The Help Tabloid

Often when playing Texas hold em, you don’t see many people raise in the big blind. Now of course there’s a reason for that; a raise from the big blind sets off alarm bells to all the other players at the table, or at least the good ones. A raise from the big blind is not common, and often signals a big hand.

So while there’s no reason to do it often, it still seems surprising that it happens rarely when playing online poker, or at least when I’m playing online poker. You often see people just call from the big blind when they end up having a big hand; while I can understand the strategy of trying to entice more people into the hand so you get paid off, the fact remains poker is still a game of luck and the more people involved in the hand lessen your chances of winning. And you’ll be kicking yourself if you limp in with that big hand and lose to a 3-10. Consequently, even if you have a middling hand, a raise from the big blind if often enough to get a few limping callers to throw their hands away and take down a nice little pot before the flop.

Either way, there is something to be said for a strategic raise from the big blind every now and again, so consider doing it when the time is right.