I'd like to know what the 21k-ers would consider the max opening wager if the BB had the chips to post but there was a dead small blind? Also 21k?
Yes. It makes no difference. It does not matter what either the SB or BB actually have in chips.
My feeling is that if in one case the big blind could post the full amount and if in another case the big blind is all-in for less, the maximum raise amount (which is by definition "pot-sized") should not be the same since the amount of chips in the pot is not the same. That said, I guess I'm just a purist. One might say it's simply easier for the dealers who are so used to remembering that the first "pot" is 3.5xBB to just treat that as the first-wager maximum, and I suppose that would be fine to make (yet another) exception, but that would be a departure from the traditional approach I think.
It has no basis with regard to the dealers.
If you're in the purist camp, then you're in the 21k camp Ken. If you're in the "Name of the game is Pot Limit" camp then you're in the 18k camp.
Points for 21k.
1. First and foremost, you have to protect the right of any player to be able wager the same amount on every table and even when down to 1 table, so the player is able to protect his hand the same as other players where eligible to do in previous hands and will be able to do in future hands.
2. You can't have 6k as an amount to call and then NOT use that amount (6K) when calculating the pot size, when raising.
Points for 18k
1. Pot Limit is the name of the game and that's all you can bet.
2. Its the players tough luck he picked up a good hand when the blinds are short chips.
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To further illustrate the point:
Assume that on the previous hand, the player due to be SB is knocked out and the BB is left with 500 chips.
For the 21ker's (Purist), the UTG player is still eligible to bet 21k. Totally logical. It's the same bet everyone else can make on adjacent tables.
For the 18ker's (Name of the Game), the UTG player can only make it 12,500 (Call 6,000 + 500 (BB) + 0 (SB). Totally logical. That's all that is in the pot and that's all he can bet. That's the name of the game and it's his tough luck.
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This doesn't happen in No Limit because everyone is playing by the same rules, meaning they can call 6k and raise their entire stack. Pot Limit has betting restrictions, but you still should be able to bet the same amount throughout the tournament.
One could argue that were not changing the rules as were holding everyone to the standard of only being able to bet the pot. But if everyone is not allowed to bet the maximum amount of 21k, then the dynamics of the tournament have changed within the tournament depending on what table you happen to be on.