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Poker Tips from
Bodog.com: Raising Pre-Flop
Selectivity and aggression are highly regarded traits of poker strategy. We have covered the
selective part so now let us turn to aggression. You will raise for many reasons, but you should
rarely call a raise.
Pre-flop, you want to raise with the strongest hands to get money into the pot and to narrow the
field so opponents won't get lucky with random hands. By raising things up before any cards are
dealt you send a message to the rest of the table. You should always raise with monster hands like
pocket aces, kings, queens, jacks and tens as well as suited A-K, A-Q, A-J and K-Q. Unsuited hands
that warrant a raise are A-K, A-Q. These guidelines are not set in stone and you will have lower
standards for raising in late position, especially if no one has acted in front of you. Re-raise
with aces, kings and queens to protect your hand.
Don't waste the hands you've been waiting for by merely limping into a pot or allowing your
opponents do the same. I often hear players complain about not being able to bet people off a hand.
Which in a lot of cases is true, but think about this way: if you don't raise the pot you are
giving your opponent infinite chances to draw out on you. Make them pay the price of admission to
see another card when you have the best of it.
On the flip side of this strategy is what to do when there is a raise in front of you? Cold-calling
a raise with mediocre or marginal hands is one of the most costly and common mistakes a poker
player makes. Think about the hands you would raise with and in most cases give your opponent
credit for those hands. You need stronger hand to call a raise than to make a raise.
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