Introduction
In poker, ‘running it twice’ has become a well-known strategy commonly used in high-stakes tournaments and cash games. This technique helps minimize fluctuations and offers players an equitable outcome when all chips are at risk before laying down the final card. Here’s a closer look at how it works and why players might choose to run it twice.
What Is Running It Twice?
When two or more players go all-in, "Running it twice" is an option in a poker game where players agree on dealing the remaining streets twice. Instead of revealing the remaining cards just once, they deal them out two times. The winner of each deal is rewarded half of the total pot. This method is often used to reduce the chances of getting a "bad beat", helps to lower the risks associated with bankroll swings and revise variance. It makes the game less unpredictable and protects players from losing too much at once.
Objective
In poker, running it twice aims to reduce variance and divide risk. By exposing the remaining community cards two times, players seek to reduce the effects of luck in high-stakes cash games. This approach divides the prize pool into halves, with each run determining which player wins one half. The act of running it twice helps players control their exposure to danger and improve equity realization while also creating a more balanced and captivating playing atmosphere.
How to Run it Twice works.
Here's how running it twice typically works:
Initiating the Agreement
Players must come to an agreement, either verbally or through a predetermined house rule, before revealing any additional community cards or proceeding to showdown if they wish to run the hand twice.
Dealing Additional Community Cards
After the agreement has been settled, the dealer will distribute two sets of community cards from the deck. In Texas Hold'em, for instance, if players decide to run it twice upon seeing the flop, doubled turns and rivers are dealt by said dealer.
Outcome Determination
Following the distribution of extra cards for every round, results are calculated individually. Subsequently, players adhere to traditional poker regulations as they evaluate their hands to discern victorious outcomes per round.
Pot Division
Afterwards, the pot is split into two equally sized portions. These are then awarded to each respective victor of the runs conducted. If one player wins on both occasions, he can take home all the winnings from said pot.
Result
Once both runs are finished and the pot is distributed appropriately, the current hand ends, paving the way for the commencement of a new one.
Run it Once
In this method, the remaining community cards are dealt only once, and that set of cards solely determines the hand's outcome. The victorious player who wins that sole run takes home the entire pot.
Run it Thrice
Running the game thrice operates on a similar basis as running it twice. However, there is an added playthrough to determine how the leftover cards will impact results. The pot gets evenly divided into thirds, and each portion corresponds to the outcome of one run. Employing this strategy diminishes uncertainty even more than using solely two runs, making it an extremely cautious choice by comparison.
Run It Twice Example
Players A and B are the only remaining players in a No-Limit Texas Hold'em cash game hand. The board reveals 5♠, 6♠, and 7♦, with both participants already putting considerable chips into the pot. Player A possesses an open-ended straight draw of cards consisting of an 8 balanced by a 9-suited diamond - while Player B holds onto two similarly ranked 7s comprised of clubs and hearts.
Contract
Player A and Player B have decided to run it twice before the showdown to minimize variance during this pivotal hand.
Distributing the Extra Community Cards
The dealer deals two rounds of the turn and river cards. During the initial round, J♠ appears in the turn card while 3♦ is revealed as a river card. In contrast, during the subsequent run, Q♠ surfaces on top of 10♣ after being served as a turning point.
Determining the Outcome
Following every run, the players assess their hands to ascertain who emerges victorious.
In the initial round, Player A had an 8♠ and a 9♦. They later added a J♠ and a 3♦. This improved his hand to create a straight of 5-6-7-8–9 with both river and turn cards. Despite this improvement, Player B's set of sevens remained dominant over Player A's straight.
In the second round, despite having a turn and river card of 10♣ and Q♠, respectively, Player A's hand failed to improve. Meanwhile, Player B maintained their unbeatable set of sevens.
Division of Pot
Player B wins the whole pot, encompassing both halves from running twice, as his hand emerged victorious in both runs. All chips present in the pot before settling on two rounds are accumulated by Player B.
Decreasing Poker Variance
One of the key benefits of doing something multiple times is that it decreases the unpredictability of the outcome. For example, suppose you have a bag of pebbles, half grey and the other half brown. If you pick one pebble without looking into the bag, you have a 50% chance of pulling out a grey pebble and a 50% chance of pulling out a brown one. After one draw, you get a grey or a brown pebble, which means you either win or lose based on your assumption.
Now, things get slightly different if you draw two pebbles instead of one. You might end up with two grey pebbles, two brown pebbles, or one of each colour. This gives you a better chance of matching the expected outcome since you are averaging the results over two trials.
By drawing the pebbles twice, you decrease the chance of a lucky or an unlucky outcome. This way, you get a more dependable idea of what is happening with the pebbles in the bag, bringing you closer to the expectation of 50% grey and 50% brown. Overall, this leads to less variability in your results.
Increased Chance Of Winning?
When players agree to "run it twice," they might feel more confident about going all-in, even if their chances are not great. Many inexperienced players think running the hand multiple times will increase their winning chances, which is completely baseless. Running the cards more times doesn’t actually change the odds; it just helps you understand better what the outcome should be based on your hand's strength. So, while players may feel braver about going all-in when they can run it twice, the overall situation doesn't change. The expected value (EV) of the hand remains the same whether you play it once or numerous times.
The Social Implication
When playing live poker, some players choose to "run it twice," which means they will deal the remaining streets twice to determine the outcome of a hand when they are all in. This choice can have social consequences, so it is crucial to be mindful of how you apply it at the table. You can run it twice in every spot vs. other players on the table or run it once in all spots vs. other players on the table to keep things fair. Suppose you decide to run it twice against a specific player, leaving the other players behind. In that case, it can create embarrassment, disrupt the game atmosphere and may drive away casual players. It is best to either run it twice every time or not at all to keep things fair.
You should maintain a fun and engaging environment, even when the stakes get high. Players who enjoy the game are more inclined to keep playing, even if they face losses. It is essential to keep interactions positive, especially during tense moments like all-in, as these experiences can leave lasting impressions on your fellow players.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does ‘run it twice’ mean in poker?
In poker, run it twice is an arrangement among players where the remaining community cards are dealt two times after all betting rounds have ended. This allows for splitting the pot into two parts based on each outcome instead of relying solely on a single set of community cards to determine a winner. Running it twice is typically employed in high-stakes games as it helps minimize short-term luck and variance.
Is it better to run it once or twice?
Whether one should run it once or twice is subjective and relies on multiple variables, such as a specific situation, participants, and their inclinations. Running it more than once is considered beneficial to lower volatility and mitigate abrupt inconsistencies in outcomes. This might appeal particularly to players looking for ways to minimize risk exposure. Nonetheless, some players opt for running a single round out of respect towards fair play principles or aiming to amplify their competitive edge against opponents.
What is the math behind running it twice?
When players opt to run it twice, the pot is divided into two equal parts, with each half being distributed based on how each run of remaining cards turns out. Although mathematically speaking, this method does not significantly change the overall expected value (EV). However, it decreases variance and increases the player’s chances to use equity over an extended period.
Does running it twice affect EV?
Running it twice does not impact a hand’s expected value. The EV is based on the possible payouts and the probability of different outcomes. When players run it twice, the expected value for each outcome stays the same. However, this approach can change the variance, which measures how much the results can differ from what is expected. By splitting the pots and creating new scenarios, running it twice can decrease the overall variability in the game. This, in turn, can affect players' strategies and how much risk they are willing to take.
Conclusion
When players run it twice, they strategically choose to minimize the effect of short-term luck. They divide the pot into two parts, effectively reducing variability in the hand's outcome and potentially evening out fluctuations for everyone involved – whether winning or losing. It is essential to understand that not all poker games permit running it twice. The guidelines may vary depending on house rules or player consent before gameplay commences. Moreover, specific variations or tournaments can disallow running things repeatedly because of distinct regulations or stipulations prohibiting this practice.
River in Poker
Semi-Bluffs
