The "If Betting Is 35% Of Your Stack, Go All In" Theory

[Cptkernow]

I think this is a classic it depends moment.

if you do raise 40% of your stack this might well be less than x33bb if you are late in the game.

If you want to steal say from the third stack you might want to raise, not push.

That player is then on a decision, why should they risk calling/raising you.

it depends very much onthe player you are raising into.

It also depends alot on stack sizes and how much those blinds are worth to you.

At this point I am allready positoning myself for 1st place.

[ZeeJustin]

This is a bad general rule IMO. I occassionaly bet as much as half my stack, and still fold to a reraise. Let's use an example. Heads up on the river, your opponent bet the flop and turn, and you called with your straight draw. On the river, the 4th spade hits (which doesn't help you), and your opponent checks to you. If called, you have absolutely no way of winning the hand. Both you and your opponent have 2k chips, and the pot is also 2k. If you bet 1k, your opponent will fold well over 50% of the time. Occassionally, he will check raise, but only with the nuts or second nuts. Betting 1k (i.e 50% of your stack) is clearly a +ev play here.

[fnurt]

I guess a stone bluff would be an exception, because there's no such thing as becoming pot-committed when you have no outs.

[schwza]

yeah, as zee and fnurt have pointed out, this rule does not generally apply after the flop. the reason it does apply before the flop is that if you've already put in 35% of your stack, folding to a push before the flop is almost always wrong.

i think the analgous advice for after the flop is "if you're going to call an all-in raise, just push it in yourself."

[BradleyT]

If I'm HU on the river and there's 350 chips in the pot (me and villian have 1000 left each) and I want to make a pot sized value bet I should just go ahead and shove?

No way!!!

[TheDrone]

[ QUOTE ]
If you are heads-up, then this also applies to your opponent's stack. If your bet is less 35% of your stack, but more than 35% of his stack, then you should also push. This is because obviously all he can do is raise what he's got in front of him, so calling his all in would still be correct.

[/ QUOTE ]

The stop-and-go play is a good exception to the 35% theory. Pushing in the situation quoted above will also take away your opponent's ability to do a stop-and-go.

[LinusKS]

If a bet (or a call) would make you pot-committed, you should just go all-in.

The exception, I think, is when you want your opponent to call. Then you might make a smaller bet, hoping to induce a raise.

35% won't always make you pot-committed, though. Another exception is when you're at/near the bubble. You might make a speculative raise near the end hoping to catch the blinds, even if you're prepared to fold if one of them bets back at you.