Poker Bonus Net

Deciding When to Go All-In When Playing NL Holdem

There will be plenty of occasions when you will have the chance to go all-in when you’re playing Holdem and although it can be a good thing it can also be a bad thing if you don’t think it through. Nothing is worse in Holdem then losing a hand when you’re all-in because then you either need to buy back in or take the dreaded walk out of the poker room. All-in isn’t going to be a move that you want to make once every 1:10 hands or anything, but you will definitely have your chances when playing Holdem to move all your chips into the pot. Let’s take a look at some at the situations when you would be wise to move all-in.

When you’re short stacked on the best online poker sites you’re going to have a lot more situations where you’ll move all-in because it’s practically the only move you have left. Basically any hand that you want to play as a short stack should be an all-in move because you’ll double up, lose or steal the blinds. Stealing the blinds when you’re short stacked can definitely help you build back up so by moving all-in you’ll put the pressure on your opponents.

If you hit trips or top two pairs or something along those lines on the flop, but you’re worried your opponent has the straight or flush draw then you should make sure you bet accordingly. Since you have the best hand most likely at this point in the hand it isn’t a bad move to move all-in or bet most of your chips. It will make anyone with a draw very unlikely to call you and even if they do call you, you’re still winning the hand at this point and they’re the one who needs the help. If you limp or slow play good flops you’ll often allow draws in for cheap and nothing is worse then getting outdrawn because you didn’t bet the pot properly.

When you’re bluffing at a pot just to gamble a good move is often an all-in move because it shows the players on the table you’re serious about the hand. You might get called, but you’re a lot less likely getting called when you bet all-in on a bluff then if you bet $25 into a $200 pot. You need to take the pot odds away from your opponents which would mean they would only be able to call if they think they have you beat with a monster hand. Don’t fall in love with this, but if you see a pot with a couple hundred in it and a couple opponents are in the hand you might be able to steal it by moving all-in once in awhile.

You will also find some other situations throughout your playing sessions where you’re going to fell moving all-in is the correct move so don’t be scared of doing it. A lot of the time you won’t be called if you have enough chips on the table so often it’s a good tool for stealing pots from weaker players.