November
2009
Know when to Raise in Poker
Poker is a game often won through aggression. To play aggressively, you must raise sometimes. Newcomers to the game often don’t understand the right and wrong times to raise, and they will raise too often with weak cards or be too timid about raising with a strong hand.
Putting out a raise is a way to narrow the number of poker online opponents you are up against, and you have a better chance of winning with a good hand against fewer players. Say for an example you have a pocket pair, and the flop completes your hand to a set of trips. If you make a substantial raise, you might scare away those players who are trying to make a straight or flush that could beat your hand.
If you have a very strong hand, or one you know is the absolute winner, then a value bet might be your best move. A value bet is a small bet or minimum raise that you want to be called. A small bet can keep another player engaged and help build a bigger pot for you to win when you play poker online.
You can also semi-bluff with a raise from late position when the other players check ahead of you. This is a good strategy if you are drawing to complete a hand, like a straight or flush. The semi-bluff just might scare everyone away, and even if you get called, your hand might still improve to be the winner.
