When to Go All In

When to Go All In?

Many beginner poker players are often afraid to go all in, and wonder if there is every anytime that it is necessary.  When playing No Limit Texas Holdem, the most popular phrase in the game is “ALL IN”.  If you do not already know what it means, it just means that you are betting everything you have in front of you.  Then you would be left with all of your chips in the pot, which is where the phrase comes from.  It is the most intimidating bet in poker, and it usually stands for a strong hand.

You can go All In at any time during any point in the game.  If you wanted to you could do it on the first hand without ever looking at your hand.  There are no rules about when or where you can go all in, but there are times that are better then others.  There a couple of specific situations that would cause for a player to want to make the decision of going all in.  Of course there are many exceptions and reasons a player may go all in there are two specifically known reasons.

The first reason is to protect a hand.  It is often said that a poker player should get all of their money in the pot with the best hand.  That is the golden rule for many good players all over the world.  If the chance comes along to put all your money in the pot and you are confident that you have the best hand then do it.  When it comes to protecting a good hand, there is no better way to do so then to raise the pot with all the money in front of you.  When you go all in this situation you are forcing the other players to pay for their draws.  If someone wants to draw out on you, then they will have to pay for it.  If they end up drawing out then they deserve it for taking that chance with that kind of money on the line.

Another reason to go all in is when you have a marginal hand with a lot of outs.  The reason why this is a good play is because by betting all of your chips you have a very good chance to win this pot.  The first reason is because you have a great chance that nobody will call your bet, and if nobody calls your bet then you in that pot.  If someone does call you, then you know you have a lot of outs that still give you a good chance to win a pot, except this time the pot is a lot bigger and better.

Of course, there is also the big bluff all in bet that is very popular throughout the poker world but it is not the greatest time to go all in.  That is just something you got to be able to feel.  If it feels right, by all means go for it.  The worst time to go all in is when you have no outs.  If you have no outs you are leaving yourself with only on way to win and that is if your opponent folds.  You should never go all in with out any outs.  Although there is no time you cannot go all in, these are definitely the best times that you should go all in.