Going all-in?

When would or wouldn't you go all-in during play? When's is it safe to call all-in during MTT?

remember going all in COULD mean going all out

It's never SAFE unless you have the nut hand at the river or the like. Most of the time that you'll have to go all-in you won't be safe... although if you have more chips than the all-in player, then you're not in danger of going out immediately.
If you want safe options, then poker isn't for you - you take calculated risks as a matter of course.

When you'd go all-in during play depends on your chip stack relative to the blinds, and what kind of hand you have, and also what kind of opponents you have at the table. Sometimes pushing all-in is an effective way to buy the blinds, and get yourself a few more chips, and is done based on a good position and hopefully a good read on your opponents. Sometimes it's when you're short-stacked, and can't wait any longer for a good hand, and just have to take the chance that you're behind and hope to get lucky. Sometimes you're really short-stacked, and the big-stack has just pushed all-in, so you push in to try to get the opportunity to only be against one opponent with all your chips on the line. Sometimes you'll push in on a bluff. There are many situations where you may need to go all-in, and it's not something that can be answered in a short post.
If you have less than 10x the big blind, consider pushing all in when you like a hand you're dealt. If you're seriously short-stacked, consider pushing in with whatever cards if a big stack pushes all-in. Other times it's trickier to know whether to push or just raise...

going all in

Depends on stack and how the players have been playing. If you have the nuts. If your short stack and have good cards, and position is a big plus. But I hate being at a table where for the first like 3-5 hands someone just keeps going in everyhand. Not poker to me.

Gen1GT said:

When would or wouldn't you go all-in during play? When's is it safe to call all-in during MTT?

Click to expand...

That's a pretty open ended question there. I guess my answers are:

Would go all in: When I'm going to win.
Would not go all in: If I was going to lose.
Safe to call all in during MTT: See first answer.

Unfortunately it sounds like a smart ass answer, but if you are looking for absolutes, then those are the answers (smart ass or not). Sorry.

Sounds reasonable to me. Would anyone go all-in on the draw?

I would if I had the odds and ALOT of outs (i.e if I had ace of spades, 3 more spades, and was just waiting on that final spade to make my flush) then I might try it. However, in that case I would probably have to have a pair of spades in hand (not overly confident of 4 of one suit hitting the table). But I think in a situation where you will hit the nut flush if you get that card, you're in a pretty good situation. I would also push all-in on a draw if I was short stacked. You hit your card, you win a decent pot. You dont hit the card, a) you lose or b) you still end up winning in the event that you already have something in hand i.e a decent pair/2 pair.

Basically to summarize, all in with a draw if a) the # of outs you have are in your favor or b) you are really short-stacked

I've found a lot of players like to go all in early in multi table tournaments and try to get an easy double up, but most end up going out and moving on to their next tournament for not having the patience to wait on better cards and hope for a lucky catch on a show down. Like the others have said, all in is risky but if you know you have top hand then do it, but if your unsure, folding cost nothing and the savings can be reinvested again.

These times eveytime without question

I'll go all in with ACES or sometimes KINGS preflop
Nut made on the turn..sometimes flop
Nut on river of course



Outside of that ??..Sure I can go all in but, every situation depends on this or that, etc....

Going all in is soething you try not to do to ofte. i myself only go all in when i have the nuts and someone is bet big. I hve friend that bluffs by going all in however to e that is not a bluff. If your have a middle hand not bd or good and push preflop you cnt bluff the hand lter on because you got no more chips. i sy wait until you are pushed with the best hand then go all in.

Ma77

in early stages (first 10 hands) i go all in with top pair and a good kicker. Normally some idiot calls with second pair or a crap kicker. I play those hands fast regardless. But in the later stages of the tourney if some1 raises me i may giv them credit for a vgh.

i think it depends on the stage of the tournament. all ins early on can quickly double or triple ur stack and are worth taking a risk on. the other time to go all in is if u hav a set or top 2pr but som1 could be drawing to a straight or a flush. in this case i am favourite so i go all in. beware however because u will get called. if there is already some chips in the pot the other player will call because they r getting good pot odds.

later in the tourney i wld only go all in with vgh. and once u r 2 the final table i will try 2 steal the pots with big bets but not an all in. if some1 has u beat u will kno wen they call u.

yea going all in is never completely safe...of course there are better times than others, but its never a done deal.

i know early in one tournament i caught the high end of a strait on the flop, i raise, get re raised, and then im all in with one caller. he shows a set with his pockets, a the turn shows a pair on the board giving him a full boat and i lose...never safe.

I've seen guys go all-in pre-flop with AA get beat by a 2-7...lol