Raising with a Big Pair
In a No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournament, there is no better feeling than to be dealt a big pair, like Aces or Kings, and have a player in front of you raise. Naturally, you want to be in the pot while disguising the strength of your hand. There are two choices to make: Do you simply call or do you raise?
Your chip stack is a key factor in deciding how to proceed. If your stack is growing short, less than 10x the big blind, the best option at the casino is probably to raise with an all-in bet. As a short stack, it is almost expected but still obscures your hand’s strength. Being short-stacked, there is a good chance you’ll get a call with a strong probability of doubling up. If everyone folds to your all-in, then you scoop the blinds and the raiser’s chips, building up your stack for future play.
When your stack is substantial, 30x the big blind or more, then a re-raise with bit pair is correct. This is a good opportunity to make the standard three-bet raise which conceals the strength of your hand. The only reason not to raise is when the poker table is very loose and you can be positive another re-raise will come out behind you to do your betting.
