In chapter 9 of The Theory of Poker, David Sklansky explains that when a pot becomes large, your primary objective usually shifts from “maximizing long-term value” to simply winning that pot immediately, even if it means scaring everyone out.
Why You Want Big Pots to End Quickly
In small pots, you often want calls with your strong hands so you can earn more bets over time.
But in large pots in limit games, something different happens:
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When the pot is big, even a second-best hand is often getting correct pot odds to call a bet and try to catch up.
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If your opponent is mathematically correct to call (given the size of the pot and their draw), then their call has positive expectation for them in the long run.
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That means, from your perspective, every time they correctly call in that spot, you lose in the long run—even if you win this particular pot.
So with a big pot and the best hand, you usually don’t want “good calls” from opponents.
You’d rather they fold incorrectly, denying them their equity and locking up the pot.
Why You Still Must Bet, Even When They’re Correct to Call
Even if you know your opponent is getting the right price to chase, checking is worse:
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By checking, you let them see the next card for free, which is like giving them infinite odds.
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Betting at least forces them to “pay” to try to outdraw you.
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Plus, there’s always some chance they fold anyway, which is a pure win.
So in a big pot with the best hand, you should:
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Always bet rather than give a free card, and
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Accept that sometimes opponents will call correctly, but at least not for free.
In big-bet games (no-limit, pot-limit), you can often solve this by betting large enough that a call is incorrect in pure pot-odds terms, wiping out their profitable chase.
Using Bets and Raises to Drive Players Out
A key application of this idea:
When the pot is already big, you should often raise to reduce the field, even if that means driving out weaker hands that might have called smaller bets.
Example principle:
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In a large seven-card stud pot where you have a strong but vulnerable hand (like trips), and a player bets in front of you:
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Raise, not just to get more money in, but to push out players behind you.
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Each additional opponent increases the chance someone sucks out.
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Winning the pot now or in a smaller field is more important than squeezing an extra small bet from a crowd.
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When you have a nearly unbeatable hand (like quads early), you may not want to drive people out. Then your priority shifts back to extracting more bets, because the risk of being outdrawn is tiny.
Raising Even With the Second-Best Hand
There’s a powerful corollary:
In very large pots, you should sometimes bet or raise even when you suspect you’re slightly behind, especially when:
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You hold a strong but probably second-best hand.
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You can raise in a way that may drive out other players, improving your equity.
By raising:
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You may knock out hands that had correct odds to call and compete against you.
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You create a more favorable contest between your hand and (possibly) one better hand instead of a crowd with multiple ways to beat you.
Your goal isn’t just “have the best hand” but win the pot, and raising can increase that probability in big multi-way pots.
Delaying the “Kill Raise” in Structured Limit Games
In fixed-limit games where the bet size doubles on later streets, Sklansky notes an extra nuance:
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Sometimes it’s better to wait until the bigger-bet street to raise, not as a slowplay but as a more powerful way to drive people out.
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For example, raising a small bet might not scare many callers, but waiting to raise when bets are double-sized can push more opponents out when it matters most.
This is still about the same principle:
Use your betting leverage in the way that maximally reduces the field in a large pot.
Overall Principle of the Chapter
When the pot is big:
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Your top priority is to win it — right now if possible.
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Bet and raise with strong hands to:
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Force folds,
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Shrink the field,
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Deny opponents profitable odds to chase.
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Often do the same even with a good but possibly second-best hand when raising can clear out other contenders.
Even if your chance of winning the pot is less than 50%, reducing the number of opponents can make that chance high enough—given the pot size—that aggressive betting is the most profitable strategy.
In short:
Small pots invite subtle value and deception.
Big pots demand aggression and a strong preference for winning them immediately.