Deciding how much to raise in a game of No-Limit Hold’em requires careful thought. Raising too much or too little might clue your opponents in and reveal the strength of your hand. Your decision should be based on the need to make your opponents’ decisions as difficult as possible. Raising from early position broadcasts that you have a great hand – forcing your opponents to act accordingly. It is wise to give the big blind a tough decision between calling or folding. If you suggest a strong hand early on, you are convincing the big blind to fold.

Raising in late position suggests that you hold the cards to beat any remaining hands. If your hand is marginal, you should raise bigger to avoid having the big blind call too easily. Raising late also helps pressure the big blind to fold rather than call – effectively reducing the number of opponents left who may re-raise you.

If you’re playing No-Limit Hold’em, don’t be tempted to come in for a raise that is too large. Early on – with more opponents to react behind you – you’ll want to raise to approximately two and a half big blinds. In late position try raising to nearly three times the big blind. If antes are involved, plan to add nearly half the total antes to any raise you make. Although a novice may be tempted to raise higher when the hand is strong – expert advice points the other way, suggesting that it’s too revealing of your hand. You shouldn’t allow the strength of your hand to affect the size of your raise. Of course you can risk a higher raise if you’re nearly certain that your opponents aren’t paying attention and you’re confident you can pull off the move.