| One
of the things viewers like most about watching No Limit Texas Hold'em
on television is the all or nothing nature of a game. It's a battle
where the player, at any point, can decide to risk it all on the turn
of a card.
The all-in bet is certainly exciting, and it's also a
very deadly weapon, especially in tournament poker where the blinds
escalate rapidly. When used properly, all-in betting can have a
neutralizing effect on even the world's greatest players. In fact, if
you found yourself in a situation where you were facing professional
champions like Johnny Chan or Phil Ivey, the all-in move might just be
your only hope.
Here's why it works.
Only strong hands
can call. Once you've made an all-in bet, it forces opponents to have a
premium hand in order to call you. When all of your chips are in the
pot, opponents can't outplay you anymore because your decision-making
process is already complete.
If you're a novice player, the last
thing you want to do is be involved in difficult situations against a
superior player after the flop. So consider making your big move before
the flop, and turn a world-class cardshark into nothing more than just
another player waiting for a premium hand.
While he's waiting, you'll be picking up valuable blinds and antes.
Math is on your side
Even
when you get caught, you can still win. The second reason the all-in
move is so effective is that even when you get caught with your hand in
the cookie jar, you can still win the pot.
Let's say you go
all-in on the button with a trash hand like Ah-6d. The big blind picks
up a hand like Ks-Kc and calls. Well, you're obviously in trouble, but
it's nowhere near as bad as you might think. You'll outdraw the cowboys
and win the pot over 28 percent of the time.
Now, if the players
in the blinds are top-notch and are waiting for big pairs before
they'll play against you, you'll pick up the blinds a very high
percentage of the time. And when you add in the success rate of your
hand outdrawing a calling opponent, it makes the all-in play effective
in most situations.
Math is on your side. In tournament poker, the game is played with blinds as well as antes.
Winning
a hand where absolutely nobody calls is often an excellent result and a
great way to increase your stack size — risk free.
Let's say,
for example, that the blinds are 200-400, with eight players tossing in
an ante of 50 each. There is 1,000 in the pot. Everyone folds to you.
You're holding As-3c on the button and have 10,000 left.
If you
go all-in and nobody calls, you'll have increased your stack size by 10
percent simply by having the guts to risk it all. Even if your
opponents call you with a better hand 10 percent of the time, the play
would still be profitable in the long run.
Why? As I explained earlier, even a hand like A-6 will beat a pair of kings close to 30 percent of the time.
So,
nine times out of 10 you'll end up with 11,000 in chips by picking up
the blinds and antes. One out of 10 times, you'll either be done for
the day, or get lucky, and amass 20,400 in chips.
It doesn't always work
Now, remember, this isn't a foolproof system, and it isn't the optimal strategy for a top professional.
However, it is the best way for a beginning player to neutralize a professional's significant skill advantage.
One
last thing: If you're contemplating an all-in play, it's also extremely
important to factor in your stack size in relation to the blinds. The
larger the discrepancy, the less effective the all-in move becomes.
Suppose
that in the previous example, you now have 100,000 in chips instead of
10,000. Moving all-in with a trash hand is no longer a good strategy,
even for a beginner. Risking 100,000 and your whole tournament life to
win a measly 1,000 simply isn't worth it.
By Daniel Negreanu |
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