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When did all in become a bad play ?

Hi Ponch8000,

Who says all in is a bad play? Sometimes its a good play, sometimes its a bad play.

If you're early in a tournament with $1,500 in chips and only the blinds are in the pot for $45, then the all in is a bad move. The reason being, why risk $1,500 to win only $45?

If you're a small stack with say $800 later in a tournament with a couple of people limping in for $150 each then the all in is a good move. Its a good move because nobody has shown strength, there is over $300 in the pot and if you only call then you likely don't have enough chips left to push people out after the flop since you'll be down to $650 and there will be over $450 in the pot.

Its also a good raise strategy if you're playing an aggressive player who you think might re-raise you on a bluff. By doing the all in first they can't reraise, or play a bluff at you. Again, it likely only makes sense if the risk of getting beat is worth the benefit of what you might win.

I'm happy to discuss it more, but generally, no play is a good or bad move always.

Str8