What Is All-in or Fold Poker?

All-in or Fold (AoF) is a 4-max cash-game format where every hand is played 8 big blinds deep and the only legal actions are shove or fold. Here's how it works — and how to win at it.

The basic rules

Every player sits down with exactly 8 big blinds. Blinds are posted, cards are dealt, and each player in turn chooses one of two options — shove all-in or fold. There is no raise, no call, no bet-sizing decision. When the hand ends, stacks reset to 8BB and the next hand begins.

Why the format exists

AoF strips poker down to its purest strategic core — hand selection and range construction. There is no post-flop game to obscure your edge. Skilled players who study ranges win at a much higher rate than in unstructured cash games.

The jackpot layer

Most AoF tables have a straight-flush jackpot that pays a fixed multiple of the pot when a straight flush hits at showdown. The jackpot subtly changes optimal strategy — hands that can make a straight flush (suited connectors, small suited gappers) become more valuable than pure Nash push/fold implies.

Why serious AoF players study

Because AoF is a solved game the moment you input the parameters. Once you know the exact GTO shove/call/overcall frequencies at your stake and jackpot, you can play virtually unexploitable — and the opponents who don't study literally can't beat you long-term.