"All-in, schmall-in"

We all know that the game of poker generally tends to reward aggression. Betting, raising, re-raising, and check-raising are all moves that can potentially win hands right then and there, even when your particular hand may not be the best at the table. Checking and calling, on the other hand, are the weaker poker tools you have to work with and leave you with only one way to win a pot – to actually have the best hand at showdown. Of course, this is certainly not to say that calling is unimportant. On the contrary, knowing when to call down an opponent with a mediocre hand shows a keen ability to read other players by picking up on their bluffs and sensing when they are weak.

A good example of when calling can be just as important as betting and raising is in tournament poker, particularly in the later stages of fast-paced MTT’s and SNG’s. As the blinds go up and the field narrows, you will be more inclined to attempt blind steals with mediocre hands, and perhaps even with complete trash. The key here is applying pressure, particularly to short and medium-sized stacks, using position to your advantage to win pots uncontested. This is a well-known aspect of most winning SNG strategies, and can become quite essential when you aren’t getting great cards.

The obvious catch is that you won’t be the only player at the table that knows the importance of stealing blinds. Yes, you too will unfortunately find yourself under pressure from time to time, as much as you surely just want to see a free flop with whatever junk you’re dealt. Quite often, especially towards the later stages of no-limit tournaments, you will find yourself facing the grossly popular all-in move. There will be a lot of easy folds, a handful of easy calls, and more than enough very difficult decisions to give me something to write about.

The ideal situation here would be to look down at two lovely Aces in the big blind just as an identical stack before you pushes all-in, possibly attempting to only steal the blinds. Not only is this an obvious call, but it puts you in great position to knock out another player, double your chip stack, and get closer to or deeper in the money. Other premium hands, such as pocket Kings and Queens, and A-K suited, would also be quite easy calls. The range of hands that many players will move in with during the craziness of later tournament stages is so broad that you are more than likely going to be a significant pre-flop favorite.

The decisions get a bit trickier though as you find yourself facing all-ins with marginal hands. Do you call an all-in with A-5 suited? K-9 off-suit? How about with pocket 3’s? With any of these hands you could actually be way ahead, or at least in a coin-flip situation. Two of the most important factors to consider here are the stack sizes (yours in relation to your opponents) and the size of the blinds. The table image of the all-in player is also important, but it can become inconsequential in tournament poker when you are given a low-risk opportunity to knock out another player. Consider the following example:

Blinds are up to 200/400, you’re sitting in the big blind with an average chip stack of about 6000, and the button is the short stack at the table with only 800 left. It’s folded around to the villain, who pushes all-in. The small blind folds, and it’s up to you to put this guy out of his tournament life misery. Let’s look at the facts: there is 1400 in the pot, and you have to add another 400, which would leave you still with 5200 chips in your stack, with a questionable chance of winning 1800. We could go into a lengthy discussion of pot odds and the like here, but these situations can usually be solved by a simple mixture of common sense and instincts. More often than not you will have the odds to call, even if you are at a significant disadvantage. The same goes for when you are a dominating chip leader trying to pick off the remaining players. An all-in bet of 2500 chips or so isn’t going to do much harm to your stack if you’re sitting pretty with 15000 or so, and if you have any pocket pair, two pieces of Broadway, or even just Ace-high, you should be more than ready to make an easy call.

When the stack sizes get more and more similar, the decisions tend to become less and less clear. If another player is forcing you to put your tournament life on the line, you may want to wait for a better situation where you can be the one applying pressure. Still you have to trust your instincts and be willing to gamble every now and then, especially when you’re fairly certain it’s a coin-flip situation or better.

The truth is that the later stages of poker tournaments tend to get a bit crazy, though any moment at all can really get out of hand. But as the blinds go up and desperate short stacks start making moves, you can surely expect to see some unconventional poker being played, just as you should expect to play some unconventional poker yourself. Sitting around waiting for Aces and Kings will get you blinded out fast, and you will need to make moves that will not be particularly proud of, including calling all-ins with marginal hands when you have the odds and chip stack to do so. As with all things in poker, trust your instincts and your knowledge of the game, but don’t be afraid to gamble when the time is right.

Best of luck at the tables.

Mad Terp

Editor's note: The Mad Terp, as we so fondly refer to him because of the university he attends, also has his own website where readers may rate their favorite poker site, or join in the discussion forum of poker players.

http://www.imopoker.com/