Poker Pros Weigh In on the Ethics of 'Hit-and-Run' Strategy

The term 'hit-and-run' in poker refers to a strategy where a player wins a few hands or a large pot and then immediately leaves the table. This tactic, often used by amateurs, involves winning several hands or a significant pot and then quickly exiting the game, preventing opponents from recovering their losses.

The hit-and-run strategy became popular with the advent of short stack strategies, where a player with a stack of 20 blinds should leave the table immediately after doubling. This approach is part of a broader strategy that focuses on maximizing wins in short sessions. The strategy gained traction with the rise of online poker, where players could easily join and leave games.

Professional poker players have mixed opinions on the ethics of hit-and-run. Some, like Mark 'golowa' Kitov, do not see anything unethical in the strategy, stating that it is more about the overall result than the specific action. Others, like Sergey 'vedevas' Lebedev, consider it part of the game but acknowledge the frustration it can cause. Lebedev mentioned that the unethical aspect comes from players' expectations of being able to win back their losses, which is not guaranteed in poker.