Calling Rather Than Raising in Marginal Situations

Most poker writers recommend playing a tight-aggressive style of hold'em. And, they're right; as far as the majority of situations are concerned, tight-aggressive play gets the money more often than not.

Yet, each poker landscape is different, requiring different correct modes of play depending on the situation. Great players adjust their modes of play to the current situation, rather than maintaining a one-dimensional mindset and never varying. They create extra edge for themselves in situations in which they envision scenarios that are outside of normal parameters. Average to good players who find a style that works and don't deviate from it much possess the wrong mindset, and they fail to profit from situations that don't fit comfortably within their set strategy. Over time, that adds up to considerable financial expectation being sacrificed.

When making a poker decision, I go through a situational checklist of the concepts that apply to the given situation. One poker decision that comes up frequently in hold'em is, should I raise with a marginal raising hand preflop? Part of the trick here is to recognize concepts and reasons that suggest not to raise preflop when the situation is a marginal one. By marginal situation I mean one in which different concepts could reasonably be considered and the hand could be played in different ways.

I tend to raise fewer preflop hands when I am playing against loose-aggressive players. One reason I do this is that by raising, I am creating a bigger pot. That extra money in the pot creates a favorable enough ratio to the size of subsequent bets to give my opponents a better price to draw at my hand when I hit the flop and to make post-flop plays at me. By reducing the price on their play, I take away much of the potential gain they seek. I thereby reduce the likelihood of others making plays at me by making it a much less profitable option for them. Even if the preflop raise was correct when analyzed independently, it would still be incorrect to make it if it lowered my edge on future betting rounds!

I tend to raise less frequently against players who have a greater propensity to make "plays," trying to outplay me after the flop. By calling with marginal hands, I likely will add more players and "protect" the pot from aggressors, because they are less likely to make plays against a big field. Players who make fancy plays know that the value of their aggression is greatly diminished in multiway pots, where they have to run over more people for a play to work.

I also tighten up my raising against tough players. Getting your money in against players who play poorly after the flop is of significantly greater value than getting your money in against players who play well after the flop.

I raise less frequently in situations in which I know I need to make a hand to win the pot. Some people just can't be moved off a hand with which they perceive having any possibility of winning. Firing into them tends to have value only with a hand that's likely to win. Although some may consider it counterintuitive, aggression often has greater value in larger pots. Build larger pots that you may win by using aggression; in marginal situations, I tend to keep the pots smaller when I am unlikely to win without showing down the best hand.

Lots of speeders use aggression to try to thin the field. I oftentimes find more profit by letting bad players into the pot behind me, rather than blowing them out. In situations against players behind me who respect my raises but play very badly after the flop, I will avoid raising in order to let them into the pot so that they will have the opportunity to make post-flop errors. I may be giving up some small preflop edge, but that is more than made up for in their bad post-flop play.

Forcing the blinds to fold to get their dead money in the pot and thinning the field are part of the value of preflop raising. People tend to be either fairly tight or very loose in the blinds. If the blinds hardly ever fold, it takes away one reason to raise. So, in marginal situations against loose blinds, be more inclined to call rather than raise.

If good, aggressive players who are likely to play back at me remain to act, I slow down my raising, and my calling, too. I don't want to find myself heads up and out of position against an aggressive player who plays well.

Some hands play better with several players in the pot. In most cases with small suited connectors and small wired pairs, where you are trying to make a big hand, just calling preflop will increase the likelihood of more players being available after the flop to give you action when you hit your hand.

When I have been playing aggressively and my opponents have realized it and made correct adjustments, I slow down my preflop raising. Accurately sensing when your opponents are about to adjust, although much harder to do, is even better yet. Players who tend to have only one speed also tend to find themselves in situations in which their opponents are reading them correctly and making accurate judgments against them.

These are just some of the many concepts to be considered in marginal preflop situations when deciding whether or not to raise. Poker, of course, is a game of innumerable variables and incomplete information, and you must consider many other things. In every situation, certain concepts will apply, and you must weigh these factors and accurately assign value (positive and negative) to each.

Just as there are reasons not to raise in marginal situations, there are also many variables that would suggest a raise is correct. That, however, is a subject for another day. In all cases, though, the situation often transcends the cards you hold. Weighing the strength of all factors and determining the right play will add much more value to your poker decisions and, more importantly, to your poker bankroll.

Roy Cooke played winning professional poker for more than 16 years. He is a successful real estate broker/salesperson in Las Vegas. If you would like to ask Roy poker-related questions, you may do so online at www.UnitedPokerForum.com.