Paying Multiple Bets Preflop

Here's a forum post I made recently:

Think of it this way. if you are in a 1/2 game, and it comes 3 bets to you preflop, it's almost as if you are playing 3/6 preflop and then switch to 1/2 postflop.

What this means is that your implied odds are terrible.

When you put in money preflop, you will need to make it back postflop. If you pay 1 SB to see the flop, your postflop play in the long run needs to make back 1 SB to break even. So there will be several hands where you pay 1 SB to see a flop and fold, sometimes you hit a hand but still lose, and other times where you hit a hand and win. All of that needs to add up to > 1 SB for your 1 SB call preflop to be profitable.

Now if you are paying 3 SB preflop, you have to make up 3 SB postflop in the long run. A suited connector will have alot of trouble doing this, as you often hit weak draws that the flop aggression will force you to fold, since it was 3 bets preflop. And it will be hard in the long run to make back those 3 SB.

Hands like AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK can play for three bets or more preflop because they win so often that you more than make back your initial investment.

This explanation isn't completely correct. Sometimes you have an equity edge and are actually making money when you play for several bets preflop, but this equity edge is only useful if you see a lot of rivers. A medium suited connector will have to fold on a lot of flops giving up it's equity because you can't protifably draw for that runner runner straight or backdoor flush.