Poker Betting Basics: All-In Wagers & Side Pots Rules
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In our lesson on the three main betting variations of poker, we used an example where a player in a no-limit game could bet far more than anyone else at the table, provided the player had that amount.
Poker is always played at table stakes. This means you can only wager the amount of money you have in front of you when the hand begins. It is quite common for a player to run out of money during a hand. If you have more money than another player, it doesn’t mean you can bet them out of the pot because they can’t afford to call your bet.
Otherwise, the poker player with the most money would always win if they bet all their chips, which wouldn’t make for a very enjoyable game.
All-in Bets
For example, one player goes all-in for $50, and everyone folds except a second player who only has $30 left (Figure 1).
Figure 1
That second player can’t match the full $50, but they can still continue by going all-in for their last $30. If no other players are involved, the extra $20 is not contested and is returned to the first player (Figure 2). In other words, the effective bet between the two players is $30, not $50.
If the shorter stack wins the hand, they win the pot they were eligible for, and any unmatched chips are returned to the larger stack.
Figure 2
In this example, the shorter stack wins the pot, but the surplus $20 is returned to Player 5.
The whole point of this is that players can take back any extra money when another player is all-in for less, when nobody else has called.
Side Pots
Side pots come into play when more than two players remain in a hand, and one player goes all-in for less than the others. The all-in player can only win the portion of the pot they’ve matched (the main pot) and cannot win any additional chips wagered afterward.
Example (Figure 3):
- Three players remain.
- Two players have $50 each, and one player has $10.
- There’s already $40 in the pot.
- Player 5 bets $20.
- Player 6 only has $10 left, so their only option (if they want to continue) is to go all-in for $10.
If Player 6 goes all-in and Player 7 calls the full $20, then a side pot is created.
Figure 3
Here’s how the pots break down:
- Main Pot: $70 total ($40 already in + $10 each from Players 5, 6, and 7). This is the only pot. Player 6 can win because they are all-in.
- Side Pot: $20 total (the extra $10 each from Players 5 and 7). Only Players 5 and 7 can win this pot.
At showdown:
- If Player 6 wins, they take the main pot only.
- The side pot is then decided between Players 5 and 7.
- Any further betting between Players 5 and 7 goes into the side pot, not the main pot.
Conclusion
This lesson covered key concepts that may feel daunting to beginners, but with regular play, these betting principles become intuitive. Side pots are a common feature in poker, especially in multi-way hands, whether you’re playing limit, pot-limit, or no-limit formats.
These scenarios arise because players bring different chip stacks to the table. Those with fewer chips than others can only contest the portion of the pot they’ve matched. The essential rule is simple: no one can be pushed out of a hand just because they can’t call a larger bet. As long as you have chips to bet, you’re still in the game.