All-In
Going all-in means betting every chip you have in front of you. You can't be forced out of the hand, but you can only win what your chips cover.
Going all-in means putting every chip you have in front of you into the pot. In No-Limit Hold'em you can move all-in at any time it is your turn, whether you are betting, calling or raising. Players also call it a shove, a jam or a push.
All-in rules you need to know
- Table stakes: you can only bet what is on the table at the start of the hand. You cannot reach into your pocket mid-hand, and nobody can force you out of a hand because you cannot cover a bet.
- Calling all-in for less: if a bet is bigger than your stack, you can still call with everything you have.
- You win what you match: an all-in player can only win from each opponent the amount they themselves put in. Extra chips go to a side pot contested by the players who covered them.
- Short all-in raises: under standard rules, an all-in that is smaller than a full minimum raise does not reopen the betting to players who have already acted.
- Cards on their backs: once all betting is finished and a player is all-in, many games turn all hands face up and run out the remaining board.
Side pot example
Three players go all-in preflop. Player A has 50 chips, B has 120, and C has 200.
| Pot | How it is built | Amount | Who can win it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main pot | 50 from each of A, B and C | 150 | A, B or C |
| Side pot | 70 more from each of B and C | 140 | B or C |
| Returned | C's last 80 chips, which nobody matched | 80 | Back to C |
If A holds A♠ A♥, B holds K♦ K♣ and C holds Q♠ J♠, and the board runs out 9♦ 6♣ 2♥ 4♠ 3♦, A wins the 150 main pot and B wins the 140 side pot with the second-best hand.
When shoving makes sense
Going all-in is powerful because opponents must risk everything to call you. It is most common in a few situations:
- Short stacks: with around 10 to 15 big blinds or fewer, a short stack often has too few chips to raise and fold, so all-in or fold becomes a natural strategy.
- Low stack-to-pot ratio: when your remaining stack is small compared to the pot, betting a smaller amount often commits you anyway.
- Strong draws: a shove with a big draw combines fold equity with real chances of hitting.
Mistakes to avoid
Beginners often shove deep stacks with hands like A-K or small pairs preflop, risking 100 big blinds to win a small pot. Against a calling range of strong hands, that rarely works out. Another mistake is calling all-ins emotionally, especially after a bad beat. Before you call a shove, ask which hands your opponent would actually go all-in with and estimate your equity against them.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if you go all-in and lose?
You lose the chips you put in. In a cash game you can usually add more chips before the next hand; in a tournament without rebuys you are eliminated.
Can someone bet you out of a pot if you don't have enough chips?
No. Under table stakes you can always call all-in for less, and you then play only for the main pot your chips covered.
Does an all-in reopen the betting?
Only if it is at least a full legal raise. A smaller all-in lets players who already acted call but not re-raise, under standard rules.
Related poker terms
- Short Stack — A short stack is a chip stack that is small relative to the blinds, often under about 20 big blinds, leaving little room beyond shoving or folding.
- Fold Equity — Fold equity is the extra value you gain from the chance your opponent folds to your bet or raise, winning the pot without a showdown.
- SPR (Stack-to-Pot Ratio) — SPR (stack-to-pot ratio) is the effective stack divided by the pot on the flop. It shows how committed you are and which hands can play for stacks.
- Effective Stack — The effective stack is the smallest stack among players in a hand: the most chips that can actually be won or lost between them.
- Equity — Equity is your share of the pot based on how often your hand would win if all remaining cards were dealt, expressed as a percentage.
- Split Pot — A split pot happens when two or more players tie with the same best five-card hand at showdown, so the pot is divided equally between them.