Check-Raise All-In: When the Check-Shove Is Right
A check-raise all-in commits your stack after checking. Learn when the check-shove works, the SPR that makes it correct, and a worked hand example.
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A check-raise all-in is a check-raise that puts your entire stack in the middle at once. You check, your opponent bets, and instead of a measured raise you jam. It’s the most committal version of the check-raise: there are no later streets to navigate, no future bets to size — just one call-or-fold decision for everything. Because it removes all leverage from your opponent, it’s a devastating move in the right spot and a stack-burning mistake in the wrong one.
What a check-raise all-in is
You’re out of position. You check, planning to raise. Your opponent bets. Rather than raising to, say, three times their bet and leaving chips behind, you announce all-in. That’s the check-shove: a check-raise whose size is your remaining stack.
It differs from a standard check-raise in one crucial way — there is no plan for the turn or river, because the hand is decided right here.
Why the check-shove works
Moving all-in does three things a smaller raise can’t:
- Maximizes fold equity. A jam is the scariest number your opponent can face. Marginal hands that might call a small raise often fold to a stack-off. Fold equity is the engine of any bluff — see the odds and math hub for how to weigh it.
- Denies leverage. If you raise small, your opponent keeps chips to barrel you off later streets. Jamming takes that weapon away entirely.
- Removes your own mistakes. No turn or river decisions means no chance to misplay them. You’ve reduced the hand to one clean spot.
The cost is obvious: you can’t fold, so being wrong is expensive. That’s why the check-shove lives and dies by the stack-to-pot ratio (SPR).
The SPR that makes it correct
Your effective stack divided by the pot is the single best guide to whether a check-raise should be all-in:
| SPR on the flop | Check-raise plan | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1 | Almost always jam | You’re committed the moment you raise |
| 1 to 3 | Usually jam | A normal raise leaves a pot-committed stub |
| 3 to 6 | Standard raise, leave chips | Room to fold to a re-jam or barrel later |
| Over 6 | Rarely jam | Too deep — a shove overprices your bluffs |
At low SPR the check-shove is natural: raising smaller only telegraphs strength while still committing you. At high SPR, jamming risks a huge stack to win a small pot, so a normal raise is better.
When to check-shove
Look for these conditions stacking up:
- Low SPR (roughly 3 or under), usually after a 3-bet or 4-bet pot inflated the pot preflop.
- You have a clear value hand or a strong semi-bluff — a set, two pair, or a big combo draw with lots of equity.
- Your opponent’s bet has capped or committed them in a way you can exploit.
- Fold equity plus equity when called makes the jam profitable even if it’s a bluff.
Worked hand: check-shoving a low-SPR flop
You defend the big blind with 8♦ 8♣ in a 3-bet pot against a button raiser. The pot is 45 big blinds and you each have 60 behind, so the flop SPR is about 1.3 — very low.
- Flop (8♠ 5♥ 2♦): you flop bottom set on a dry board. You check. The button continuation-bets 22bb.
- Your options: a small raise to ~50bb leaves only 10bb behind — you’re committed regardless, and a small raise just gives a scary read for free.
- The play: check-raise all-in for 60bb. You get called by every over-pair and top pair the button won’t fold at this SPR, and you deny them any chance to correctly fold a worse hand or barrel you off on a later card.
This is a value check-shove: you want the call. The same logic flips for a bluff jam — say a big flush-plus-straight draw — where you want folds but still have strong equity when called.
Balancing value and bluffs
Shoving only your monsters makes you an open book; good opponents will fold everything but the nuts against you. Fold your ego, not your range:
- Value shoves: sets, two pair, strong over-pairs at low SPR.
- Bluff shoves: big combo draws and semi-bluffs that still have equity when called.
- Check-call or fold instead: medium made hands that beat bluffs but lose to value — jamming turns them face-up as either overplays or spew.
Mixing credible bluffs into your check-shoving range is what keeps it profitable long-term. For the theory behind picking those bluffs, see the bluffing hub.
Common mistakes
- Jamming at high SPR, risking a big stack to win a small pot and overpricing your bluffs.
- Only shoving the nuts, so observant opponents fold everything worse.
- Check-shoving medium hands that would rather see a cheap showdown — these belong in a check-call line.
- Ignoring the smaller raise option when SPR is 3 to 6 and leaving chips behind is clearly better.
Where it fits
The check-raise all-in is the low-SPR endgame of the check-raise family — a natural extension once you’ve mastered check-raise sizing and know when a normal raise already commits you. Get the SPR read right, balance your jams between value and bluffs, and return to the postflop hub for the rest of the toolkit.
Frequently asked
What is a check-raise all-in in poker?
It's a check-raise where the raise commits your entire stack. You check to your opponent, they bet, and instead of making a smaller raise you move all-in. It ends the betting on that street and forces a call-or-fold decision for the whole stack.
When should you check-raise all-in?
When the stack-to-pot ratio is already low — roughly 3 or under — so a normal check-raise would commit you anyway. Jamming then denies your opponent any leverage on later streets and maximizes fold equity with your bluffs while getting max value with your strong hands.
Is a check-raise all-in a bluff or value?
It can be either, and a balanced range has both. Value shoves want a call from worse hands; bluff shoves want folds and usually carry equity, like a strong draw. Shoving only your monsters makes you readable, so mix in credible semi-bluffs.
What's the difference between a check-raise all-in and a regular check-raise?
A regular check-raise leaves stack behind for future betting, so you keep control of later streets. A check-raise all-in commits everything at once, removing all future decisions and putting maximum immediate pressure on your opponent.