Am I raising too much Pre-Flop?

[Redhot_man]

I normally raise my "Group 1" (AA-TT, AK) hand to 5xBB.
Is this too much?
I often get everyone folding it back to me.

[tewall]

That's OK. But you should raise the other hands your raise with the same amount. Don't tip off your hands by the size of the raises.

If your opponents are folding more often than you'd like, throw in some hands you'd really like them to fold. You only have to do this occasionally, however, for it to pay off.

[WalleyeJason]

I think that the amount is depends on sevral factors.

1. Position
2. How many limpers in front?
3. How loose is the pre flop standards of the other players?
4. How aggresive pre flop are the other players.?
5. Stack Size, yours and theirs.

In any given situation you will have to consider a number of these factors. Also, are you trying to Isolate, or take advantage of a Loose player that will over play Pocket Pairs and suited cards?

I like 5x the BB when there are 1-2 limpers in front and your in LP.

Dont allways raise the same, you have to mix it up. If you constanly are raising 5x with Big pairs, people will start picking up on that.

WJ

[Redhot_man]

The reason I ask, is that i consistantly see good players raise to 2xBB or 3xBB regardless of position. And I Was wondering if htis may be a better phiosophy becasue you will get paid off by hands like KJ, QT, that will fold to a 5xBB raise.

[tewall]

The reasons for raising differ. Among others, sometimes you want to build up a pot, and sometimes you want to isolate. Always betting 2xBB doesn't sound like something a good player would do. Betting 2xBB with your group 1 hands out of position is just asking for trouble. I agree completely with Holden that you want to mix things up and situations change how much you should be raising. For one thing, how many players are in the pot makes a big difference.

One thing which doesn't change is you don't want to give away your hand by the size of your raise. Try raising 5xBB with crap out of position and see if everyone folds. That will fix that problem.

[tewall]

"I agree completely with Holden" oops. "with Walleye"

[Shaun]

There are no solid rules for what amount you should raise pre-flop. Here is something to consider: Let's say there is a loose agressive player with a large stack- if you make a raise that only he will call, say 8 times the big blind, you will often be playing heads up against him with a much better hand. The less you raise, the more you have to rely on simply making a big hand like a set.

The main rule to follow is, don't follow any rules when it comes to your raises. You need guidelines for calling raises, but as for making them, the best formula is no formula.