This is one of the most exhilarating and high-pressure moves in poker. Knowing when to go all can make or break your game. Here are some situations when it makes sense.
Strong Hand
When it makes sense to go all-in in poker, you’re probably on the winning side of the table. If you’re in a hand and have a strong hand, meaning that no one else has raised and you have a much higher likelihood of winning than not, then it’s probably time to call.
If you’re not sure whether you’ve got a strong hand or not, look at your hole cards. If they’re all high cards (eights and above), then you’ve got a pretty good chance of winning.
Short Stack
Short stacks are the most common group of players at the table, and they make up about half the game’s population. They’re also the ones who need to be the most careful about their decisions because they don’t have much room for error when they make a mistake. If you’re playing short stack, here are a few rules you should follow:
- Always play aggressively! You might not get much money in this game, but your opponents will be happy to give it right back to you if they can.
- Be conservative with your betting size. You don’t want to get stuck with any high-value hands that could give your opponents an edge over you if they call your bet or raise against them later on in the hand.
Bluffing
When you’re bluffing, it’s important to make sure that you aren’t just saying something because you want to win the hand. In poker, people will often bluff when they have a strong hand but are afraid of getting called by a weaker hand. This is known as being “fishy” because it seems like you have nothing but air behind your cards, but on the other side of the table is someone who has a strong hand and has no need to go all-in with their stack.
The key to successful bluffing is making sure that you don’t leave anything on the table. If you say something like “I have a full house” when you have nothing more than an overpair, then your opponent may decide that he or she doesn’t want to risk it and call your bet—and this can be disastrous for your game!