Question on Side Pots

We had a situation with a side pot that came up tonight and no one knew the answer.

Player 1 went all in, let's say for $100. Player 2 called. Player 3 threw in $150, creating a side pot of $50. Player 2 declined the raise.

In the end, player 2 won outright. Player 1 was eliminated. Player 2 took the entire pot, less the $50 side pot that he declined to call. Player 3 took the $50 side pot back.

Is that correct? Player 3 was arguing that, in some way, he should have been rewarded for player 2 not calling his side pot. But most of us felt that we called the situation correctly. Did we? How is it handled when a player declines to enter into a side pot bet? Thanks.

How can player two "decline" the raise and still win the pot? Isn't he folded at this point when he does not call the raise?

A player can't decline a raise. It's either Fold/Call/Reraise. There's no Decline button online. In your case, player 2 would lose everything since he folded.

Player 2 would have to throw in another $50 into the side pot to keep playing, making the side pot $100 and the main pot $300. If player 2 beat both the other players, he would take down all $400. If player 1 beat both players, he would take down the main pot of $300, but the sidepot is only decided between players 2 and 3.

So yes Player 3 should be rewarded with all the money, since player 2 did not call his reraise (assuming player 3 beat player 1)

2005 WSOP final table, down to heads up....

Hachem flops a straight. The neighborhood donkey turns TP with an OESD. Hachem goes all-in. Donkey says "I decline but lets run it out and see who takes the main pot anyway." Donkey keeps some chips, loses on the next hand anyway when he accepts the raise instead of declining.



Not trying to be hard on you, Tony. I know it is your first post and I would like to be the first to welcome you to the world of sarcasm that is this forum. Can you explain a little further what your game is like so we can maybe undestand what a "decline" is?

Another issue, if player 1 raises $100, then player 3 cannot raise by 50, he is required to raise at least the amount of the initial raise