Top 5 Poker All-In’s That Worked Spectacularly

We have put together a list of the top 5 times a player has gone all-in at a major poker tournament, so keep reading for these jaw dropping poker games and try to improve your own poker strategy.

Jack Sinclair vs Hata Aymon

Our first all-in is from WSOP bracelet holder Jack Sinclair who went all-in against Hata Aymon.

Sinclair was dealt J♥ 10♣, on the turn it was well and truly in his favour, with a 70% chance of winning.

Anymon held A♥ 8♥ with a 30% chance of winning on the turn, however, on the river the chances completely flipped, giving Sinclair a 0% chance of winning as A♥ was dealt. This was the card that Sinclair did not want to see, but he did not let this stop him so he went all-in.

Despite having a 0% chance of winning, Sinclair held a straight face and did not break once.

Aymon fell for his trap and decided to fold, allowing Sinclair to win the 23,600,000 pot.

Tyler Patterson, Ankush Mandavia, Dickie Malone

At the WPT final table, United States very own poker players Dickie Malone, Tyler Patterson and Ankush Mandavia all decided to take the leap and go all in. Malone with A♠ Q♠, Patterson with K♥K♦ and Mandavia with 10♠10♥ .

All players were dealt strong hands, but Tyler at the start had the strongest, so he was the first to make the move and go all in. Mandavia followed with little hesitation, Malone too but with a slight sweat.

The flop showed 2♥ 4♥ and 8♠, still leaving Patterson in the best position. The turn brought an A♣ which is exactly what Malone needed, giving him a 90% chance of winning and Patterson and Mandavia with 5%. 5♠ was turned on the river, resulting in a win for Malone.

Despite Patterson being the first to go all-in with the strongest hand, Malone made the right move at taking a chance too, showing that the game is really all about luck but with a large slice of technique.

Tom Lee vs Kyle Wilson

This is one to watch and take notes from.

At a WPT cash game event, Tom Lee was dealt 5♦K♦ against Kyle Wilson who was given Q♠4♠.

After the turn Q♣10♦J♣4♥ , Wilson had a 83% chance of winning putting him in a great position. However, it is Lee that decides to go all in, this frustrates Wilson and he battles with himself over the decision on whether he is bluffing or not.

Lee holds a great poker face and doesn’t even break a sweat while Wilson questions his move, because of this act, Wilson plays it safe and decides to fold, little did he know he could’ve won Lee’s $3,425,000.

This is a great example of when a player has gone all-in and it’s worked spectacularly, but it was very risky.

Byron Kaverman vs Mikita Badziakouski

After being dealt A♦Q♥, Mikita Badziakouski decided to go all in after the turn 7♦K♣7♥. Byron Kaverman had a strong hand of J♦Q♥, giving him a 86% chance of winning.

Badziakouski hoped that Kaverman would fall for his bluff and fold, but this was not the case, Kaverman decided to call on his bluff, and it worked spectacularly as the river card 2♥ was dealt.

This is an example of when you shouldn’t bluff or when you should call on someone's bluff. Although, we feel as if this was just a ploy so that Badziakouski could make the Barcelona game on time.

Jared Jaffe, Anthony Murella, Farid Jattin

During a Final Table event at the World Poker Tour, Jared Jaffe 10♠10♥ set off a three-way all-in with Anthony Murella Q♥Q♦ and Farid Jattin K♠K♣.

Jaffe instantly regretted his decision when the other players' cards were turned over, so for him this is an example of when to not go all-in. Jattin has the highest chance of winning pre and post-flop (5♥9♦7♦), however, this quickly changes when the turn 10♦ is dealt, putting Jared back in with the chance of winning, giving him a bit of hope once again.

It's not long until this hope is once again shattered as the river card A♦ is turned, Merulla takes home the pot total of a whopping $10,755,000.

When it All Went Horribly Wrong

As you know from some of the all-in moments that have been mentioned, sometimes it doesn't always go to plan. Often, the ego can get in the way and lead to a horribly expensive mistake.

Here is one time that a player has picked the worst time to go all-in against Daniel Negreanu.

Josh Arieh was dealt J♣9♦ and from the get go he knew he was going to make a big play with these cards. After the flop he had a 57% chance of winning against Negreanu who had 9♣6♣ and so he called on Negreanus $40,000 bet.

The turn of 7♦ works in Arieh’s favour and so he makes a bet of $225,000 and Negreanu calls.

Little did Arieh know, the river brought exactly what Negreanu needed for a straight flush, giving him a 100% chance of winning.

Arieh’s pair would have potential if his opponent wasn’t handed such a strong pair for this hand, but despite this, it’s not a great pair to go all in with, especially with the hand that's been laid out. Albeit, Arieh decides to test out his bluff and go all in.

Negreanu calls his bet, and there is instant regret in Arieh's face as soon as the cards are turned over.

Learn from Arieh’s mistakes and don’t get too cocky, especially with a mediocre pair.

I am sure that this article has got you in the mood to play poker and go all-in, but be careful and make sure you know what you're doing. There are many poker rooms that you can practice in the meantime and slowly, yet tactically make your way to going all-in with confidence, and kudos to you if you already at that level!