POLL: What is a standard raise?

In many posts I've seen people talk about a "standard raise" or a play being standard. It kind of makes me feel like an idiot if I have a different idea or don't know that the play is so standard it doesn't even merit discussion. Are we all speaking the same language?

Let's consider a 10-seat ring game, you're in mid-position pre-flop in an unraised pot. You have a hand you want to play. Some of us might play suited connectors different that a big pair. But that's another question, which you can answer here:
https://www.cardschat.com/forum/cash-games-11/poll-consistent-pre-flop-play-mix-136547/

Assuming you want to make a standard pre-flop raise, what exactly is that?

Bogus poll.......cake and bastard must be options

Would always depend on what hand im holding.

A high pocket pair, as with AK / AQs I'd usually raise 3-4 times the BB.

High suited connectors or low pocket pairs, I try and see as many flops as I can. Call the BB, maybe call a small pre-flop raise.

Depends on the hand I have but I usually raise 3-4 times the BB

For me the standard raise is 2-4.5 times de BB, but everything depends of the situation.

3.5xbb's is a pot sized raise that offers your opponents 1.4:1 odds to cold call, and 2:1 odds to call from the big blind.

At tables where there are several spewy fish, I make my standard raise 5x, but that's just because they'll call with anything.

eagle jim said:

Bogus poll.......cake and bastard must be options

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tell me what this means.

Depends on the stakes, players, table conditions, etc. No black & white answer, imo.

I voted for one of these but the poll should have described what buy-in game you're looking to find out about.

For instance, it seems no raise will work the same at a nickle game as it will at a 50 buck game.

There may be some consistency once a certain buy in is reached, perhaps $10, but more likely $25.

The point of the raise is more important to the folks getting raised than it is to the raiser. So if any raise, of any size is met with disdain, then it isn't worth making. The trick then is to create a situation where your raises actually mean something. If you raise every hand and are playing 50% of your hands, your raises mean nothing. If you are playing 15% of your hands, or less, your raises will be respected regardless of size.

So in general I look at it this way;

min raise (2x bb) = pot sweetening
more traditional 3x raise = caution, either I, or if it was villain raising, have a hand worthy of serious consideration.

4x raise is a value based 3x raise.
5x is best used for an established table. At a raw table it won't mean a whole lot if it is also a loose table. But a savvy player could continually raise 5x and play either premium hands or low hands and if he is stacked for it, this is a high pressure raise.

Higher than 5x is usually a gambler, and without something premium in your hand, why bother?

3x the BB, or at a more aggressive table, sometimes 4x the BB. Never more than that though, because you've already committed so many chips for if you have a marginal hand, and if you have a huge hand, you want to ensure that you don't just pick up the blinds.

2 1/2 to 4 is my choice. Varying in that range helps to not peg me to starting hand betting patterns. Varying just depends on table composition, player wise. I prefer this to the J Ferguson method of static 3x bets to disguise hand. I believe it is just as deceiving and adds some volatility to perception by observing players.

I'll generally open for between 3 and 5 but it really depends on how loose my opponents are. If they'll call with a wide range I'll raise more with premium holdings and lesser amounts with high implied odds hands (SC, sm pairs). If the table is unknown my default has actually dropped to 3x recently (down from 4x).

Suited Frenzy said:

Depends on the hand I have but I usually raise 3-4 times the BB

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Your raise should never depend on your hand (can become predictable and easier to read) If anything you can base your raise on your position. The only reason to go above...say 4x is for maybe a steal, especially if you have a whole table full of limpers.

RichKo said:

Your raise should never depend on your hand (can become predictable and easier to read) If anything you can base your raise on your position. The only reason to go above...say 4x is for maybe a steal, especially if you have a whole table full of limpers.

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Disagree unless you're playing at a table full of expert hand readers manipulating the size of the preflop pot is more important than trying to disguise the strength of your hand from people who aren't paying attention anyway.

WVHillbilly said:

Disagree unless you're playing at a table full of expert hand readers manipulating the size of the preflop pot is more important than trying to disguise the strength of your hand from people who aren't paying attention anyway.

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Good Point, but I have been at tables where whenever someone got AA, KK, QQ they would raise like 10x the BB, and I would just laugh either because, they wasted a great hand, or some tool called to walk right into it.

RichKo said:

Good Point, but I have been at tables where whenever someone got AA, KK, QQ they would raise like 10x the BB, and I would just laugh either because, they wasted a great hand, or some tool called to walk right into it.

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Ok, how about raising more or less WITHIN REASON then.

3-5BB depending on table dynamics is my standard prf raise.

3-5 times the blind.

There are not many situations in my opinion in which a min raise is a good idea at all. Possibly if the big blind is super aggressive and you pick up a big pair on the button and min raise with the hopes that he sees it as a weak attempt at a steal and would reraise with almost anything.

The standard formular for a standard raise is 3 X BB + 1 X BB for every limper behind you + 1/2 BB if you are playing in middle/late position.

Personally I wouldnt open a with standard raise above 6 BB using that formular.. If your raise is going to be bigger than 6 BB in late position .. its more of an all-in / call situation (the pot is getting huge you want it all now.. if you dont have AA/KK then it may well be worth simply calling rather than raising just for pot control)

Well if its in a cash game with good players 3 times the big blind usually gets the point across.. in a freeroll filled with donks ten times the big blind or just limp cause your gonna get 5-8 callers anyway.

CAAAAAAKE!!!!!!!

For real though, pretty sure everyone will say either 3bb or 4bb +1bb per limper. That's how I roll

wellllll.....

I always like to raise double the big blind early in a tourney...especially if I am in early or middle position. The chips are too precious early on to raise three or four bb and then get put all in and have to win a race. By betting 2 bb you can cage the strength of your opponents hands. If you just get called all the way around then you have to play the flop and thats a different story. If you get reraised then you have to figure you opponent most of the time has a big hand. This will then allow you to make the decision of folding, calling, or reraising all in depending on who your ooponent is and how confident you are in your hand. If you fold you only lose a little 2bb instead of 3bb by playing the standard raise with a marginal hand.

I like 2.5x BB in tournament play, although this varies based on table and position. If I am in EP with a quality but vulnerable hand (like JJ) that doesn't want multiway action I'll make it 4xBB. It's harder to extract value oop postflop.