The What-The-Heck Shove

I remember the very first no-limit hand I ever discussed with someone else. Up to that point, back in 2004, I’d played exclusively limit hold’em. But no-limit cash games were beginning to show up in card rooms, and to me at least, the game was very fresh and a little exotic.

It was a $10-$20 hand that a friend of mine played. They were about $2,000 deep. Two players limp in, and my friend raises to $100 with A Q. Only the first limper calls.

The flop is A 9 8. The limper checks, and my friend bets $200 into the $250 pot. The limper calls.

The turn is the 2. The limper checks, and my friend bets $600 into the $650 pot. The limper calls. There is $1,100 behind and $1,850 in the pot.

The river is the 2. The limper now moves all in for $1,100. My friend thinks for a bit and calls.

The limper shows A 6 for a flopped top pair that never improved. My friend’s A-Q is good.

First of all, yes, back then $10-$20 games were incredibly good. But second, this hand was my first exposure to a very common no-limit hold’em phenomenon: the what-the-heck shove.

The what-the-heck shove happens when a player (usually out of position) has a decent made hand that they don’t want to fold, but that they also don’t want to face a big bet with. So instead of check-folding or check-calling, the player decides to bet instead. Here’s another more recent example from a $5-$10 game.

A player with a $600 stack (short for $5-$10) limps in. Another player raises to $50, and only the limper calls. There’s $115 in the pot and $550 behind.

The flop is A 10 7. The limper checks, the raiser bets $80, and the limper calls. There’s $275 in the pot and $470 behind.

The turn is the 6. The limper checks, and the raiser bets $180. The limper then shoves all in for $290 more.

In this hand, the preflop raiser called and showed A-K, while the limper had A-9.

If you’ve read other things I’ve written, you know I’ve frequently warned about big bets from opponents on the turn or river. From typical recreational-level players, these bets are rarely bluffs. And if they aren’t bluffs, then they usually represent a pretty big hand compared to what’s available on the board.

Therefore, I typically advocate a strategy of “don’t pay them off” on the turn and river. When an opponent makes a big overture at a pot and you don’t have an equally big hand, you should fold.

The what-the-heck shove, however, is one of the primary exceptions to this useful rule.

You can see in each of these example hands, the preflop limper held a ragged ace. Rag aces are common in limping ranges, and they’re also commonly behind a what-the-heck shove. In general, here are the factors that promote this behavior:

1. Holding top pair with a weak kicker
2. Boards with multiple possible draws
3. Relatively short stack sizes
4. A player driving the action with an aggressive image

Let’s break down the first example looking at these factors.

First, the player held ace-rag and flopped an ace. So he held a top pair with a weak kicker. The board came with a possible heart flush draw as well as straight draws around the nine and eight. So many drawing hands were possible, none of which came in by the end.

The stack sizes were 100 big blinds, so they were more “regular” sized than short. But back when the hand was played, players tended to treat their stacks with a bit less care than they do today. While the math of the game hasn’t changed, the psychology has, so it’s reasonable to assume that the limper was playing with a shorter stack mindset.

Finally, my friend—a player who stood out as very aggressive back when the hand was played—frequently threw opponents off balance. So all the components were in place, and they caused this player to make a what-the-heck shove on the river that my friend was correct to call.

The second example similarly checks the boxes. He held top pair with a weak kicker, and the board offered a heart flush draw as well as numerous straight draws (mostly gutshots) around the Ace, ten, and seven. The six on the turn completed a straight draw as well as made more gutshots available. The stack sizes were short. And again in this hand, the player driving the action was a pro who played regularly in the game and was well known to most players, including the limper.

So now you know what a what-the-heck shove is and how to identify the situations you might see one. You might be wondering, “Okay, but is it a good play?”

Rarely. The problem with the what-the-heck shove is that the bet is rarely going to get a worse hand to call, and it’s also fairly unlikely to get a better hand to fold. If you make a bet with a hand that you’re likely to lose if you get called, but that also probably won’t get a better hand to fold, then that bet loses money over the long-term. Just because a bet loses money over the long-term doesn’t, by itself, make it wrong, since it could be even worse to either check-and-call or check-and fold.

But in the case of the first example, it’s almost certainly better for the player with A-6 either to check and call or check and fold. (In most cases, folding is the best play.)

The second example is a bit stickier due to the stack sizes. After the turn bet, less than a half-pot bet remains. It’s natural for many players to assume that if they call the turn bet, with so little remaining, they should just raise the rest. This idea has some merit, but it’s by no means a universal truth of the game. Here’s how I would break down the situation.

1. If the turn bettor is likely to be bluffing significantly more often than he should, and if he’s also likely to bluff the river at a reasonable rate, the best play is indeed to shove all-in.

2. If the turn bettor is likely to be bluffing significantly more often than he should, but if he is likely to shut down on the river—perhaps using the logic, “If he called $180 on the turn, he’s a lock to call $290 on the river”—then the best play is probably to call the turn and check-fold the river.

3. If the turn bettor is unlikely to be bluffing frequently enough on the turn, then you can consider check-folding immediately.

The what-the-heck shove is a fairly common no-limit play. It’s often a bad play—but if you aren’t expecting it, it can trip you up. Before you just fold to the shove, consider whether or not your opponent might be shoving because he can’t think of anything better to do. ♠

Ed’s newest book, The Course: Serious Hold ‘Em Strategy For Smart Players is available now at his website edmillerpoker.com. You can also find original articles and instructional videos by Ed at the training site redchippoker.com.