What does all-in mean in poker?

What is an all-in in poker?

Going all-in when you’re playing poker means wagering all the chips you have left. Once you’re all-in, you can’t make any more bets, because you’ve already bet your entire stack. In poker tournaments, going all-in puts your tournament life on the line: if you lose the hand, you’re out! In cash games, losing an all-in bet means you’ll have to rebuy or leave the table.

How to go all-in

To go all-in, you must either push all your chips across the betting line in one motion, or clearly announce “all in”. This applies to both cash games and tournaments. Only go all-in when the action is on you, otherwise you may be penalised for acting out of turn.

If you say “all in”, but haven’t pushed all (or any) of your chips forward, your verbal declaration still stands, so you’re still officially all-in. If you push some chips forward, but not your entire stack, you won’t be considered all-in. If you don’t push all your chips forward in one motion, the chips you’ve pushed forward will count as a bet or a raise, even if you were going to reach for more chips. This rule prevents confusion or angle shooting.

In most casinos or poker rooms, the dealer will place an all-in button in front of you once you’ve declared or moved all-in. This makes it clear to the table and any cameras in the room that you’re all-in, which helps avoid any misunderstandings during the hand.

The easiest way to go all-in, is just to say clearly that you are all-in, and then push your chips across the betting line. It avoids any confusion.

Calling an all-in

When you’re facing an all-in, calling means matching the exact amount of the player’s remaining stack. If you have more chips than the all-in player, you’re said to “cover” them, which means you can win all of their chips without risking all of yours (you can only lose as much as they’ve bet).

If you have fewer chips than the all-in player, you can still call, but you’ll only be eligible to win the amount you’ve matched. The all-in player will get the extra chips they wagered returned to them (or they may go into a side pot if there are more callers).

If you want to know the amount of an all-in bet, only the dealer can tell you. This is called “getting a count”. Once the action is on you (not before) you can ask the dealer “Can I get a count?” and they will accurately count the chips for you. Remember that other players may tell you how much the all-in is, but they may be wrong (or lying!).

Re-shoving

You can also go all-in “over the top”, meaning you re-shove all your chips after another player has already gone all-in. If you cover their stack, your shove puts maximum pressure on anyone left to act. This move can protect you from being shoved on by other players, since your all-in re-raise means the next players must commit even more chips to the pot.

When to go all-in

Whether it’s a good idea depends on lots of different factors, such as whether you’re playing tournaments or cash games, how many chips you have, what the blinds are, what your table is like, and what cards you have.

The common reasons to go all in are:

• You have a short stack: You might go all-in (shove) when you are short stacked to maximise fold equity or to try and double up.

• You have a strong hand: You might shove with a strong hand like pocket aces to build the pot and get the maximum value from your hand.

• You want to bluff: You might push all-in to apply maximum pressure and force folds.

In tournaments, going all-in is far more common, because the blinds rise over time and short stacks need to gamble to survive. In cash games, players are more selective, since blinds stay constant and players generally play much deeper.

What happens if more than one person goes all-in?

When multiple players go all-in in the same hand, it’s called a multi-way all in. When multiple players go all-in with different stack sizes, the pot is divided into a main pot and one or more side pots. Each player can only win the portion of the pot that corresponds to the amount they’ve contributed, plus any blinds and antes from players who have folded.

For example, if three players go all-in for different amounts, the smallest stack competes for the main pot, while the others play for side pots containing the excess bets.

Side pot example

• Player A (Under the Gun) goes all-in for £50

• Player B (Middle Position) goes all-in for £100

• Player C (Button) calls with £200

• Player D (Small Blind) posts £5 and folds

• Player E (Big Blind) posts £10 and folds

Here’s how the pots would be constructed:

• Main pot: Includes the first £50 from each active player (A, B, and C) plus the blinds from D and E.

  • £50 (A) + £50 (B) + £50 (C) + £5 (D) + £10 (E) = £165 total.

  • Only Players A, B, and C can win this pot, since D and E folded pre-flop.

• Side pot: Built from the next £50 that B and C contributed beyond A’s stack.

  • £50 (B) + £50 (C) = £100 total.

  • Only B and C are eligible to win this pot.

• Player C still has £100 remaining, which isn’t part of the action in this hand.

All-in poker rules

The below rules are taken from the Poker Tournament Directors Association 2024 rulebook, though we have edited them for clarity and brevity.

Summary of all-in rules

• Declare “All-In” clearly and in turn.

• The dealer must count the all-in amount if requested.

• All-in players’ cards must be turned face-up when all betting ends.

• You can only win the pot you have chips in (main and side pots apply).

• All-ins below a full raise don’t reopen betting for players who already acted.

• All-in players must stay at the table until the hand concludes.

• Use an all-in button to clarify action.

Definition and delcaration

“All-in” is an official betting declaration, alongside bet, raise, call, fold, check, complete, and pot (pot-limit only). Players must make their intentions clear; non-standard gestures are at their own risk.

All-in bets

A bet of a player’s last chip(s) is automatically considered an all-in bet, regardless of whether it reaches the 50% raise threshold. If a player silently pushes their last chips out, this is a valid all-in wager even if unclear in amount.

Re-opening the bet after an all-in (Underraise)

In no-limit and pot-limit, a short all-in that doesn’t constitute a full raise will not reopen betting for players who have already acted. If a player goes all-in for less than a full raise amount, it’s called an underraise.

In no-limit hold’em, an underraise does not reopen the betting for players who have already acted in that round. This means:

• If a player has already bet, called, or checked, they cannot raise again after a short all-in.

• Action can only continue as a call or fold until the betting round ends.

Example:

The blinds are 100/200.

• Player A bets 200.

• Player B calls.

• Player C goes all-in for 350 (a raise of only 150 — not a full raise).

• Player B, who already called the 200 earlier in the hand, cannot re-raise because Player C’s all-in doesn’t count as a full raise.
  Player B can only call the extra 150 or fold.

Calling an all-in

Players are responsible for knowing the correct all-in amount before calling. If a player asks for a count and receives incorrect information, then calls, they’ve “accepted action” and are bound to the actual amount.

Only the dealer (not other players) should give a chip count when a player is facing an all-in bet.

Hidden chips found after an all-in

If a hidden chip is found behind after a player has declared all-in and a caller has acted:

• The Tournament Director determines if it’s part of “accepted action.”

• If not part of accepted action:

  • The all-in player is not paid off for that chip if they win.

  • If they lose, the chip may be forfeited to the caller.

Face-Up for All-Ins (Showdown)

• All hands must be tabled without delay once a player is all-in and all betting action by all other players is complete.

• No all-in player or caller may muck their hand without showing (this helps to combat potential collusion).

• All hands involved (in main and side pots) must be tabled and remain live.

• Cards are turned faced-up as soon as all action is complete, even if the flop, turn, or river hasn’t been dealt yet.

• Do not turn your cards face up if there is still betting on the side. (i.e., not all players in the hand are all-in)

Announcing amounts

The dealer should announce all non-all-in bet values, but only count all-in bets if a player requests it. For example, if a player bets 5000, the dealer can say the bet is 5000, but if a player goes all in for 5000, the dealer should only announce “all in”, unless another player asks for a count.