Pre-flop betting is something I see new players struggle with all the time and too often they choose the wrong pre-flop bet and either get creamed in an all in or drive off the money or don’t get the big pots they could get with their pre-flop bets.
This is my strategy and feel free to post your own strategy in the comments or ask questions.
The All In Bet
This is the riskiest of pre-flop bets but can get you a huge pot if you play it right against the right opponents,
First you need to understand that there is no guaranteed winning hand on a pre-flop bet. Pocket Aces get beat all the time and I would rather have a couple of high cards suited for a flush and straight hit than a pair for an all in bet but pairs are the common choice for an all in.
The timing for an all in bet is very important. Are you calling an all in or making the all in bet first?
If you are calling an all in then you should know you are probably up against a big pair or high cards suited and a high kicker if you match can make the difference in a win or loss. So avoid high cards with low kickers for an all in and if you have watched this player and know they like to all in on certain cards that can give you some clue as to whether you can take that risk calling an all in.
The more players in an all in the more risk.
If more than 2 players are in an all in your risk is greater and the best all in is head to head when you are the one making the all in call but if you know a player is likely to go all in a check bet or low raise on pre-flop may get them to make the all in call so you can decide if you want to play the hand.
How much risk you take on an all in depends on your stack. If you take an all in against someone with a much larger stack and lose you may be felted off the table or out of the tourney but if the target of your all in is short stacked your risk is lower.
Once you have considered all of that and the risk is acceptable and you have read your opponent then an all in may be a good option. If not sure a raise bet or check is better and if your hand is good pre-flop it will still be good post flop.
The Check Bet
This is the most common strategy and is used to not draw attention on your hand when you want to see the flop without much risk. It is a good strategy while you get a read on your opponents but if you check all bets regardless you may miss opportunities to get a bigger pot or scare off weak hands before the flop. Remember the more people in a hand post flop the higher the risk.
So once you have a read on the table you want to mix up check bets with raises on good hands so you can get bigger pots and chase off weaker hands to reduce risk. This also tells the other people on the table you will raise them and when you do you have a good hand so back off.
The Raise Bet
How much you raise over the Big Blind depends on your read of the opponents and if you want to drag more money into the pot or scare off weak hands or you have a specific opponent targeted.
If you want to get more money in the pot because you have a good hand then a smaller raise bet or 1/2 pot bet will get more players to stay for the flop and then if your hand is still solid on the flop you can go in for the kill.
If you want to scare off weak hands a medium bet or pot bet will get you down to just a few or one opponent on the hand and less players on the flop means less risk and if you have read the table you know which players to take seriously if they come back with a raise or call your bet.
Be aware a raise bet pre-flop may get you raised and re-raised in to an all in situation and you are increasing your risk in that situation.
The Ace Bet
This is a common bet of double the big blind and is called an Ace bet because it is used by players to indicate they have at least an ace but it may be used on any hand the player thinks is good and I use it on small pairs or a possible high card connectors or flush if I want to make people think I am holding an ace. This is a common misdirection used by advanced players and one you can use.
Never assume that because an opponent throws out an ace bet that they have an ace but it indicates they think they can beat aces.
The problem with an ace bet is it may drive money off the table if an ace comes up on the flop or you may not be holding an ace and another player is and can use that to their advantage if you come back on the flop with a check.
So you need to decide if that ace bet will get more money into the pot or drive it away and that all depends on your read of the table and if you want a quick kill on the flop or drive up the pot on a straight or flush hit.
The above is just my opinion and I hope it helps new players and here is a more detailed guide for pre-flop betting strategy that I recommend: