Assess the size of the pre-flop raise

By Chris Ferguson

FergusonI myself never tanne said the following: If you are the first to enter a pot in a game of No-Limit Hold ' em, don't ever call. If you n are not ready to raiser, discard your hand.

Why you ask? C is simple. When you raisez, you put pressure on the blinds and the other players at the table, making them wonder if their hand is good enough to go fight. There are many chances that you do fold marginal hands before going to see the flop, limiting the number of players in the hand.

OK, this being said, the next obvious question is: how much should I restart?

At this, I answer; It depends. First, you should never leave your hand strength determine the size of your raise. Here, the three key words are the same as in real estate. The three keys to raiser are: your position, your position and your position.

You always want to make the difficult decision to your opponents. In determining the size of your raise, you want to make the difficult decision to the blinds of the caller or do steps caller. You want this decision to be as difficult for the other players at the table.

Raiser d an early position indicates a big hand a hand that will certainly be able to beat the hand of n anyone left to speak. Since you represent a strong hand, it only takes a big raise to convince the blinds fold. Also, since your hand is so strong, you don't worry that blinds you call or not. The real reason for a small raise is that you have several players after you to speak. Among all these players, there may be one that has a monster, cases in which it sur-relancera.

When you raise in late position, you represent a hand that can beat the hand of the three remaining players, which gives you the freedom to relaunch with a wide area of much larger hands, but your raise will be greater because otherwise the blinds can easily you caller. Another reason for more raiser in this position is that you attempt to put pressure on the blinds, urging them to lie rather than caller and, more importantly, n you much players after you who could restart you.

One of the errors the most common No-Limit Hold ' em is d go with a recovery that is too strong. In the first position, you want your reminder to be d about 2 times the BB. With four or six players to talk after you when you are in middle position, restart d about 2 times and a half the BB and restart about 3 times the BB in late position.

If you represent a very strong hand in raising early position, you don't you call only by very strong hands. Why risk four or five BB or more to earn what a BB and a half if person do you call? If you have a hand like A - Q instead of A - and what a player comes on the flop, you can let go your hand more easily if ever the flop n is not for you.

Several beginners raise more with their big hands to build a bigger pot or raise less with their monsters for more d action. Instead, I recommend playing your hands of departure in the same way, you have AA or AJ. You do not want telegraphing the strength of your hand to your opponents. The exception would be if your opponents do not pay attention to you and you're sure to be able to manipulate them.

These reminders should be adjusted s there are any antes. You should usually raise d a demi-fois over the total antes in this case there. Your raise in late position should be 2 times the BB more a demi-fois the total number of antes and three BB more a demi-fois the total number of ante if you are in late position.

There are several parts very lesees today. If one day you find yourself in l a d they, you won't be able to steal the blinds with a standard raise. In this case, you need to play tighter and increase the size of your reminders. If this recovery is still not enough to win the blinds, do you tighten not more, but still increase the size of your reminders for n be called qu once on two about. Since your opponents too play Stuart, take advantage of this by building very large pots when you most of the time the best hand.

The last exception is when you are short-stacked. If revive standard is equivalent to one-quarter of your stack on the table, simply go all-in with your hand. Bet one-quarter of your stack pre-flop commits you to the pot and give you too difficult decisions to be taken later. Go all-in instead of restart give your opponents a difficult decision. That is my basic principle: avoid d be the one that call.