All-In and Heads-Up with Holdem Odds Calculators

How do we have a practical use of calculators when the game gets to its tricky phase? In particular, how do we use our odds calculator during an all-in and a heads-up poker play?

For instance, we're playing no-limit Texas Holdem online where there is no limitation to the amount we can bet. All-in bets can happen at any point in the game. How do we use our calculator during such sudden changes of pace? A key here is not to rely on odds all the time. For example, an opponent surprises us with an all-in of all $480 in chips stack and there's only $20 in the pot originally. Do we call or fold?

When we're talking of pot odds in this case we don't have good ones. With $20 originally in the pot, pot odds don't count much. So we stop thinking of pot mathematics for a while and concentrate on hand odds. So the practical use of calculators here is to use them to see our hand's chances of winning in the hand.

But in some cases it's better to just get a glimpse of what the calculator suggests we do and then decide on our own, according to our judgment, whether the opponent has a stronger hand. All-ins in no-limit sometimes take expert human mental calculation with little intervention from calculators. Thus, online no-limit takes lots of experience, aside from calculators, to win.

When playing short-handed or heads-up poker, we should take care not to have calculator advice overloads. For instance, we're playing at a table where there are only 2 to 3 players. Usually, when few players are playing, there's little chance that anyone will get a killer monster hand, or probably even a good hand, for that matter. Thus, along with the use of calculators, it's important to use bluffs in the game. Calculators, in this case, would be useful for play reading opponents.

Remember that most hands in heads-up poker seldom get past the river play. A player would fold hand even before the game reaches the river phase. The chances of what they call "winning by river" aren't as important in this case. If we hold a 7-2, unsuited at that, it doesn't matter.

In heads-up what's important is what the opponent perceives we have. Don't mind so much what calculators say about hand strength or the odds during the river play. The practical use of calculators is to aid us with odds on what the next card is.