Consider the following scenario: you’ve chosen to go all-in, and your opponent looks to be holding a strong hand. If you use any strategy, like a semi-bluff, he will call you and lose the entire pot. On the other hand, Poker allows you to use a distinct strategy that can greatly boost your chances of winning. You also won’t have to risk the full sum. This is known as ‘running it twice’ in Poker. 

In certain cash games, if a player goes all-in before the river is dealt, the players may agree to “run it twice,” which involves dealing the remaining streets twice and awarding half the pot to the player who makes the stronger hand in each case.

For example, a player holding an A of clubs and a K of diamonds goes all in and is called by a player holding a Q of diamonds and a Q of a club, who agrees to run the hand twice. The first board is dealt with 2 diamonds, 8 spades, K of hearts, 9 clubs, 8 clubs, suggesting that the first player wins with kings; the second board is dealt with 9 hearts, 3 diamonds, 3 clubs, J of heart, 7 diamond, indicating that the second player wins with queens. The pot was split evenly between the two players, each taking home half of it.

What do you mean by Run it twice in Poker?

It must be carried out. Deal two board runouts once all of the players are in. The entire prize fund is split in half after each runout. Professional players frequently run it twice since it reduces volatility (without affecting the profitability of the situation). Players can opt to run the board three or even four times to minimise variety, with each run representing an equal amount of the pot.

Decreasing the poker variance

One of the most significant benefits is that repeating the process decreases your variance. What does this mean in practice? Consider the following scenario in which you must flip a coin. If you flip the coin once and guess heads, you have a 50/50 chance of winning the game. Because you will only flip the coin once, you will either win 100% or 0% in this one run.

You’ll get closer to the expected outcome if you flip the same coin twice. You either win or lose when you flip the coin for the first time. You can lose both, win both, or win one twice when you flip the coin. Bring yourself closer to the long-term expectation of a 50/50 coin flip. As a consequence, you’ll see a decrease in your total variance.

The strategy of running it twice in Poker

The best method for running it twice is still a bit of a mystery. Depending on the type of hands we have, some individuals say that running it twice, thrice, or once is the best solution. The truth is that it makes no difference in terms of expectation. The ultimate result will be the same whether we run it once or five times.

This isn’t to say that running the pot many times is a waste of time. Many players would opt to run it again (or more) if given a chance because dealing with volatility is one of the most challenging aspects of playing Poker professionally. The more times we run a pot, the less variety we have as a rule of thumb. Consequently, we can come closer to our expected value in the short term by running multiple times.

It does not affect the overall profitability of a Poker scenario and helps to reduce volatility by rerunning it (or several times). As a result, it may be worth running it twice (or more) by default. On the other hand, some players like the excitement of just running it once, which is a perfectly reasonable reason not to do so again. Use GetMeta.  The expected value will remain unchanged.

The real objective for repeating the procedure is to reduce variance. In large bet no-limit games, a player with a better hand is more likely to call a semi-bluff. Instead of risking a large pot on a single card turn, both players might choose to run it twice, bringing the winning odds closer to the theoretical “correct” odds.