Raise

Raising is poker's aggressive power move—the decision to increase stakes, build pots, and force opponents to make difficult decisions. Unlike the passive call, a raise takes control: you're defining the price others must pay to continue. Raising accomplishes multiple goals simultaneously: it extracts value from worse hands, denies correct odds to draws, generates fold equity against marginal holdings, and gathers information about opponent strength. The best players understand that poker is largely about aggression—and raising is how you apply it.

What is Raising
When to Raise
Raise Sizing
Types of Raises
3-Betting and 4-Betting
Raising for Value vs Bluff
Position and Raising
Common Raising Mistakes
Advanced Raising

What is Raising {#what-is}

Definition

Raising means increasing the current bet amount.

Aspect	What Happens
Your chips	More than current bet
Pot growth	Increases significantly
Opponent options	Fold, call, or re-raise
Action status	Re-opens betting round

Raise vs Other Actions

Action	Effect
Raise	Increase bet, force decision
Bet	Initiate betting (no bet exists)
Call	Match bet, no pressure
Check	Pass without betting
Fold	Give up hand

Raise Terminology

Term	Meaning
Open-raise	First raise preflop
3-bet	Raise over a raise
4-bet	Raise over a 3-bet
Re-raise	Generic term for raising a raise
Check-raise	Check then raise when bet to
Squeeze	3-bet after raise and call(s)

Minimum Raise Rule

\text{Minimum Raise} = \text{Previous Bet} + \text{Size of Previous Raise}

Examples:

Situation	Minimum Raise
BB is $10, UTG raises to$ 30	$50 ($ 30 + $20)
Bet is $50, raise to$ 150	$250 ($ 150 + $100)
All-in for less than full raise	Doesn't re-open action

When to Raise {#when}

Primary Reasons to Raise

Reason	Explanation
Value	Get worse hands to call
Bluff/Semi-bluff	Get better hands to fold
Protection	Deny drawing odds
Isolation	Get heads-up vs weak player
Information	Learn about opponent's hand
Initiative	Take control of the hand

When to Raise for Value

Your Hand	Board	Why Raise
Top pair top kicker	Most	Get called by worse pairs
Overpair	Low board	Protection + value
Set	Wet board	Charge draws
Nut hand	Various	Build pot

When to Raise as Bluff

Hand	Situation	Why
Missed draw	River	Last chance to win
Air with blockers	Various	Block their value
Semi-bluff (draw)	Flop/Turn	Fold equity + equity

When NOT to Raise

Situation	Why Not
Trapping	Want opponent to keep betting
Way behind	Throwing away money
Multi-way, marginal hand	Someone has it
No fold equity	Calling station
Pot control	Medium strength, keep pot small

Raise Sizing {#sizing}

Preflop Raise Sizing

Situation	Size	Notes
Open-raise	2.5-3x BB	Standard
With limpers	Add 1 BB per limper	Charge more
Short-stacked	Shove or smaller	Depends on strategy
Very deep	Can go larger	3-4x acceptable

Postflop Raise Sizing

Situation	Size	Reason
vs. C-bet	2.5-3x	Standard raise
Check-raise	3-4x	Build pot, deny odds
River raise	2.5-3x+	Polarized (value or bluff)

3-Bet Sizing

Position	Size	Example
In position	3x original raise	Raise $10 → 3-bet$ 30
Out of position	4x original raise	Raise $10 → 3-bet$ 40
With callers	Add 1 original raise per caller	Adds dead money

Why Sizing Matters

\text{Larger Raise} = \text{More Fold Equity} + \text{Less Bluff Frequency Needed}

Size	Effect on Opponent
Small	Good pot odds to call
Medium	Standard decision
Large	Pressure, harder call
Overbet	Polarized, max pressure

Consistent Sizing

Key principle: Use same sizing for value and bluffs.

Bad Pattern	What It Reveals
Big = strong	Opponents fold when needed
Small = weak	Opponents attack bluffs
Varying by hand	Exploitable

Types of Raises {#types}

Open-Raise

Definition	First raise preflop
Standard size	2.5-3x BB
Purpose	Build pot, take initiative
Frequency	15-50% by position

Continuation Raise

Definition	Raising opponent's c-bet
When	Strong hand or good bluff
Size	2.5-3x the c-bet
Risk	Committing chips

Check-Raise

Definition	Check then raise when bet to
Purpose	Trap, build pot, semi-bluff
Frequency	8-15% of checks
Strength signal	Very strong (or bluff)

Donk Raise

Definition	Raising after leading out
Example	You bet, they raise, you re-raise
Signal	Very strong usually
Frequency	Rare

Squeeze Play

Definition	3-bet after raise and call(s)
Dead money	Caller's chips add value
Fold equity	High—caller's range is capped
Size	4-5x original raise

3-Betting and 4-Betting {#3bet-4bet}

What is 3-Betting?

Blinds = Bet 1
Open-raise = Bet 2
3-Bet = Bet 3 (re-raising the open)

3-Bet Ranges

Position	3-Bet For Value	3-Bet As Bluff
vs EP	QQ+, AK	A5s-A2s, some suited connectors
vs MP	JJ+, AQ+	Wider bluffs
vs CO	TT+, AJ+	Many suited hands
vs BTN	88+, AT+	Very wide
vs SB	Wide	Very wide

3-Bet Sizing Guide

Your Position	Sizing
In position	3x their raise
Out of position	3.5-4x their raise
Short-stacked	All-in or not

What is 4-Betting?

Open-raise = Bet 2
3-Bet = Bet 3
4-Bet = Bet 4 (raising the 3-bet)

4-Bet Strategy

Situation	4-Bet Range
For value	QQ+, AK (sometimes)
As bluff	A5s-A2s (blocks AA, AK)
All-in threshold	Often just shove

4-Bet Sizing

Stack Depth	Sizing
100 BB	2.2-2.5x the 3-bet
50 BB	Often all-in
<40 BB	All-in

Goal	Get called by worse
Hands	Strong made hands
Sizing	What worse hands call
Frequency	Most of raising range

Bluff Raising

Goal	Get better hands to fold
Hands	Weak hands, draws
Sizing	Same as value (balance)
Frequency	~30% of raising range

Value-to-Bluff Ratio

\text{Bluff \%} = \frac{\text{Pot Odds Given}}{\text{1 + Pot Odds}}

Raise Size	Bluff % of Raises
50% pot (creating 1.5:1 odds)	25%
75% pot	30%
100% pot	33%
150% pot	38%

Semi-Bluff Raising

Hand	Why Raise
Flush draw	Fold equity + 35% equity
OESD	Fold equity + 31% equity
Combo draw	50%+ equity, wants to build pot

Semi-Bluff Math

\text{EV} = P(\text{Fold}) \times \text{Pot} + P(\text{Call}) \times (\text{Equity} \times \text{New Pot} - \text{Raise})

Position and Raising {#position}

Raising by Position

Position	Open-Raise %	3-Bet %
UTG	12-15%	N/A
MP	16-20%	6-8%
HJ	20-25%	8-10%
CO	28-35%	9-12%
BTN	40-55%	10-15%
SB	35-50%	12-18%

Position Advantage in Raising

In Position	Out of Position
See opponent act first	Act first every street
Can raise to close action	Opponent has position
Better pot control	Harder to navigate
More bluff opportunities	Must defend more

Positional Adjustments

Situation	IP Approach	OOP Approach
3-bet size	3x	4x
3-bet frequency	Higher	More polarized
Post-flop raising	More floating options	Check-raise focused

Type	Description	When
Polarized	Strong + bluffs, no medium	OOP 3-betting
Linear	Strongest hands only	Facing aggression
Merged	Strong and medium-strong	IP calling spots

Raise Frequency Balance

GTO approach to raising:

Street	Raise % (vs bet)
Flop	8-15%
Turn	10-20%
River	12-25%

Overbetting as Raise

Size	When	Range
1.5-2x pot	Nut advantage	Very polarized
2-3x pot	Extreme pressure	Nuts or air

Delayed Raises

Line	What It Represents
Check flop, raise turn	Slow-played strength or turn hit
Call flop, raise turn	Improving hand or delayed aggression
Check-check, raise river	Trap or bluff

Exploitative Raising

Opponent Type	Adjustment
Calling station	Raise only for value
Folder	Raise more as bluff
Aggro-maniac	Raise/trap with value
Passive	Raise more, take control

Raise Blockers

Blocker	Effect
Holding Ax	Blocks AA, AK
Holding Ks	Blocks KK, AK
Flush draw blocker	Blocks nut flush

Use blockers to inform bluff-raising decisions.

Raise Checklist {#checklist}

Before every raise:

Question	Consider
Why am I raising?	Value, bluff, or info
What's calling me?	Worse hands (value) or folds (bluff)
Is my sizing right?	Same for value and bluffs
What's my plan if re-raised?	Call, fold, or 4-bet
Am I balanced?	Not always raising one type

Pot Odds Calculator - Raise sizing math
Equity Calculator - Semi-bluff raise decisions

Raise

Raise

Frequently Asked Questions

Evgeny Volkov

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