Going "All-In"

It's the infamous phrase that you've heard during the major poker tournaments, I'll go All-In . Suddenly the player moves their entire stack of chips into the center of the table; the remaining players choose to call or fold, and the tension escalates. Whoever is left playing reveals their cards and sometimes stands up from the table in anticipation for the last cards. It's the moment that spectators wait for, the final texas holdem showdown when players are risking it all. But do you really know what it means to go all-in and when you should do it?

When a player is declared All-In, they are either choosing to bet their entire chip stack, or they do not have enough chips to call a bet and are betting whatever they have left. The player who goes all-in without enough chips to call is eligible for the portion of the pot to the point of this final wager. All further action involving other players takes place in a "side pot", which is unavailable to the player who has already gone All-In. When a player goes All-in, the pot currently at the center of the table, which has contributions from him/her as well, is treated as the main pot, over which the All-in player has rights. After the player goes all-in, all the new bets are placed in a side pot, over which only the contributing players have rights. The All-in player does not have any rights over the side pot. The side pot is then given to the next winning combination.

Going all-in is common practice in no-limit texas holdem tournament games; however, it is typically only used in regular holdem games when someone has a short stack of chips left. Going all-in will affect you as a player in two different ways: either you will be making the all-in bet, or you will be facing the all-in bet deciding whether or not to call. Making the all-in bet yourself is a rush; it shows confidence in your hand, and it will make or break your place in the game. When someone else goes all-in, the pressure is on you whether or not to call. You should weigh the cost with the possible outcome. If calling the all-in bet isn't going to devastate your stack, then you should probably call. Consider how much you've already put in the pot, along with how much calling this bet will cost you. Also, read the other player--are they nervous or do they have the winning hand? Sometimes the pot is just to high to fold, and you've already risked too much not to call. Sometimes you can save yourself from losing even more chips by folding and realizing that this player went all-in for a reason. There's no exact science, and you learn from each experience.