The Minimum Raise

Has anybody else noticed, that whenever you make a bet in No Limit Hold'em, and your (weak) opponent raises the minimum, you are nearly always facing the nuts or close to it?

For example, lets say the flop is K-10-10 offsuit, and you bet nearly the size of the pot with A-K. Your opponent raises the minimum. In my experience, you are usually up against at least trip tens and your opponent is sucking you in.

Has anyone else noticed this?

Which leads me to ask:

Can raising the minimum ever be the optimal play (as opposed to calling, folding, or raising some other amount)?

Does anybody ever raise the minimum as a bluff or to get a free card when on a draw?

Awaiting the arrival of Dorkus Malorkus.

I totally agree with you that when someone minimum raises they have a very strong hand. In my experience 99% of the time they do. I personally do not minimum raise often. It might just be me but I don't like the style of it. It tells everyone that you are very strong. Can it be an optimal play? Sure sometimes I think. I would only use it when I am bluffing because when you are facing a good player and they have a marginal hand they will likely fold. Don't even try the minimum raise against donks and fish because they don't quite understand the logic of it.

I have seen some players(not many) who are smart enough to use that to their advantage by getting blinds to fold to a weak hand while taking the minimal risk, but yes in large part people who are inexperienced think they are being sly, but as you said it's pretty easy to notice if you're paying attention to their betting patterns.

I think you may be getting psyched out more often than you realize.

In any case, I want to point out a related thread on min raises

Nickmond said:

I have seen some players(not many) who are smart enough to use that to their advantage by getting blinds to fold to a weak hand while taking the minimal risk, but yes in large part 1) people who are inexperienced think they are being sly, but as you said it's pretty easy to notice 2) if you're paying attention to their betting patterns.

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1) same with the fools that bet like 40 into a 2000 pot. That always makes me yell at my screen. 2) I don't think I ever minraise, just for that reason, that would be way too predictable, because once a player does that once, it will stand out like a sore thumb.

You always have to match the previous raise in No Limit Holdem. (The minimum raise for the first player entering the pot is equal to the big blind.) The first raise in this case is: 50-20=30. So the next raise at least has to be up to 80 (50+30=80).

RichKo said:

1) same with the fools that bet like 40 into a 2000 pot. That always makes me yell at my screen. 2) I don't think I ever minraise, just for that reason, that would be way too predictable, because once a player does that once, it will stand out like a sore thumb.

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umm what if you minraise 100% of the time preflop?

yea i still dont know why they do the minimum raise because its retarded but your usually screwed

I don't think I would be that suspect of the min raise. Nothing wrong with limiting the limpers. I could very well be a ploy to make you think he has the nuts.

I will min raise from the sb if folded to if i think the bb is using the check/fold button.