Raises and Check-Raises in Poker | How to Calculate Sizing

Raises and Check-Raises — Sizing and Usage

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🎲 What Is a Raise? — A Call and Bet Combined

Let's break down what a raise actually means.

Pot: 100 Opponent: bets 50 You: raise to 150

This "raise to 150" is performing two steps simultaneously:

1. Call your opponent's 50 bet with 50
2. Bet 100 into the pot after calling (100 + 50 + 50 = 200)

In other words, "raise to 150" and "call 50, then bet 100" are the same thing. A raise looks like a single action, but it's actually a two-step structure of call + bet.

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📏 Calculating Raise Size

In Bet Sizing Basics, you learned to think about "what % of the pot to bet." The same concept applies to raises. Your raise size is determined by what % of the pot you bet after calling.

The Formula

X% Raise Amount = Pot After Calling × X% + Chips Needed to Call

"Pot after calling" is the original pot + opponent's bet + your call combined.

Let's look at a specific example. With a pot of 100 and an opponent's bet of 50, the pot after calling is 100 + 50 + 50 = 200.

Raise %	Calculation	Total Chips You Put In
50%	200 × 50% + 50	150
75%	200 × 75% + 50	200
100% (pot-sized)	200 × 100% + 50	250

For example, if you put in a total of 250 chips, that's called a "100% raise," and 150 chips would be a "50% raise." In practice, 50% raises and 100% raises are the most commonly used sizes.

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🃏 Value Raises and Bluff Raises

Just like bets, raises serve two purposes: value and bluff.

Value Raises

CO: open-raises → BB: 9♣9♦ calls Flop: 9♥ 6♦ 3♣ BB: checks → CO: C-bet (half pot) → BB: raises

BB has completed a set of nines (three of a kind). If you just call here, the pot stays small. With a strong hand like a set, you want to grow the pot so you can win more chips on the turn and river — so go ahead and value raise.

Bluff Raises

BTN: open-raises → BB: A♠4♠ calls Flop: K♣ T♠ 5♠ BB: checks → BTN: C-bet → BB: raises

BB has a flush draw (two ♠ in hand + two ♠ on the board). Nothing is complete yet, but if a ♠ comes on the turn or river, the flush gets there.

1. If the opponent folds, you win immediately — facing a raise, opponents will be cautious and fold weaker hands
2. If called, you can still improve — a flush draw completes on the turn about 19% of the time, and by the river about 35%

Bluff raises aren't limited to draws. You can also bluff raise with weak hands like backdoor draws (needing two more cards). However, pure bluffs without any draw equity carry significant risk if your opponent doesn't fold, so use them with caution.

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🃏 Check-Raise — An OOP Counterattack

The OOP player must act first. By checking and waiting for the opponent's bet, then coming back with a raise — that's a check-raise. The opponent sees the check and thinks "maybe they're weak," so they bet. When you raise back, they're forced to deal with an unexpected counterattack.

Only OOP players can check-raise. You need to be the first to act to create the "check → opponent bets → raise" sequence.

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🎓 Practice Scenarios

Q1: BTN open-raises, BB calls with 4♥4♦. Flop: J♣ 4♠ 2♥. BTN fires a C-bet. What should BB do?

Show Answer

This is a check-raise spot. BB has completed a set of fours (three of a kind). Just calling keeps the pot small, so check-raise to build the pot and extract more chips on the turn and river.

Q2: CO open-raises, BB calls with J♠T♠. Flop: K♠ 8♠ 3♦. CO fires a C-bet. What should BB do?

Show Answer

This is a spot to consider a check-raise. BB's J♠T♠ has a flush draw (four spades). A semi-bluff check-raise lets you win immediately if CO folds. Even if called, you can still hit a flush if a ♠ comes on the turn or river. That said, just calling to chase the draw is also a reasonable choice.

Q3: The pot is 200 and your opponent bets 50% of the pot (100). You want to raise 75% of the pot. How many chips do you put in?

Show Answer

400. The pot after calling is 200 + 100 + 100 = 400. Calculation: 400 × 75% + 100 = 300 + 100 = 400. That's a 75% raise of the pot after calling, plus the chips needed to call.

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⚠️ Common Misconceptions

❌ "Raising always means you have a strong hand"

Raising isn't just for value (strong hands). You also raise as a semi-bluff with flush draws and straight draws, and even bluff raise with hands as weak as backdoor draws. By raising with both value and bluffs, your opponents can't easily tell whether your raise is "real or fake."

❌ "You should always fold to a check-raise"

You don't need to fold every time you face a check-raise. Your opponent might be bluffing, so evaluate based on your hand strength and your opponent's range.

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🎯 Summary

That wraps up the postflop action series! Open Raises → C-bets → Double Barrels → Donk Bets → Raises and Check-Raises. You've now learned the basics of postflop aggression. Next, let's move on to Pot Odds Basics to learn how to use numbers to decide whether a call is profitable.