Pre-flop raises?

Ive hears before that one should keep their pre-flop raises consistent, always 3x, always 4x, etc. Of course Ive also heard to raise based on the hand, anywhere between 3x and 6-7x. Do you think one should keep their pre-flop raises consistent to disguise the hand better, or vary them based on the hand? This is in ring games preferably, but tournament advice is welcome.

Unless you can keep the bet sizes totally random without any patterns (pretty hard, as youll want to raise more with big PPs ect) then the general rule is to keep a standard size (eg. 3xbb +1bb per limper) so as to disguise your hands. i.e. youll raise 89s the same as AA so others wont know what you have

Raises should not be based on the strength you of hand, if it is then you are giving away a tell.

A way to very your raises is to do so by Position. raise less in early positions and more later, or vica versa.

Thanks, today I was playing at a conservative table and I was dealt AA, so I only bet 3x to hide it, and they still all folded. :K Ive decided today to always raise 3x and its not very hard for me to follow personally. When I get aces or kings I want a player or two so I make more money. When I have QJs I dont want too many players but would like to see a flop so 3x pushes most out.

Although I agree that raises should be kept consistent, I think there are some situations where you have to vary. For example, if playing high pairs under UTG and raising 3xBB, you may get 3 or 4 callers, which is what you don't want when you have J-J, Q-Q, or even K-K.

But an UTG raise shows more hand strength than from any other position. So a good player should know any raise UTG is to be feared much more than middle or late position and should be more tempted to fold.

You dont wnat people to call you when you ahve 3 of the best starting hands? Do you burn money as well?

Generally thats bad advice. The whole point of keep a standard rasie is SO that people will call their marginal hands against your monster. This = $$

I have been going all-in with pocket queens, kings, and aces. This is not working to well. I don't get the callers often enough. On the other hand I don't want callers with queens.

I always bet the same into an unopened pot. 3xBB + 1BB per limper, regardless of position. In addition to disguising my hand, it also makes it easier to multi-table. I don't have to decide how much I want to raise.

My c-bets are usually the same as well, but I sometimes mix them up depending on the number of callers and the board texture. After the flop, however, my bet sizes are pretty variable.

Edit: All this is for ring games. During early levels of SNGs and MTTs, I'll gladly telegraph my big hands, knowing that the donks are going to call anyway.

Do NOT base your raise on your hand strength. Even only semi-skilled players will soon pick up on this.

Instead, try betting based on your POSITION.

Phil Gordon gives a pretty good starting point:

Pre-Flop Raising Strategy by Phil Gordon
September 28th 2007

To limp or not to limp − that is the question. I'm not going to name any names here, but there are some big-time pros who will argue that it's OK to limp into a pot before the flop. They reason that the more flops they see, the more likely they are to hit something big. If not, well, then they're pros and they can outplay their opponents after the flop.

I tend to land on the other side of the fence in this debate. My pre-flop strategy is this − its raise or its fold, there's no in between. I'm not injured − I don't have a sprained ankle or a broken leg − so why would I limp? There's nothing wrong with seeing flops, but why let your opponents get in cheap with an inferior hand?

I like to size my pre-flop raises based on my position. A lot of inexperienced players raise based on the strength of their hands, but good players will pick up on this play before too long. If you always raise four times the big blind with pocket Aces, Kings, and Queens, but only three times with everything else, skilled opponents will notice these patterns and exploit them later on.

If, on the other hand, you always raise a predetermined amount based on your position, your holdings will be much better disguised. By adopting this strategy, it doesn't matter if you're holding pocket Aces or 7-8 off-suit (which is the kind of junk I highly recommend you don't play), your opponents will have a much harder time putting you on a hand after the flop. Cards aside, here's how I like to play before the flop:

• From early position − including the blinds − raise two-and-a-half times the big blind. You are more susceptible to a re-raise from this position, so it's best not to risk too many chips. Still, this raise lets everyone know that you mean business.
• From middle position, raise three times the big blind. Hopefully a couple of people will already have folded to you, so there's less chance of being re-raised. Hence, you can afford to make a stronger push and possibly steal the blinds.
• From middle/late position, raise three-and-a-half times the big blind. You really want to encourage those last couple of players to fold so you can go heads up with the blinds or just steal them outright.
• From the button, raise four times the big blind. You either want to steal the blinds or make it really expensive for them to re-raise you.

Now, obviously when you play this raise or fold style before the flop, you can't be afraid of action. A lot of players − especially when they raise with a hand that they'd rather not see called − get that internal dialogue going that says “Please fold, please fold, please fold.” But here's the thing; you should want action and welcome a call.

The fact is your opponent is going to miss the flop such a high percentage of the time that it shouldn't matter whether you hit or not. You're the one who raised and you're the one in the driver's seat. Every chip that your opponent put into the pot before the flop is, in all likelihood, coming over to your chip stack. Even if your opponent does hit the flop, chances are they might not hit it very hard. If your opponent has A-8 and the flop comes K-8-4, the pot can still be yours. Steel those nerves and fire off a continuation bet − you're going to get them to lay down their hand a good amount of the time.

At the end of the day, it's all about how many chips are coming back to your stack. The more you put in pre-flop, the more you should get out of the pot when it's all said and done. Forget about limping, it's time to go full speed ahead.

Oh, I see.... That must be why you stuck over half your duckets into the pot with 85o on Sat...........

Now I get it.


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First off if you do the same thing everytime you're a sitting duck in this game.I think if you are new to the game then raising 3X the blinds on a regular basis is probably where you should stay.If you are more advanced mix it up and keep em guessing.

Wow, I have more to learn than I imagined! Thanks for the great betting advice. I especially liked the remarks from Phil Gordon. I'm looking forward to trying out these tactics.

I always like to randomize my bets , using odd numbers to throw my opponents off. Plus the odd size numbers makes the chips your putting in look way bigger , and might also throw your opponent off.

I prefer to raise it to 3x the BB if i am the first one in and if not then 3xBB + 1/2 BB for each limper. This works for me because i like to play small pots and also late in a game when the blinds are bigger it makes it much easier to steal more blinds this way. if you like to play high ball then towards the end of a game when the blinds are high you over commit yourself when people come over the top all in and make it harder to fold mediocre hands. If you mix it up though then i think whatever works for you is the best way to go. Just remember that sometimes you have to call big hands and others you have to raise them so that people don't get a bead on your preflop play.

real good advice from the professor, havent read any books written by phil gordon but i might now.