Many poker players will agree that running it twice is a good move in high-stakes games where there is a lot of money at stake and you want to reduce the risk of losing everything or taking home nothing. However, some poker players will also disagree on this subject and it’s best for you to decide for yourself whether you will run the board twice or not. In the end, it is all about variance and the less you have of it the closer your actual results will be to your expected ones.
What Does Run It Twice Mean?
When players run it twice they are essentially agreeing to deal the final cards of a hand two times. This means that each player will see two different outcomes of the hand and this can help to reduce the luck factor in the game.
Running it twice is a popular strategy in poker because it allows players to protect their stacks and make fewer mistakes at the table. This can be beneficial for both weaker and stronger players because it can help them avoid big losses if they have a bad outcome and save some of their bankroll if they have a good one.
Some players will also use this tactic if they are playing a short stack and are worried about getting stuck or need to play more hands. Running it twice will allow them to keep their stack size and potentially give them a mathematical edge over their opponent. This can be especially beneficial if they are facing a villain who is very aggressive and likely to tilt.
The advantage of running it twice is that it will allow a player to win half the pot if they win the first board and then take the other half if they win the second board. This can be a very lucrative option for both players if they are in the lead. In addition, it can also be beneficial if a player has a very large amount of chips and wants to maximize their chance of winning the whole pot.
As with all strategies in poker there are pros and cons to running it twice. The main benefit is that it will decrease the variance of a hand and this can be very beneficial for strong players who are looking to minimize their losses and get closer to their expected win rate. However, it is important to remember that the odds of winning a hand will not change whether you choose to run it once, twice, or even five times.
Another advantage of running it twice is that it can help to reduce session to session results by reducing the peaks and valleys in your Expected Value. This can be a helpful strategy for players who are struggling with volatility in their game. However, it is still best to avoid running it twice in low-stakes games as this can upset and confuse other players and can lead to a negative image for you.