[Takethepot25]

pushing all of your chips in the pot is an intimidating move if your not reckless and doing it every hand. It usually symbolizes that you either have the goods or your a terrible bluffer. You can use this to your advantage. Sometimes when u have a great hand online ( in tournament play) u might want to push in so someone thinks your just a stupid bluffer and calls. Easy pick up of chips but you can only do this once usually so use it wisely.

[Yearbookpoker]

All this talk about the all in has just recently come about becuase so many players now are using it. I have heard many pro players complain that it is ruining the game and the all in was not meant to be used like it is now. Well this is all true but I look at it like this. If your a good player you can take out the all inners as I like to call them during the tournament. You just have to be patient if you find one and lay back. Then when you get nice pockets or hit a nice flop you can pounce on the guy. For the most part the all inners are gone or stop playing like a dumb asses after 10 minutes in a tourney. I for one don't like to go all in at all. I like to raise no more than 5x the bb at any point in a tourney unless I'm low stacked and then I use the 2 most recently popular words in poker, ALL IN.

[beriac]

Actually I do agree with that tactic. What's lovely is if no one happens to call you and you get great cards the next hand, and go all-in again, you'll often get some questionable calls by people who are impatient to get rid of this so-called "bluffer"!!

[beriac]

To Yearbookpoker, I agree the ludicrous all-ins generally are limited to the first few rounds of tournaments. You just have to play tight, use them to your advantage, and play will revert to normal a little later.

[BadAndy]

I use Allin as a defense to my bluffs. I will consistently bet large and if they're still calling, I'll push all my chips in. I won't do this early, as you have to first convince all the players at your table that you're a solid player that doesn't bluff. Once they see that you, the solid player, has put ALL your chips in, they will second guess themselves and most likely fold. I hardly ever go allin with AK or AA, I like to soak those up for all they're worth. I can't STAND IT when everyone folds to my AA or KK.

[beriac]

True, the bluff can be a way of capitalizing on a reputation you have (in this case, solid).

Conversely, if you build a loose/aggressive reputation, then when you're dealt a top hand or flop the nuts, you can take advantage by going all-in and not bluffing!

[benjahuna]

Originally Posted by beriac

Actually I do agree with that tactic. What's lovely is if no one happens to call you and you get great cards the next hand, and go all-in again, you'll often get some questionable calls by people who are impatient to get rid of this so-called "bluffer"!!

Early in lower limit tournaments, it's easy to pick up big stacks getting all in early. You'll find JJ or QQ is good enough to be a huge favorite (and by huge I mean 70:30 or better.

Ironically, I just won all in preflop in a private freeroll w/ JJ, guy all in reraised me with ATs. Held up.

In extremely deep-stacked tournaments like the main event of the WSOP, you can fold even KK for preflop all in early in the tournament unless you have an unusually good take on the player in the hand.

With the new book out (Kill Phil), I think we're going to see a lot more all ins going on. It's one of the hottest books out right now.

[beriac]

I hope not.... I don't mind all-in, I enjoy using it, and it's a fun and integral part of this game that we all love, but if the experience of playing in large freerolls spread to all games, even if that's good for the bankroll in the long run, it might take some fun out of the game...

[benjahuna]

Originally Posted by beriac

True, the bluff can be a way of capitalizing on a reputation you have (in this case, solid).

Conversely, if you build a loose/aggressive reputation, then when you're dealt a top hand or flop the nuts, you can take advantage by going all-in and not bluffing!

There's a little analogy to why going all in can be a good idea.

Let's say you're taking penalty kicks in soccer. Let's say you have a 75 percent
chance of scoring shooting the keeper's right and 60 percent to the left. Mixing up your play by shooting to the left a small percentage of the play may have a good chance of increasing your overall performance.

It's a game theory concept. It's similar to why deceptive techniques like bluffing and slowplaying are effective when applied in moderation.

Oftentimes going all iln looks very weak. If you go all in strong once in a while, you'll have better results.

[beriac]

Ahhh, game theory, a topic near and dear to my own heart.

You're spot on. Changing your game in a given direction gives you more credibility when you go back the other way, encourages the competition to read you wrong, and so bet non-optimally.

Nice analogy!