In NL Hold’em, Omaha, and a few other poker variations, bet size means everything. Unlike PL (pot-limit) or FL (fixed-limit) games, you control the size of your bet. You can bet small, bet big, or bet it all.
By learning how to make effective bets, you become a feared opponent at the tables. Your “bluffability” decreases and you force opponents with drawing hands into difficult situations. You also reduce your chances of becoming a bad beat victim, and nobody wants to be on the losing end of that.
But what makes an effective bet? When should you bet big and when should you bet small?
What size bet should I make?
There are many factors to consider when making a bet, but the most important is the current size of the pot.
As a general rule of thumb, if you think you have the best hand, you should make a bet or a raise that is about ¾ of the pot.
Your bet will affect the pot odds. Remember, we want to force our opponents into making a difficult call with poor, or incorrect pot odds. This is how you make a profit.
Another factor to consider is what type of player you are up against. If you are up against a loose player, you may need to bet more than usual to get them to fold. If you are up against a tight player and already have a made hand or the Nuts, you might want to make a smaller bet in order to get them to call.
Other factors to consider are your table position, pot size, and chip stack.
Bet Big
Why should you bet big? It’s simple really. Big bets give your opponents incorrect pot odds to continue playing their drawing hands. In other words, you get more value when your opponents call with worse hands.
If you believe you have the better hand and that your opponent is on a draw, bet big.
If you make a small or weak bet, like Scotty, you will give your opponents good pot odds. You don’t need to know how to calculate pot odds to know a drawing hand will call small, weak bets in order to maximize their profits. Make bets with a purpose. Letting your opponent see more cards is not a good purpose!
Big bets also give us the most information about an opponent’s hand. You can put your opponent on a range of hands, whereas this information would be very difficult to obtain from making a small bet.
It’s best to make a bet that is about three to four times the big blind to prevent others from calling and getting good odds. You should also take into account the number of players limping into the pot, and then make an extra bet on top of that standard three to four. For example, say two people limp in the pot before you. It is your turn to act. That standard three times the big blind raise now becomes a raise five times the big blind. In other words:
Standard raise: 3
Number of limpers/callers: 2
3 + 2 = 5. You should raise 5x the big blind. So if the blinds were $.50/1, you would raise $5.
The bottom line is: If you want to make money, you need to put enough of it in the pot to actually win! When you make a big hand and just check and call, you are wasting opportunities to get your money into the pot!
Is there a time for small bets?
Small bets are generally considered to be half the pot or less. There is generally only one instance when you would consider making a small bet, and that is if you are playing against a very tight player and aren’t afraid of getting outdrawn.
You might want to make a small bet if you flop the nuts—be it a flush, a full house or quads. If you know your hand cannot be beat and there are only one or two others in the pot, a small bet may convince them to stick around and try and hit their drawing hand. Still, it’s hard to not look suspicious with these types of bets, particularly when the possibility for a big hand exists. There is no guarantee betting small vs. big will win you more money. Again, you must know your opponents.
In addition, small bets make it very difficult to put you opponent on a range of hands because they might be calling with almost any two cards.
Avoid minimum bets
Unless you have specific rules in your home games, the minimum bet in NL Texas Hold’em is the size of the big blind. Say the blinds are 15 and 30. If only the small blind and the big blind go to the flop, the total pot is 60. A minimum bet in this case would be half the pot. This is probably one of the only times a minimum bet might make your opponent fold.
Minimum bets can be tells, especially with new, inexperienced, or known tight players. It often shouts, “Hey, I caught middle pair (or worse) on the flop. I’m afraid you might have a better hand, so I’m just going to make a small bet and hope you fold.”
When someone makes a minimum bet, especially if they are a tight player, a good-sized bluff can get them off their mediocre hand. There is the chance they may be trying to trap you by betting small and the re-raising you on the river, but this isn’t an effective play for extracting chips. If you see a good player making a minimum bet, be suspicious.
Conclusion
In NL poker, always bet with a purpose. Watch the pros. They don’t arbitrarily throw chips into the pot. Their bet is a direct relation to the size of the pot and the other aforementioned factors.
If you have a good hand, don’t be afraid to bet big. Get the notion out of your head that small bets somehow turn into big pots. That almost never happens. Put your opponents in a position to call with poor pot odds.
Do you want to become a better poker player? Learn the 6 things you need to do to win heads up!
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