all-in amount when opponent is covered (survey)

[Paul2432]

Suppose your playing on-line and you wish to set your lone opponent all-in. Assume you have significantly more chips (say double or more). How much do you bet?

For example, if you have $100 and your opponent has $32.60, would you type in 32.60, move the slider to 38 or something like that, or just move the slider all the way to the right?

I usually move all my chips in because I think it is fun to make big bets even though I know I am only risking far less.

Any comments? Do you think the all-in method says anything about the bettor?



Paul

[bisonbison]

I don't like pushing my whole gigantic stack unless I'm trying to get people not to call.

I'd either bet a whole dollar amount slightly over what he has, or a whole dollar amount at about 80% of what he has in the hopes that he'll think I'm a little weak and push all in (which is the right thing to do if he's going to call the 80%).

Then again, it depends on your read of what will work. Very aggressive players will often take your full push as an attempt to bluff them out, and will call. I guess I don't know.

[SpaceAce]

My answer depends on what I am trying to achieve. For instance, if I believe I am ahead but feel there is a very small chance I am behind, I will sometimes enter the exact amount of the opponent's stack. This tends to spook people, especially if the card that just fell was a scare card for the hand I think they have or are trying to make. Other times, depending on the opponent and what kind of draw or hand I have them on, I will shove my whole stack in. When someone sees you comitting your whole stack, it looks serious. That's like saying, "My hand is so strong I don't have time to play around with the little slider bar."

SpaceAce

[tewall]

An interesting question. Before reading this I didn't realize how one goes all-in could be a tell. So when discussing an all-in question (should I call?), a piece of information to consider is how did the guy go all in? (bet exact amount, just over, entire stack).

[Paul2432]

I thought it might be a tell also, so I made the decision to always move all-in when I face this decision.

Of course, that brings up the old dilemma, that by always doing a thing the same way you give up the opportunity to manipulate your opponents by doing the thing in a different way.

Paul

[SpaceAce]

[ QUOTE ]
I thought it might be a tell also, so I made the decision to always move all-in when I face this decision.

Of course, that brings up the old dilemma, that by always doing a thing the same way you give up the opportunity to manipulate your opponents by doing the thing in a different way.

Paul

[/ QUOTE ]

I think always playing any certain way is a mistake. In some situations you always make the same move because nothing else makes sense but when it comes to something truly variable like how you go all-in or whether you go all-in at all, I don't think you should have a predetermined way to go about it every single time.

SpaceAce

[crockpot]

[JKratzer]

I always move all-in in this situation. I play on Partypoker, and the average pot size is affected by how much is bet, not how much is called. By moving all-in like this I inflate the average pot-size, which in turn attracts more people to the table. I like full tables, and the illusion of action helps with keeping my tables full.

[Guy McSucker]

Something I have done twice, when wanting a call, is to pique curiosity by betting 1c less than the opponent's stack.

Of course this is a massive tell if you do it regularly.

It did make me chuckle to be reraised all-in: 1c more, tough decision. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Guy.

[twistedbeats]

i find that when i want a call, i only bet what he has, hoping that it won't look as intimidating as what i have. and when i don't want a call, i bet what i have, hoping to make it seem more powerful

[ackid026]

if u really want a call raise him about 80 to 90 percent of his chips, its a little easier for him to call and t commits him to the pot

[Zag]

[ QUOTE ]
I always move all-in in this situation. I play on Partypoker, and the average pot size is affected by how much is bet, not how much is called. By moving all-in like this I inflate the average pot-size, which in turn attracts more people to the table. I like full tables, and the illusion of action helps with keeping my tables full.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is easily the best reason for playing this one way or another that I have seen. All the other reasons are as likely to give more information, because you are "trying" to induce a call or not. This reason applies in all cases.

[vector]

Good point. But exactly who are you attracting? Do fish even look at pot avgs? Sharks do, maybe you are just bleeding in the water with this move?

Maybe I am underestimating poor players, and they also look for high avg pot sizes to chase action.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

I like the psychological ploy of betting exactly what they have. Makes them notice you took the time to notice and type it in.

al

[HajiShirazu]

I have noticed that when somebody types in the exact amount of chips, they are more likely to have something big that they would like to be called with.
However I don't really think this is a very reliable tell and don't really think about it often. But in a very, very marginal situation, I might consider it.
BTW, I hope the Bears keep John Shoop. I'm a huge Packer fan, and next year will probably be Farve's last year. I would like to see him go out on top, or at least in the playoffs, and those two wins from playing the Bears always seem to make a big difference in the end.
On the other hand, if the Bears do the smart thing and get rid of him, I wouldn't have to hear about it on sports radio any longer.