The Message Behind Raising in Poker

Most times, when the hand is strong, we raise. But there are times when we should re-thin about raising. Here are some points to consider.

Raising in poker pre-flop when the hand is in a good position to do so is recommended, but automatic raising is not that healthy in poker. We have to reiterate that raising is good when we have taken every needed factor into consideration. Raising should not be automatic.

Sometimes, according to the poker situation, even with top pairs, like a pair of jack, for instance, it doesn't necessarily mean we have the best pair—or at least a pair worthy of raising. We need to consider some other factors. Strong hands are just one factor. Another main factor is how good the opponent is, and not just how strong his hand is. Strong players play strong even with hands not that strong. These players rarely bluff.

Some players do raise from a late position in poker, sometimes even using middle pairs. With a lot of strong players we rarely see them do this except when what they have is really good. Like at least a pair of jacks plus perhaps a sound kicker. What's more, the fact that this player raise pre-flop could mean he has an over-pair.

Most of the time, with such fourth street scenario, we do an automatic calling—throwing in most our chips. Bets post-flop and post fourth card are proper bets when we have a top pair like what the strong player above has. If no player at the table has a jack or at least an over-pair, the strong player's hand would be hard to beat. But then, the strong player should have re-thought post raise.

When someone raises, that player is sending a strong message. And we should pay attention. We should review everything, regardless of how strong our hand is. When someone raises us, especially pre-flop, we ought to re-think about betting. Pre-flop raises often mean the hand of the raiser is something to reckon with. If we have a JJ we should have at least a pair of TT in addition. It would probably take another bet for that, but even this decision needs a review of how much is in the pot—if it's worth calling and chance on a 10.

Raising in poker is a strong message. When the opponent raises, we have to quickly review our situation even if we think our hand is strong.