The countdown for the 2008 WSOP is nearing its end. Beginning on May 30th, the 47-day poker celebration will probably take up most of the editorial space dedicated to poker on the internet, which is why we decided to take a quick look at another fundamental strategy building block while we still have a chance. Readers who plan to attend and participate in the WSOP (are there many of you out there?) probably already have a pretty good idea when and how to use the raise, but even if you just plan to watch the poker Olympics on TV, understanding the many purposes of the raise will make your poker viewing more enjoyable. Naturally, it will also greatly improve your game.

The five basic reasons to raise in Hold’em poker were laid down by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth in their popular book ‘Hold’em Poker’:

1. To get more money in the pot
2. To drive players out of the hand
3. To bluff or semi-bluff
4. To get a free card
5. To gain information about your opponents cards and/or habits.

We will explain each of these.

Getting more money in the pot

This one is pretty straight-forward. If you think you have the best hand, you want to raise the original bet and get more money in the pot. The raise will usually be called by all players who called the original bet, and it may cause the original bettor to re-raise. If there is a re-raise, some callers may fold, but it is very rare for callers to fold on the flop after one more raise – they are already invested in the pot.
Raising pre-flop is a bit different. If every time you raise pre-flop you’re holding a monster, your opponents will take notice and fold rather than call. In that case, you may be better off calling and letting more people participate, thus drawing more money into the pot, and raise if you’re still ahead after the flop. Remember – a raise will add money to the pot only if it is called, so you must raise wisely.

Driving players out of a hand

Even if you do have the best hand, sometimes you may want other players to fold their hands. This is true because your opponents’ hands may improve with the next cards. The principle here can be seen as the flip-side of pot odds. If the bet is small enough and the pot big enough, players might have the correct pot odds to keep drawing for a long-shot. If you’re ahead but you don’t chase anyone out, there is always the chance that one of your many opponents will hit his long-shot draw. To prevent this, you must make the pot odds shift in your favor. In this case a big raise will make the bet no longer worth while. This will usually work against players who act after you and have not yet called the initial bet.

Bluffing or Semi-Bluffing

A raise is a powerful tool not only when you believe you have the best hand, but also when you don’t. When bluffing, you’re hoping your opponents will fold after you’ve raised them. With semi-bluffing, even if they don’t fold your hand does have a chance to improve, so raising can be good for two reasons:

1. You get more money in the pot and your hand does improve
2. Your hand doesn’t improve, but you got your opponent thinking. Another raise (this time, a proper bluff) might get him to finally fold.

Getting a free card

When you’re in late position, and the bet is smaller than the previous rounds, in this case, any hand that is worth calling with is also worth raising with. Obviously, the new card didn’t considerably help anyone, and during the next round your opponents might all check to you, waiting for your raise. You can then check and get to see another card.

Gaining information about opponents

This is mainly done in heads-up situations, and only if your opponent’s reaction to your raise will define the strength of his hand. For this move to be useful you must register your opponent’s every move and reaction to your raises. When you believe he is showing genuine strength, for example by re-raising you, you must also know when to fold.

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