When to go All In

When playing No Limit cash games or tournaments, there comes a point in the game where you may face this decision. Whether it is Texas Holdem, Omaha, or any other variation, the decision can be a tough one. Essentially you will be putting your entire current table bankroll/chip stack on the line.

For the most part, I am a relatively tight player, so going all in for me would usually require a nearly impossible hand to beat or the nuts. As a general rule you will find most players play this way. However, there are loose cannons that will make any call , especially anything with an A or K.

However, here comes the interesting part. With most games of skill, it is about leverage. In poker, having that "edge" over your opponents and being able to utilize this "edge" can have it's advantages. Hence the all in can be a very powerful tool in your arsenal while playing, especially against a weaker opponent and you have postition to make the choice.

The all in is about bullying your opponents and taking a more dominant position at the table. This is especially the case in tournaments where gaining a substantial chip lead could ensure your placing in the money.

For the most part, it is much easier to fire a bet at your opponents than to simply call a bet. The weak ones will fold, the wild ones may call as well as the sold players with good hands. However, for them to call your all in bet will mean one of two things...they think they have you beat or they are gambling on chance. This is where the saying that in order to win chips you must risk chips comes into play.

One hang up is you go all in and a larger stack makes the call. This usually indicates a strong hand also, so you could be facing elimination with a weak (bluffing) hand. This is why reads and position are key factors in determinig the right time to go all in. On the other hand, going all in with a strong hand against another large stack could mean you doubling up and taking the chip lead

Now, when should you go all in? Here are my general guidelines:

1. You have the outs. If your opponent(s) call your raise you have a strong enough hand to ensure there are plenty of cards in the deck to favor you winning the hand.

2. You have a solid read on your opponent(s) and are fairly confident your all in raise will allow you to steal the pot, even if you are bluffing

3. You have position, allowing you to get a better read to attempt a steal.

4. You are short stacked. You just got dealt a premium hand, the blinds are eating your stack, so it's now or never timeframe. Win the hand and you stand to double or even triple up your stack and be back in the game.

5. You are deep stacked, and the short stack limps in. Raising all in will put him all in and if he has a mediocre hand will probably either fold or call the raise. By putting him on the spot you stand to eliminate one more player. At worst he gets lucky and wins and you lose only a small portion.

6. You are deep stacked and the short stack goes all in. You check your cards and see you are dealt a premium hand such as AA or KK. Instead of calling, you go all in to entice the rest of the table to fold, putting you in a heads up position against the short stack.