I got a question the other day about bet size. If the standard opening raise is four big blinds how do you ajdust a raise when there's been one or two limpers?


Standard size is a a pot size raise, not four times the big blind. And an opening raise is in addition to the call.

Four times the big blind is a pot size raise if you're first in (the standard is to count the SB as a full bet, that's what's done in most PL games in B/M games).

So if there is one limper the pot is 1 + 1 (the blinds) + 1 (the limper) + 1 (your call) = a 4bb raise on top of your call.

I like to go ahead and overbet slighly preflop because no matter how strong my hand is I really don't like a cold call behind me. If betting enough to drive out cold callers behind me also tends to get the blinds and the limpers to fold my response isn't to make future raises lower but to lower my standards slighly for raising.

Just keep raising more and more until they start calling.

As for adjusting your raise to account for the strength of your hand I like Chris Ferguson's suggestion -- raise more when position makes your hand stronger, less when position makes your hand weaker.