Letters to Doctor Jack
Is big slick always an "all in" move? If someone comes over the top of you and u have big slick should u go all in?
Dee McGreevy
Biggus slickus is a raisin mans hand and make no mistake about it! But it is most definitely NOT always an all in move. You need to take much more than the cards into consideration when making or calling an all in bet. Position is one thing, moving all in from early position with AK can leave you with nothing but two pithy blinds for your efforts. Position calling an allin raise after more that two people have called the raise is going to dramatically reduce your odds of winning. Chip position is another huge factor. Lets say you are holding AK and have 1,500 chips your opponent is holding pocket 8's and has 2,500 chips.
If he were to go allin and you were to call it would be a virtual coin flip 50/50 as to who would win. If HE wins, you had less chips than he did so you are simply OUT of the competition. However if he loses... he still has 1,000 chips left to play with. AK is a fantastic hand and if you believe your opponents hand is marginal (low pockets or A and lower kicker) and you have the chips or wish to take a gamble, no better hand to do it (bar pocket K's or A's of course).
You may also find that a 3x or 4x raise is just as effective as an allin bet without putting you at risk of going all out!
Best of luck at the tables
Dr Jack
All about Dr Jack
Dr Jack is one of four brothers from a large family of fifty two. A dapper gent, you will always see him in a suit. Although on the more debauched side, he claims to like a woman with a nice pair and has occasion to get blind drunk on his favoured tipple, “Gin”. He likes to run occasionally and would describe himself as straight, although most people do think he is a bit nuts. He was once caught folding to a gay waiter...
Flush with cash and a member of several affluent clubs, he once ran a marginally successful fresh water lobster farm. Unfortunately the business flopped leaving him feeling like a bit of a cowboy. He left the world of opulence to follow his heart all the way to poker heaven. His peers describe him as a “diamond geezer” and “one of a kind”. Those who have fallen foul to his superior skills refer to him with less gracious terms.
Dr Jack lives in a rather full house in the Cotswold’s with his two dogs Siegfried and Roy and a Bolivian tree frog called Boris.
