Poker is a game of partial information. You will never have all the information you would like to permit you to make the best decisions while playing your hand.
There is, however, one highly unlikely exception: If you know your opponent’s hole cards, that’s all you need.
It’s rare but does happen. There are players who carelessly flash their hole cards. Otherwise, we are all in the same boat: How can we gain additional information of value? How can we use a raise for that purpose? Can we?
Raising
There are many reasons. It pays to be familiar with these and use each as appropriate:
• Build the size of the pot (This is often termed “betting for value;” you want to build this pot that you have a good chance of winning with the best hand on the showdown.)
• Force out opponents (to reduce the size of the playing field. RSPF).
• Bluffing (or semi-bluffing). Note: Be sure to use the Esther Bluff.
• Improving your position (by forcing out opponents behind you)
• Getting a free card on the next betting round
• Protect a vulnerable hand
• Steal the Blinds
• Create or change your image
• Bluff out a bluffer (This is best using a semi-bluff.)
• Improve your outs (Force out an opposing hand who seeks the same card for a better hand.)
• Isolate a “maniac” (I find such players, more and more, at our tables these days.)
• A psychological weapon (Put “fear” into your opponent’s mind.) An opponent playing in fear is more likely to make costly mistakes – in your favor.
In this present column, we are concerned only with how we can use the raised bet to earn us more information that we then can use to make better decisions. Admittedly, this is a rather subtle strategy; but it does work.
Here’s the only example I know for Raising to Get Information; i.e., gaining new information is the only reason for your raise:
A tight player in an early position calls your raise on the flop. You now know he has a strong hand – good information! With this information, you know you must play your hand conservatively.
For the most part, raising to gain information is an extra (secondary?) benefit when you are raising for another reason (such as those listed above).
To illustrate, suppose you decide to raise to isolate the “maniac” seated to your right. On the flop, the maniac has made his usual raise from an early position. You have a decent hand (exceeds the Hold’em Algorithm criteria for your position). It’s enough to warrant a call to see the flop – and hope it helps you. (The poker gods may be with you.) But, instead of just calling his raise, you reraise.
Faced with a double-raise, those behind you muck their hands, leaving you and the maniac to fight it out for the pot. You know, most likely, the maniac has a relatively poor (a random) hand; that’s what probability says.
Even if another opponent decides to call your double-raise, you have still gained top position for the rest of the hand. But now, you know to be wary also of the player who called that double-raise. That too is good information.
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