No-Limit Hold'em Satellites - How Much to Bet

A few years ago I wrote a book with Brad Daugherty called Championship Satellite Strategy. In that book, we wrote a section on how much to bet when playing a single-table satellite. I think this column would be a good place to review some of the concepts discussed in that section.



There are a lot of people who are now playing no-limit hold'em who were originally limit hold'em players. Most of these players do not choose the appropriate amount to bet. They either underbet or overbet the pot. Many of them simply make a minimum raise, which is double the amount of the big blind. This is the amount they are accustomed to raising when playing limit hold'em. Inexperienced players who make minimum raises often don't realize that they can (and should) limp, instead. There is hardly any difference between raising to two bets as opposed to just putting in one bet in no-limit hold'em. Some novices have only one move – all in. I would like to give you a better idea of how much you should bet in no-limit hold'em so that when you raise, you will be confident that your betting strategy is correct.



I like to bring it in for between three and four times the size of the big blind when I am the first player to enter the pot. Some players make the mistake of gauging the size of their raise by the strength of their hand. If you always make your raises approximately the same size, you will not give your opponents any clues as to the strength of your cards. When there are already limpers in the pot, I like to add about one betting unit for each limper, maybe slightly more. For example, if the blinds are $25-$50 and there are two limpers, I would make it about $300 to go. If I am short-stacked with a couple of limpers, I don't mind going all in, even if it means that I have overbet the pot. For example, if I had only $500 left, I would bet that amount, not the $300, since I am committed anyway. This also puts maximum pressure on my opponents to fold. I don't mind winning it right there, but if I get action, I want them to pay to draw against me.



Is there a benefit to someone making just a minimum raise? Someone who raises just double the big blind is often inexperienced in no-limit play. He is playing a no-limit hold'em satellite the same way he would be playing a limit hold'em satellite. There are three reasons why players put in a minimum raise: (1) To create some deception as to the strength of their hand. (2) They may have a speculative hand like J-10 suited. (3) They are inexperienced. Your challenge is to figure it out. Remember, some very sophisticated players occasionally put in a minimum raise. This usually occurs when they are the first player in the pot, and it could mean anything from a monster hand like aces or kings to a pair of deuces or 7-6 suited. They do this to confuse their opponents and mix up their play.



If people have become accustomed to seeing a sophisticated player put in a minimum raise, he might trap them later in the satellite by coming over the top of them when he has aces. Just remember, we are talking about tricky, knowledgeable players here who know what they're doing. Usually, when a player puts in a double-the-big-blind bet, he has a hand like Q-J suited or a small pair, and just wants to look at the flop.



If players are overbetting the pot and moving in a lot, I might ask the dealer what's the minimum bet I can make. I ask that question because if my opponents are raising too much, it prevents me from limping into the pot without having a big hand. The idea is to let the other players know that they don't always have to move all in or overbet the pot. This gives me a better chance to outplay them later on in the hand if I can see a few flops cheaply.



There are certain situations in which you might want to overbet the pot yourself. For example, suppose that you have doubled up early in the satellite. Now you have chips and you need to protect them. When you have a big pair, you don't want to give anybody a shot at making two pair or some other kind of hand against you without paying to draw. By overbetting, it sometimes works to your advantage in another way. One of your opponents might think that you're betting too much, that you're just trying to steal the pot, and will either come over the top of you or call when he shouldn't.



Tom McEvoy is a representative of PokerStars.com. He can be found playing under his own name on PokerStars, and is happy to chat when he can.