, but not a big (large in size) pot.

Thank you again for an idea to think about how to define a big pot. I appreciate your help.

 

[scubed]

No Cake or Bastard options either, I vote Cake.

I have no idea what this means. In the rules of the forum of how to post a poll there was not a mention of this requirement. What exactly does cake and bastard options mean?

 

[terryk]

I vote bastard,,,, no,wait,cake,,,,,ummmm,caaaaake.

 

[Smokewood]

I insist, your question does not make sense, but wait for some other opinion

lol it makes perfect sense.
He is asking how many big blinds in a pot YOU would consider a BIG POT.

I choose 30 - 50 and think it is actually more like 25 - 35 as big.