Spots to use the All-in move

Spots to use the All-in move are most often at the later stages of a tournament, but it can also be used in other spots. One spot where the all-in can be used and effectively is if you have a great read on what your opponents hand is. If you have a hand like JJ and the flop shows jack high, and you were re-raised before the flop, you can either make an all-in check raise or a re-raise all-in if you are playing in position. A hand where you make a set and are certain that your opponent is holding the big pair is a perfect spot to pick up a lot of chips by using the all-in play. Most players will either lead with sets or check raise with sets. If you are out of position and you do choose to lead rather than check raise you can make the 4 bet all-in play if you are raised.

Ideally, when you make the all-in play you want it to be with the best hand, but other times you can make the all-in bet with hands that are on the cusp of being made. Hands like top pair and the nut flush draw or top pair and an open end straight draw are perfect spots where you can get folds from hands that are better than yours. If you do get folds from hands that are better than you have made the perfect play. If you do happen to get called in a spot where you are semi-bluffing all-in you still have the opportunity to make your hand. That is the beauty of semi-bluffing. The reason you do it is to get a fold from your opponent, and also to build a pot with a hand that can be made in to the nuts. If you are playing in position with a hand like bottom two pair or a set on a straightening board this is also a good time to use an all-in bet. The reason why you would make a big bet at a pot is to protect your hand. If you can prevent your opponent from seeing the card that makes his hand on the turn then you have played it correctly. Even if your opponent decides to make a call with a flush draw, you are still the favorite with two pair or a set and will win the pot more times than not.

Using the all-in late in tournaments is something that not enough players do. Using the all-in later on in a tournament will allow you to push a player off of a hand that may be ahead of yours. First, when you think of making the move you have to calculate how much of the poker bonus amount is in the pot, how much their opening raise is, and lastly if you think they will lay their hand down. If you feel like they have been stealing your blind a good deal of times it is correct to push all-in and win the pot pre-flop. If you see that a player opens the pot for a minimal raise from late position a lot of the time it means they are weak and will fold to your shove. If you are perceived as being a tight player, and have made it deep in a tournament most players will respect your shove, and lay down their hand.