All-in time

	The ‘all-in’ move may be an integral part of today’s no-limit hold’em game, but its correct usage is not always employed

If, like me, you’re a fan of the 1966 classic ‘A Big Hand for the Little Lady’ (released in the UK as ‘Big Deal at Dodge City’), you may remember a key five-card draw hand in which Henry Fonda’s character suffers a heart attack. Against the wishes of his opponents, his wife takes over the hand. But, the little lady has a big problem: she doesn’t know how to play poker.

More importantly in relation to this article, she doesn’t have enough money on the table to cover a large bet made by an opponent. So, she removes her cards and walks across the street to the bank where she reveals her five-card draw holding to the pennypinching bank owner. After being assured he is not part of a joke, he advances her a mountain of cash and play resumes at the saloon.

I suppose in the 1800s, when players ran out of chips and cash during a hand, under ‘western rules’ they could take out a bank loan or sign a deed to their property. But today, we play table stakes in the 21st century and the maximum a player can bet, call or raise during a hand is the money he or she has on the table at the beginning of that hand. Hence the expression and those words that burn ears at the table: ‘all-in’.

The ‘all-in’ move may be an integral part of today’s no limit hold’em game, but its correct usage is not always employed and even less often discussed. To this end, I turned to an experience no-limit cash game player, Alphonse Mekalainas, for advice.

His initial thought was to tell me: ‘Lee, in a nutshell, going all-in while playing no-limit hold’em has an intimidating effect. Once you execute this play, no one can get you off your hand. In cash games, most all-in plays occur on the turn or river. Let’s say the pot is at $400, the board after the turn is K-9-7-2 with two diamonds and I hold A♠-K♥ in middle position. An early position player has been betting since pre-flop. He now bets $175. If I have $340 remaining and he has me outchipped, I should fold if I believe I am beaten or move all-in if I think my hand is the best. There is no reason to just call the $175 bet. Losing players call too much.’

Minimum buy-in

Mekalainas goes on to explain how his all-in plays differ when there is a minimum buy-in: ‘On occasion, I like to play the $5/$10 no-limit hold’em game at the Wynn in Las Vegas. The minimum buy-in is $500. The maximum is whatever you can put down on the table. My initial buy-in is typically $500. When I sit down, I am often up against several stacks in excess of $15,000. The minimum most players buy in for is $1,000.

‘Cards like A-K and A-Q are key hands in no-limit. When I pick these big cards up, what I am looking for pre-flop is for someone to raise to $50 or so. Hopefully, there will be one caller (although getting a lone caller is not mandatory to execute this play). I will then go all-in. I’m hoping for a coin toss situation, one where my opponent might blink and fold. By going all-in, I am giving my opponent the opportunity to make a mistake such as folding a medium pocket pair where he is a small favourite and he is getting favourable pot odds. For example, black pocket 9s are a 55-45 favourite over a black A-Q offsuit.

‘In addition, making this play adds deception to my game. Since I play with the same players frequently, they realise I might make the same play with pocket Kings or pocket Aces. But knowing I will make this play with just two high cards, they will often call me with 10-10 or J-J.

‘In spots where I have either been the opening raiser or even a caller, I often move in on the flop. All I need is a decent hand such as a pair with a flush draw. This follows my overall objective of putting pressure on my opponents. When I have a single opponent, I almost always want him to fold. Once he folds, nothing bad can happen. If he decides to call, I have outs. I try to avoid going all-in without having a way out.’

Maximum buy-in

Mekalainas is also a fan of the $5/$10 no-limit hold’em game at the Bellagio and reveals that his play is markedly different because there is a set, maximum amount you are allowed to start with: $1,000.

‘I buy in for the maximum,’ he adds. ‘And at least initially, I play in a more straightforward fashion. I’m looking to trap an opponent and build up my stack. I almost never go all-in unless I hold a strong hand and I believe my opponent is committed to all his chips based on the pot size and his remaining chips. If I am fortunate enough to build my stack to approximately $3,000, then my strategy changes. Bill Gates can sit down and I will have him ‘stack dominated.’ Remember, even a billionaire can only buy in for $1,000 in this game.

‘A beneficial by-product of bullying with a large stack is that you confuse your less than observant opponents who have decided that you play a certain way. They haven’t factored in that your strategy has changed as your chip stack has increased. Getting back to Gates, I can now push him around. One method is to over-bet my mediocre hands (at hopefully the right times). You need not go all-in to move your opponents out. By making an oversized bet while sitting behind a dominant stack, there is always the chance you will scare an opponent off his hand.

‘But, there is an obvious scenario where only going allin will have the desired effect. Let’s say I have 10-10 under the gun. I’ll make it $25 to go playing $2/$5 nolimit. Three players call, and then the short-stacked, small blind player goes all-in for $140. When that happens, I will come over the top and move all-in for $400 or $500. What I am trying to do is isolate my pocket pair against the small blind (it is unlikely he or she holds a premium hand) and take advantage of the existing pot odds. In addition, I am trying to drive out weak Ace and King hands to ameliorate the effect of an overcard(s) on the flop. This play works well for me.’

Know your limit

Having explored how the size of the buy-in affects whether or not you go all-in, I asked Mekalainas what bearing the skill level at different buy-ins has on when you decide to push. Here’s what he had to say:

‘In a $5/$10 blind game, the players are more capable of releasing hands like top pair/top kicker. Typically, the higher the limit, the stronger the competition. At lower limits, opponents are more likely to go all-in risking $1,000 to win a $300 pot where a $200 bet would most likely accomplish the same result. Don’t bet more than you have to. There is no advantage to putting extra money at risk when a smaller bet will have the same effect on an opponent.

‘Here’s a play that may not work on a sophisticated player, but I have had success at limits up to $5/$10. Let’s say I have $3,000 in front of me and my opponent has $300. I might bet $400 on the river if I want him to call. In contrast, I might push all-in if I’m unsure my hand is better than his. While the bet is essentially the same – putting all my opponents’ chips at risk – the subtle, psychological difference has worked to my advantage.

‘Remember that the smaller stack is always at risk of being put all-in by his opponent. That is why it is so important for the short-stack to put all his chips into the pot first. Let the other guy feel the pressure and make the mistake. If you are not giving your opponents enough chances to make mistakes, then you are not playing as well as you could be.’