One thing that you need to be prepared to see time after time, whether it makes any sense or not, is players going all-in. I have played in some tournaments with large numbers of entrants and I probably saw an all-in bet made every minute or two, especially early in the tournament. For some reason, many people who play poker online just live to hit that all-in button! I go into this in more detail about this in my ebook. Here is why this is generally the dumbest bet you can make. (early on)
First of all, going all-in early a tournament when the blinds are small is a really good way to get everyone to fold and end up taking the blinds, which will be about $30-$50 worth of chips. This is not at all valuable when you have a $1500 or $3000 starting chip stack. All you are doing is risking everything for a very small potential gain. Only an idiot or someone with a high pocket pair will be likely to call your all-in early in the tournament. So why make the play? The risk is not worth the reward.
The other main reason that this is a stupid play to make, is that no matter how big a monster you think you have pre-flop, you can still get unlucky and end up losing post flop.
Playing in a big tournament on Full Tilt on Sunday, I cracked pocket Aces twice to put players out of the tournament. This was post flop, but still, a good way to end your tournament quickly and early is to push all-in pre-flop. You can always recover from a bad beat unless you have pushed all-in.
The other time I see this play a lot is post flop. Many times a player with Big Slick will push all in when they see that Ace come on the Fop. Result? The other players are scared off the pot and fold and you do not maximize your potential win at all. Or worse, someone hit a set and you are already all-in so you cannot do anything about it now. A big part of becoming proficient at playing poker is learning to maximize your wins and minimize your losses. Sound simple? You would be surprised at how bad at this most players are. To purchase my ebook immediately, click HERE as I am offering my book at a discounted price of just $19.97 ($10 off normal price of $29.97) for a limited time when you use code:IPC-EBOOK10
In any case, even if you have the hand won, why risk $3000 worth of chips and your tournament life for a pot of $300?
There are many times and places for all-in bets. Early in a tournament, pre-flop, or post flop with a high pair are certainly not good places. Generally all-in bets are a sign of a player who lacks finesse. I make a note about these players when I see these types of bets and then just wait for a situation to punish him when I have a monster hand post flop. Do not be drawn into calling these players pre-flop. It is almost always not worth chancing the confrontation. I am not saying that you should fold pocket Aces just because somebody pushed all-in pre-flop, but try to stay out of these situations with less than premium hands even if you suspect you have your opponent beaten. Better opportunities will come along.
Chris Wilcox
InternetPokerCoach.com
P.S.-To really supercharge your play as you start out, go to www.internetpokercoach.com and purchase my ebook, The NO BS Guide to Winning Online Texas Hold'em. You can also find my book at Amazon should you want a soft copy mailed to you. You will not be disappointed and I guarantee it with my 100% money back guarantee.
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