Handling All-ins
In this Article:
- What are the reasons for someone to put you all in?
- What you should consider when someone puts you all in.
- When to call an all-in and when to fold.
- What are the reasons for someone to put you all in?
- What you should consider when someone puts you all in.
- When to call an all-in and when to fold.
What are the reasons for someone to put you all in?
The first thing you should consider when someone puts you all-in is why are they doing it. When you think about it, there are really only 3 situations in which someone is going to want to raise you for all your chips.
1. They have a monster hand and they think you have a good hand too. They want to get as many chips as possible and they think you'll call their bet. This is the worst scenario for you. If they have a monster and shove all-in, it can be easy to mistake this for a bluff and call it with a mid-range to strong hand and get cleaned out.
2. They're bluffing. Either they missed their draw or they never had a hand to begin with but they don't want to give up on the pot so they're shoving all in in hopes that your hand isn't strong enough to call. In this case if you have a hand, you can call and rake in a huge pot.
3. It's early in the hand and they have a pocket pair or a good draw, but they don't want to be outdrawn. This is what usually happens early in the hand or even pre-flop. Usually this happens as a re-raise preflop from someone with a pocket pair or high connectors such as AK suited or after the flop from someone with a straight or flush draw. If you can figure your opponent out and can put them on a draw, then you just have to consider the pot odds. What are the percentages that they'll hit their hand compared to the amount of money you have to put into the pot.
1. They have a monster hand and they think you have a good hand too. They want to get as many chips as possible and they think you'll call their bet. This is the worst scenario for you. If they have a monster and shove all-in, it can be easy to mistake this for a bluff and call it with a mid-range to strong hand and get cleaned out.
2. They're bluffing. Either they missed their draw or they never had a hand to begin with but they don't want to give up on the pot so they're shoving all in in hopes that your hand isn't strong enough to call. In this case if you have a hand, you can call and rake in a huge pot.
3. It's early in the hand and they have a pocket pair or a good draw, but they don't want to be outdrawn. This is what usually happens early in the hand or even pre-flop. Usually this happens as a re-raise preflop from someone with a pocket pair or high connectors such as AK suited or after the flop from someone with a straight or flush draw. If you can figure your opponent out and can put them on a draw, then you just have to consider the pot odds. What are the percentages that they'll hit their hand compared to the amount of money you have to put into the pot.
What should you consider when someone puts you all-in?
How to handle an all-in depends mostly on what kind of game you're playing and secondly on the particular hand you're in. I find that in tournaments, all-ins command much more strength when the person making the bet has the higher chip stack. This is because the all-in does not just represent a large amount of chips, but also someone's tournament life. Calling an all-in against someone whose chip stack covers your own can be a very difficult decision and can be almost impossible to call unless you're absolutely sure you've got the best hand. In a cash game, all-ins can still be powerful, but they're not as intimidating. This is simply because an all-in is just a really large bet in a cash game. If you lose all your chips, you're not done. You can simply buy more chips and get right back in the game. However, an all-in does still have one great advantage. That is that it cannot be raised, so if you were planning on bluffing a hand, but someone puts you all-in, you can't possibly call, even if you think they're bluffing too.
If you're playing a cash game, you really only have to consider the size of the bet. It's all the chips your opponent has, but how big is it to you? And, are you getting good odds on a call? Do you think the other person is bluffing? Do you think they're on a draw? These are all things you have to think about before making your decision. But in the end, it's really just up to you and your cards.
In a tournament, this is so much harder because an all-in can mean the end of your tournament. But, that just means you have to think harder and try to figure out your opponent. Remember, they also know that this bet can spell the end of your tournament, so you have to think. Are they using that against you to get you to fold? Or, are they trying to get rid of you and get one step closer to the end of the tournament? Think about your tournament life. Are the cards in your hand worth putting your tournament life at risk? All too often I see people make this call with AK, only to limp away from the table.
If you're playing a cash game, you really only have to consider the size of the bet. It's all the chips your opponent has, but how big is it to you? And, are you getting good odds on a call? Do you think the other person is bluffing? Do you think they're on a draw? These are all things you have to think about before making your decision. But in the end, it's really just up to you and your cards.
In a tournament, this is so much harder because an all-in can mean the end of your tournament. But, that just means you have to think harder and try to figure out your opponent. Remember, they also know that this bet can spell the end of your tournament, so you have to think. Are they using that against you to get you to fold? Or, are they trying to get rid of you and get one step closer to the end of the tournament? Think about your tournament life. Are the cards in your hand worth putting your tournament life at risk? All too often I see people make this call with AK, only to limp away from the table.
When should you call an all-in and when should you fold?
If you've read this far then the answer to this question should already be pretty much answered for you. If you're playing in a cash game then just make your decision based on what you've seen so far in the hand. If you think you're opponent has the nuts, then fold. If you think they're bluffing, then call. If they're on a draw, then do you have a hand to beat them and are you getting good odds on your call? It should be noted that if you think your opponent is on a straight or a flush draw, and you currently have them beat, then you're always getting good odds on a call here.
On the other hand, if you're in a tournament, as I've already said, this is a much harder decision. Consider first and foremost, whether or not you're ready to put your tournament at risk. If not, then unless you have a monster hand, fold it. Why risk your tournament life. Just be patient and wait for a better opportunity. If you're starting to get low on chips and it's becoming an all or nothing situation, then consider what you're opponent is doing. If you think he's bluffing or on a draw, then this might be a good time to call. If you think he's got a monster hand, then obviously you should fold. Just consider these things before making your decision and don't get suckered into giving up all your chips.
On the other hand, if you're in a tournament, as I've already said, this is a much harder decision. Consider first and foremost, whether or not you're ready to put your tournament at risk. If not, then unless you have a monster hand, fold it. Why risk your tournament life. Just be patient and wait for a better opportunity. If you're starting to get low on chips and it's becoming an all or nothing situation, then consider what you're opponent is doing. If you think he's bluffing or on a draw, then this might be a good time to call. If you think he's got a monster hand, then obviously you should fold. Just consider these things before making your decision and don't get suckered into giving up all your chips.
