Poker betting rules - PokerTraining.org

10 basic betting rules
Applies to all NLHE games

would be hard to beat them. Although some players seem to win big in the short term by not following these basic rules, there is nothing wrong with the rules, it´s only temporary luck. That's just poker.

1. When you open pre-flop, do it with a raise.
2. The typical raise pre-flop is 4 x BB.
3. Add an additional BB for each limper in front of you.
4. Nobody raises: bet the whole pot (or almost) on the flop.
5. Always bet at least half the pot on flop - and the turn.
6. If you want to raise on the flop or pre-flop, bet at least 3 times the opponent's bid.
7. Never go all-in if the pot is less than 25% of your stack.
8. Never check-call with a good hand to slow play.
9. Only fish with draws if it's cheap enough to give you the odds, and you're in position.
10. Don't pay big bets in a pot, that wasn't raised pre-flop.

1. When you open pre-flop, do it with a raise.

Everyone has folded, it is your turn and you want to enter the pot. Often you should do that with a raise! If you do not think your hand is good enough to raise, it's usually not good enough to call, and you should fold. Which hands are good enough to open with a raise, mainly depends on how many players are sitting behind you.

The hands you might consider just calling with (what we call limping), are the ones you would like to see a flop with, knowing that you have to throw them away in case they did not hit. Examples are 44, 76s and J9s. You can open with a call/limp if you play at a passive table where you are often allowed to see the flop cheaply. But if you expect a raise behind you, you must lower the frequency of hands you limp with significantly!

2. The typical raise pre-flop is 4 x BB.

If you raise the same amount each time, you have the advantage that your opponents cannot read if you're raising with AA or JTs. Use your energy on something other than varying the size of your raise. 4 x BB (big blind) can be considered a decent number of times, but it's enough to make your opponents commit a huge mistake when doing so with marginal hands. It's the mistakes of your opponents that are earning you money in the long run.

3. Add an extra BB to each limper in front of you.

Frequently, you'll raise pre-flop in a situation where others have limped in front of you. In those situations, your raise must be larger than when you're the first to act. Add an additional BB to your bet for each limper, so in case you have two limpers, you will need to raise 6 x BB pre-flop. The idea to raise these additional amounts is to ensure that the limpers (mostly) fold to your raise, or that they make a mistake by calling. With 2 limpers and a 4xBB bet, the limpers have far better odds to call than than the BigBlind has with a 4 xBB raise and no limpers because the limpers make the pot bigger. It should be comprehendable what your chances are on the flop, and the fewer players you have on the flop, the more manageable it will be. The more limpers there are, the more satisfied will you be if they all fold.

4. Nobody raises: Bet the whole pot (or almost) on the flop.

Nobody raised pre-flop and nobody in front of you has made a bet on the flop. If you want to bet here - either because you've hit the flop good enough for it to make sense, or because you´re in position making it likely that the others will fold - you should always bet 90-100% of the pot! If you think betting that much is too expensive under the circumstances, just check. Betting less makes no sence, as any bet on the flop must have one or more of the following purposes:

    * To build the pot significantly so you can win more.
    * Getting the others to fold, so you can take the pot home now.
    * Getting a feel if the others have something (they have if they call).
    * To give an opponent on a draw bad odds to call. Even your set of aces can be killed by a straight on the turn.
    * To keep the others uncertain about what you have.

The problem with small bets on the flop is that they do not really satisfy the first 4 points. The idea of using the same choice of bet every time is that it helps you considering the last point.

5. Always bet at least half the pot on the flop - and the turn.

If you want to bet on a flop where there was a raise pre-flop, your bet should always be at least half the pot, often higher, but it should never be more than the whole pot. The purpose of your bet applies to the same points above in the pot without raises. Less than half pot does not really fulfill any of the purposes and more than the whole pot is unnecesarry gambling. Many players do not vary their betsize in this situation, but chooses to bet approx. 80 % of the pot every time. Others bet a little less when they want an opponent to call and a little more when they prefer not to have an opponent. Variation in betsize often require that you believe that you have read the opponent - and that he can't read you! It has the negative aspect of your opponents figuring out your motives, so betting the same % of the pot each time is most recommendable.

6. Raise on the flop, or reraise preflop: at least 3 times the opponent's bet.

Before the flop it might happen that someone raises in front of you and now you want to reraise. The reraise should be 3 times his raise. Similarly, it occurs that your opponent bets on the flop, and you'd like to raise. Again, raise 3 times his bet. The theory behind the size of such a raise is the same as the theory behind the size of the various bets on the flop. 3 times his bet may be too little though, if the raise or bet which came in front of you was ridiculously small. In this case, you may find that a raise to 3 times his bet is just repeating his mistake. Make sure your raise is always at least 80% of the total pot! 3 times may also be too small a bet if another player called the raise in front of you. If you still want to raise, you should not just raise 3 times the original bet, but put an extra big bet on top of it for every caller. Same concept as with the limpers pre-flop. Example: You play with blinds NLHE $1,5/$3. A player in front of you raised to $10 and the player right in front of you calls. You want to reraise. You should reraise to $40 (4 x his raise). Had he only bet silly $6, and the player called, $24 would not be enough. More like $30.

7. Never bet or raise all in if the pot is less than 25% of your stack
Sometimes you are considering to push your stack all-in. There may be many reasons for this:

    * Your hand is enormously good, and it could be that someone would decide to pay when you push it all in. It usually doesn't work in experienced company, but sometimes it does. Usually it is better to build the pot with normal sized bets.
    * You want to steal the pot, and you do not think the others want to risk their entire stack on it. It mostly works, but sometimes there is someone who has a great hand and beats you, so be cautious!
    * The pot is so large compared to your stack, that a bet or raise of normal size leaves you with such a small stack that you cannot do something effective with it when the next card comes. This is the real reason to bet or raise all in.

Before you determine the size of your bet or raise, you must look at how big the pot is. If it is less than 25% of your stack, don't go all-in! Use the normal sized bets and raises. If the normal bet or raise is more than 40% of your stack though, you should probably go all-in.

8. Never check-call with a good hand to slow play.

There are a few situations where it is correct to play a really good hand by pretending that you are on the draw, and to check and call instead of betting or raising.These situations are very rare though, especially when you get the resistance you get by playing against the typical players for small or medium stakes. Check-raising is an opportunity, with a really good hand when you are out of position (i.e. the first man to bid) on a single, aggressive opponent. Be sure to follow the mentioned rules on raise-size when doing so!

9. Only fish with draws if it's cheap enough to give you the odds, and you're in position.

In NLHE, it can quickly get too expensive to chase a draw if your opponents bet and raise like they should. You must therefore be reluctant to play a draw with slim chances. Of course you have to pay to see a card if it makes sense compared to the potsize (i.e. if you have good pot odds, see the article about Odds and Outs), and if a raise is not looming behind you. If opponents bet and raise according to the rules mentioned here, it is rarely worth pursuing ordinary flush- or straight-draws - unless there are several callers, and you have position. Luckily, not all opponents know how to make their bets and raises high enough, which you can take advantage of.

10. Don't pay big bets in a pot, that wasn't raised pre-flop.

If you are involved in a pot that has not been raised before the flop, your opponents can hold anything. If they start to bet or raise very strongly on a flop that looks innocent, then it may be that they have hit something like 2 pair - or better. So consider it carefully before you pay large amounts to stay in a pot like that. There's a general saying: "Never go broke in an unraised pot".

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