Pommo #2

Doing this column has got me intrigued as to what other pros are writing about. I read one piece last month in another publication that seemed to go against a lot of what I believe. I won’t name names, but it got me thinking. It talks about poker being very maths-orientated (which it is), but also states that most of the time there is a right decision and a wrong decision. I couldn’t disagree more! Yes, you can play by the book and no one will say you’re a bad player, but what do you really achieve? You become predictable. When luck swings your way you’ll do well and make a few final tables, but if you strive for a constant edge there are other ways to be consistently successful.

Standard raise

Pre-flop raising is a good example where people think there’s a tried and tested formula. The textbook pre-flop raise is three times the big blind, so it’s easy to assume that you can always raise three times the big blind and that’s okay. Well it might be okay, but it’s not going to maximise your earning potential. If I’m playing in a soft cash game my standard raise is three times the big blind, but that’s because a soft game is making me lazy, otherwise I try to NEVER raise three times the big blind. A pre-flop raise should depend on a lot of things. Any time you make a bet in poker there’s a reason for it, and it’s exactly the same with a pre-flop raise. There’s a reason you’re raising pre-flop, and as you’re always raising with a different hand, in a different position, in different circumstances, why should the raise always be three times the big blind?!

Say you’re raising to steal the blinds and antes late on in a tournament. The blinds are 200- 400 and you’ve got a stack of 10,000. Here you want to risk the least amount possible while still making the raise convincing. You don’t want to be committing too much to the pot with a hand you don’t really want to see a flop with, so there’s usually no reason to risk as much as three times the big blind. Why not make it 900 – a bet that still requires the big blind to put another 500 in to call?

And sometimes a pre-flop raise should be more than three times the big blind. If you have a good hand in position, especially in a cash game, you want to get as much money in the pot as you can. If everyone at the table has sat down with 100 times the big blind, what use is it putting three times the big blind in pre-flop with a great hand? Obviously you can’t make it too big or you won’t get any action, but if you get to know the other players at the table you’ll know who is likely to call big overbets with marginal hands pre-flop. Position is often just as good as having a very strong hand, and my pre-flop raises normally reflect that. Doyle Brunson reckons he could beat anyone blind if he always had position, so why not put as much money as possible in the pot if you’re going to play in position?

Snowmen

One spot where I do see people raising more than three times the big blind is in a tournament when playing a vulnerable hand out of position. Most players dealt 8-8 in mid position decide they have to make a huge raise because they don’t want to see a flop. That’s understandable – there aren’t many great flops for 8-8 – but at the same time I wouldn’t want to make the pot huge, only to have someone call on the button and find myself in limbo on the flop.

All I can re-iterate is that if you’re raising pre-flop, think why you are raising. For me it comes down to two simple things: 1. If you’re building a pot with a good hand then try to do just that – get as much in the pot as you think you’ll get action with. 2. If you’re trying to steal, then don’t put any more chips at risk than you have to.

Remember, the worst thing you can do is get lazy at poker. Do this and you’re automatically giving an edge to your opponents. Preflop raising is just one example of where people don’t stretch their minds enough. So start now!