The Psychology of Raising
By the PokerStrategyKing

Has this ever happened to you? You’re sitting at a good game, either 5 handed or 10 handed. Countless hands go by and yet, you can’t take down a single pot? This astounds you because the probability of this happening are just so remote that it starts to frustrate you. 10 hands go by, 20 hands and you still seem to be holding ice cold cards while many of your opponents are just snatching pot after pot without even making it to the showdown. This inaction makes you start to wonder what the heck everyone is holding. Is it a conspiracy against you? Not likely. Does everyone have you beat every hand? Even less likely.

Then what is it that is just causing you to slowly be blinded into oblivion by your opponents? As much as you may not want to hear it, it is probably your own fault. You have a reputation and tendency of being a tight player, as evidenced by your lack of action. So why not just roll up your sleeves and get in there and try to intimidate a little and get some money in the process?

I’ll explain. When I’m playing in a game, whether it’s a cash game, tournament or whatever, I hate to call. Absolutely hate to call. Calling is one of the worst things you can do in poker. It is a weak move and you never show any strength or belief when you start calling all day long. This is not to say that it is always inappropriate to call. When you have an unbeatable hand, calling is definitely the way to go so you can induce action from unsuspecting players who are playing right into your hands. But if you habitually call and become a calling station, you are inevitably throwing away pointless bets and not getting anything in return. When I first started playing, I called way too much. When looking at my statistics, I called over 50% of the time. This usually meant I was drawing towards something that may or may not come or I wasn’t confident enough that my holding was enough to win. After calling, I’d usually fold only to have an opponent reveal a winner with lesser cards than what I had. One example sticks out in my mind. I was playing in a $5/$10 no limit game holding Ah-9c. Top pair with a very average kicker. When the flop came down and I paired my aces, my opponent bet large and I just called as did a third player. The turn came down a 5d and the first player again bet large and I folded convinced I was out kicked. Lo and behold after the showdown, the original bettor had pocket Queens while the other caller had pocket 10’s! I blew a chance at a fairly large pot because I didn’t show any strength and had no belief in my hand. Had I raised following one of those two bets, I could have very well taken the pot then and there or gotten a free showdown where I would have won anyway. In any case, I learned from this experience.

So what did I do to change this? I basically adjusted my approach. Now, whenever I’m involved in a hand, in the back of my mind I always think to myself, “is my hand good enough to raise with.” If not, I fold. The overwhelming majority of my actions are raising or folding. Since adopting this mindset, I really turned a corner in my poker career and have had more consistent winning sessions. Just think about it. When a player acting before you bets and you raise, you make him stop and think about what he/she has and what you could possibly have. So basically, they could have a good hand but your raising action may make them think twice about how good their cards actually are. This may cause them to fold right then and there. If they don’t fold, most of the time, they will check the next card and then you are in the driver’s seat. You can either take the free card or make a big enough bet to take the pot. If you bet big after a raise, you have already put doubt into your opponents mind and have put yourself in a great spot.

Until next time, may the chips fall your way. (For more poker strategy and tips, please visit the PokerStrategyKing’s website at www.pokerstrategyking.com)