Moving All In - Sit and Go's

One of the most exciting plays in poker is shoving all of your chips into the pot.  It is a wild, exhilarating experience, and many people use it too often.  Don't get me wrong, I definitely love the all in play, but you need to know the proper situations to make it profitable.

Worst All In

To start things off I'll discuss what the worst time is to move all in: preflop at the beginning of a sit and go.  Players will do this with hopes to double up.  However, when you do this you give your hand away.  It is obvious that you have a decent hand if you shove all of your chips in preflop.

The other problem is that the only people you have beat will fold, and the only people that have you beat will call.  For example, if you go all in with JJ, hands like KJ and 99 will fold, but hands like QQ, KK, or AA will all call.  That's why it isn't a very profitable play.

When to Go All In

Now, when the situation is right, the all in play can be a very profitable one.  Here are a few situations where an all in would be the correct play:

If you have a tight table image, and are fairly deep in the sit and go.  For example, if you've only played 5 hands the entire sit and go, you'll be able to get away with a few loose raises in the later rounds.  One situation you should do this in is if you are on the button or close to the button, and it has folded to you.  Since you have a tight table image, you can move all in and count on your opponents giving you credit for a premium hand.

The Bubble

Another situation is when you're on the bubble of the sit and go.  When you have 4 players left in the sit and go, and only 3 make the money, players will tighten up significantly.  You can take advantage of this by moving all in when you're on the button and no one has shown any strength.  This is an excellent play to pad your stack and cruise into the money.

The third situation is when you are in a pot against a player's worst enemy, the tight aggressive player.  Tight aggressive players are the best poker players, and often times you may end up in a pot with someone who will outplay you.

If you know the other player is very skilled, and you feel you are ahead in the hand, you should move all in.  The reason for this is because it is likely that the skilled player may bluff you out of the pot or outplay you later in the hand.  By moving all in you prevent these risks.

Ready to Hit the Tables?

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