All-ins?!!!

I'm sorry if this is a repeat question, but I play online poker A LOT! And for some reason, lately I have found that half of the game is spent waiting for those that insist on going all-in every round before the flop. I know it takes some guts (or whatever) to do it, I don't understand. I know if you happen to win it then you get a pretty good bankroll before everyone else. However, since I have lost several times with say, pair of Aces, does this strategy work? I know it can...but does anyone know the reasoning behind it? Hope it's not a stupid question - thanks.

Gutless, Emryld

There is no reason behind it.
Reasons to go allin include:
You are short stacked
You wanna steal the blinds and have a decent hand to race with
You have a monster hand and you feel others will call


Noone is shortstacked in the beginning where they have to do it, and anybody who calls them and loses will be out. The blinds are not worth stealing. So really just idiots who think the only way they can win is by gaining a big chip stack and bullying.

Watch these players for awhile and you will notice it doesn't usually work.

Just patience and higher limits can solve this problem

GL

I agree with your evaluation and it is downright boring waiting for these players to lose their stack. The only other reason, I gathered from watching their play is they are trying to whiddle down the players in the hand from say 6-10 to 1 or 2 opponents and preference all dropping out. I buy this strategy if their hand was strong or say suited and in good position but a lot of these first hand allins are junk cards playing lottery.

Emryd, The two above are exactly correct. What they really want to do is build an image of being a maniac. Perosonally I label them as "monkeys" in saying that they dont really care what happens to their money. You will find these guys get lucky sometimes and have an outrageous chip stack by the end of 5 hands or so. I actually tried this strategy one time in a freeroll and while I got to 20,000 in chips, It caught up to me in the end as I was still out by the first break. Unfourtanetly there is not much you can do because they will go in with anything (I lost with 99s to Q4 thanks to trip 4s one time). Just play your game, make slight adjustments that you see fit and you should be fine.

This is the nature of all-comers freerolls. You can play monster hands only for the first 20 minutes or join the lottery. Your big hands will often be well rewarded in these frenzies. Of course you'll often get to play no hands at all.

when i started i was as guity as anyone else id have a marginal hand or small pockets and all in hoping to protect it but it doesnt seem to work ive found playing slow and not bullying gets me to alot more final tables good luck

The 'sites' do not reward bad players, the nature of poker does. There are winning and losing odds and no guaranteed winners, especially pf.

As to 'reasoning' from the OP ... for freerolls, there is one starting every few minutes when these all-inners are playing 12 poker sites. They'll trust their 'skill' to Lady Luck and they have absolutely nothing at risk. Lower limit buy-ins? More money than brains and that is why there are more losing cash players online than winners.

too much tv, they watch it on tv and just want to stand up in front of their computer and if they win hi five their posters on the wall....poker plays are power trippers

I've found this happens ALOT in freerolls--so--I usually will fold the 1st hand, unless I have a monster, and even then it's ify--I've been know to fold pkt. As 'cuz, to be honest, I've lost probably MORE times w/pkt As than any other! And always to donkeys who 1) don'have a clue as to what they're doing. 2)Are brand new to the game and think that's what they're SUPPOSED to do. 3)Players who just don't give a damn 'cuz they JUST MIGHT WIN! I personally try to play tight/aggresive at the start and loosen up later on. BAD players are ALOT harder to beat than GOOD players 'cuz good players know how/what to bet--and that's alot more fun than just guessing and hoping fer the best!

Thanks everyone. I'll keep playing a bit tight in the beginning even if I have to fold some pretty decent hands. I'd rather stay in the game a bit longer than getting booted out of a tournament on the first hand. Good luck at the tables, and thanks for the advice.

I am sort of a fan of people that go All In a lot. (Other than freerolls) Its usually big stack being a bully and even though they might occassionally have a worth while All In hand, more often than not, they don't. I just wait until I have a great pre-flop hand, check the power to them knowing that they'll bet big, and call their All In and collect big time.

I agree, wait for a monster hand, or for them to take themselves out by getting called by a monster ! I have seen a lot of those kinds of players, but never close to the final table!

I just wait for the first blind to go by and then the rest of us can play. I have also found that when you hit the nuts post flop those big chip stacks will bet your hand for you, and then you can put those chips to much better use. This strategy have been effective of getting me to the bubble and to small cashes. I need to discover one to move to the next level.

Many people theorize that getting the huge stack early in small buy in MTT's will lead them to the promised land. The loose play that occasionally get them the big stack is also what causes them to lose that stack later. I've read strategies about playing like a maniac early and then tightening up. Maybe this isn't bad. But, I'm pretty sure that the day one chip leader at the WSOP never wins the event. Maybe, that generally holds true for the first break chip leader in small buy-in MTT's also.

That is just the nature of the beast in freerolls ,
they think early chip stacks are important but the early chip stacks are never there in the end on the final table lol

It's a real exercise in patience since you don't get to see a cheap flop and have to fold so many hands that you wouldn't be willing to risk your tourney life on, but you'll notice that if you had played those hands, more likely than not, you'd be on the rail instead of still playing in the tourney. After awhile those all-in pre-flop raisers eliminate themselves.

From my experience, just playing freerolls, hopefully to build up a small bankroll to learn with, patience has been the key. From when I started playing freerolls, I've really learned a lot of patience. I used to get frustrated and call an all-in on a mediocre hand. Now on these big freerolls, it's not uncommon for me to only play one hand before the first break.

For beginners like myself, patience is something that you have to learn, even if you don't like it.

I think Scruffy Mojo said it the best - that's what they see on TV, so that's what they think they're supposed to do. For some reason, folding around to the big blind doesn't make good TV .

The alll in is highly abused in low level tournements, SnGs and freerolls. The nature of being able to join another game witin 10 seconds of leaving one is what makes this abuse so high. The "it's only a dollar" mentality is another big reason.

Typical early freeroll behavior is an all-in fest because "its only a freeroll dude". Same goes for low $ SNG's and tourneys. I'm sure they are just looking to get lucky and build a big stack fast. Wait out the donks. Catch a good hand and put them out of their (and your) misery!

They say you're just supposed to survive the early rounds of freerolls, and it makes sense. But, it's easy to get chipstack envy when you see the donks raking it in. The thing is, they're usually raking it in against other donks! Just pay a little attention, you can find somebody to trap, while you're just trying to 'survive'.

I think you need to wait wait wait on one hand but on the other hand if you have a good hand (high pair) AND not many people called the all in you should go all in too - The mathematics are usually in your favor - And that is what this game is about in this case

Just be patient and wait for a hand that you don't mind being all in with. Sometime I don't even play for the first few minutes unless I get AA or KK.

A lot of you may not agree withmehere: At the START of a freeroll, if there is such a person at my table, I will let everyone there know that everytime that person goes all in preflop iI am going to time out. Be surprised how often it works. You can also talk to the rest of the table and have EVERYONE sit out and everyone will get moved to a different table. Woks well also. Try it, you mayt or may not like it, but it often works

It like trying to walk thru a minefield. All these "players" if you can call then that, going all in with anything, even if you get AA or KK you often have to face many "Allinners" as I like to lable them, and the chances of getting taken out increase. Then if you do play conservative and keep your stack, few lucky "players" who use this approach and hit a few hands have huge rolls and then will bully the table making it continue to be difficult to play. Gotta love online poker. Where else could you have so much fun. lol

i only go all in preflop if some 1 re raise me and i have a big hand or are short stacked whit high blinds

this is why i like to sit the first 20 hands doesnt matter whati get
because by 20 hands every one has setttled down a lil and the donk has built me an atm to draw from.

I started playing online and would do the donk all in dance before the flop many times, just hoping to get lucky and also because i sucked. Happy to report that i rarely use that stupid move now, and i feel i am a better quality player these days.

OMG....I hate sitting at a table with all-in players! Especially the ones that go all-in every hand. The other night I was in a tourney when someone was literally going all-in every single hand for about an hour before she was taken out. I could not believe that she lasted that long going all-in every hand!

I've seen these guys everywhere during freerolls, just trying to get a head start, apparently. It's understandable, to a degree, when you're playing in a freeroll, especially those with thousands of players, when people feel the need to double up. At some point it always catches up them if they don't know when to stop.

those guys who are constantly going all in are the ones who end up giving it back later when it catches up to them. i play in quite of few freerolls and i enjoy watching the idiots go all in and win. build a giant stack and i think to myself that i am going to take it from them. and when they finally lose, which they will, makes all the waiting for a good hand worth it

Can you imagine freerolls without guys pushing all in with QJ? You guys should be welcoming these players with open arms.

There are people who use some logic to the all in move though. I've pushed all in with pairs and AK early to double up (you will almost always get called) and played VERY tight poker from there on out. It's not a bad strategy at all if you're playing multiple freerolls/tables.

Omaha preflop raisers tick me off though. I usually just let those guys go at it even with a high pair in my hand because in Omaha freerolls you will almost always find a better and cheaper oppurtunity to see the flop and go all in with the nuts.

people want to go all in with quality hands early in freerolls and tournaments to obtain a chip lead and have a more real chance at making the money... Once they realize they have chips and can possibly make the money or get 1st, they arent as aggresive and the amount of all ins decrease..... whether this is a good strategy or not.. i guess its up for debate.. a lot of factors to take into consideration

It happens a lot in freerolls (i'm personally responsible for some of it), especially on sites like pokerstars and fulltilt. when the freerolls are only for 1-2 hundred, and theres 2700-12000 people in it, most that start just want to get lucky early, and see what happens. Because to gring it out for 5 hours to make the money, only to win 10 cents, is a pain.
Unless its a freeroll for a site like this, or railbirds, where you can actulaly get ranked and noticed for grinding it out in tourneys repeatedly.
But the big freerolls are a crapshoot, and reasonably so.

Usually you can wait these people out, they may gain a big chip stack but will blow it much faster than a good patient player.

during this time of a tourney i play super tight. if i get a big pair then i will play a big pot with them but normally i wont otherwise. yes it can build you a big stack but if you notice most people who do this get a big stack but then quickly lose it as well. they just come there to waste time they have no intention of actually making the final table. anyway this method can work if used right. but if you wait for big hands against these guys you will almost assure yourself a seat in the top 27. gl and play on.