Exceptions to the Standard Raise, Part 1

[Fonzi]

The standard raise is a fairly simple way, to make effective raises. However, anything so simple must have exceptions, and the standard raise is no different. As I mentioned in the previous article, the standard raise is noted as 3-5xBB plus 1xBB per limper, and is used to force out marginal hands that could potentially limp, and out flop you.

Some of the exceptions to the standard raise include your position at the table, the size of your chip stack, and the size of your opponents’ chips stacks (considering you’re playing in a tournament). Other things that can change the basic rules of the standard raise are the size of the blinds compared to chip stacks, the “tightness” of the table, and your table image.

In Part 1, I will cover the exceptions regarding position at the table and the size of your chip stack.

In Part 2, I will cover the exceptions regarding the size of your opponents chip stacks and the size of the blinds compared to chip stacks.

And in Part 3, I will cover the exceptions regarding the “tightness” of the table, and your table image.

The following are examples with descriptions on how to change the standard, or what to do instead of the standard raise in special situations:

Example 1-1 Position at the table.

Chips stacks are all relatively the same; there are no short stacks, and no major large stacks.

Seat 1-SB 50
Seat 2-BB 100
Seat 3-Folds
Seat 4 (YOU)-TT, you have two options: raise to 700 or limp
Seat 5-yet to act
Seat 6-yet to act
Seat 7-yet to act
Seat 8-yet to act
Seat 9-yet to act


According to the standard raise, you would make a raise of 300-500. This situation is different. Here, there are 5 players yet to act after you in addition to the blinds. If you raise anywhere from 300-500 here, you are allowing the players left to act in the hand to call with hands like AJ,KJ,KQ, and even some other marginal drawing hands. Once you get into a pot with more than 1-2 other players, you are not favored to win the hand, and in addition to that, you can easily be pushed out if an over card flops.

By raising to 700, you bet enough money, that hands like AJ, KQ, and KJ will be forced to fold. You also create a pot win only 1-2 other players. You now have a much better shot to win the pot since there are less people involved and you don’t have to be “AS” scared of one over card on the flop, since there are fewer hands to compete with.

Your other option is to limp with the TT from early position. This is my choice almost 90% of the time in this situation because I believe it yields more of a +EV (positive expected value) than raising to 700. By limping, you are allowing other players to play the pot with you, and at the same time, you aren’t showing strength. But there is a downside to this option; Most of the time if you don’t hit a set on the flop, you will be forced to fold if one over card flops since there are many more hands in the pot. None the less, I still like the option of limping more, because if you hit your set, you are likely to get action with it, and rake in a much larger pot, and if you don’t, you only paid 100 chips to see the flop.

Example 1-2 The size of your chip stack.

You are the short stack at the table, with 8BB’s left. Everybody else has a decent stack, and there are no other short stacks.

Seat 1 (2700)-SB 50
Seat 2 (2900)-BB 100
Seat 3 (2200)-Folds
Seat 4 (3100)-Folds
Seat 5 (2200)-Limps 100
Seat 6 YOU (800)-AQ, your two choices are to go all in, or fold
Seat 7 (4000)-yet to act
Seat 8 (2400)-yet to act
Seat 9 (3800)-yet to act


The reason you can’t stick to the basic guidelines of the standard here is because the raise would be about 400-500, and that’s half your stack, no matter what you would be pot committed to call in any situation, even though your opponent would have you beat going into the flop about 70-80% of the time since not many people will re raise with less than AK or a pocket pair. Instead, you have two options; to raise all in, or fold.

I wouldn’t suggest folding AQ in middle position short stacked, but it’s an option, and it’s surely a better decision than putting in 500 chips by following the standard raise.

The second option is to push all in, and this would be my suggestion for the situation. We have already pointed out why you can’t follow the standard raise here, but why push all in instead of fold? One thing I hate to do in a tournament is cripple myself because I can’t get a “premium” hand. I wouldn’t want to depend on picking up a hand better than AQ, or forcing myself to push on a hand worse that AQ and with less chips. So I’ll take my chances now, and put my money in with AQ. I can be called by AA, KK, QQ, or AK and be dominated, or called by AJ, AT, KQ, KJ, and any pocket pair under Queen and a variety of other hands, and in those cases on average, I’m probably about a 65% to win. Overall, I’m getting a higher expected value to put my money in on AQ than to fold, and try to pick up a hand before I’m crippled.

Stay tuned for Exceptions to the Standard Raise, Part2, where I will discuss the exceptions regarding the size of your opponents chip stacks and the size of the blinds compared to chip stacks

By: ungarstu132

[ungarstu132]

cmon guys, lets get a discussion going