In Limit (and sometimes even No-Limit) Texas Holdem, you’ll see a lot of “Raise, Call, Call and Call” going on. From time to time, you’ll feel a desire to limp in on hands, but don’t make a habit of it. In this case you should avoid temptation. And here are key reasons why:

The raiser controls the hand If you have a good hand you need to be in there raising, otherwise it will be very easy to spot when you call and hit a draw. There may be, of course, exceptions to this rule; if there have already been two pre-flop raisers you wouldn’t raise a pot with jacks, and you wouldn’t want to bet your draws with more than a couple people in the pot.

Calling Shows Weakness

It is well-known for any good player that i n a No-Limit game anyone who calls all the time is like a fish saying “Hit me with your best shot.” Such behavior will not bring you anything good, quite the contrary it will just get you in trouble most of the time. It’s not good enough to play in the first place if the hand isn’t good enough to raise.

Another hazardous situation may happen when calling, it is that most good players will bet you out of pots you should have won simply because you called pre-flop. It is because when you raise pre-flop you show strength and most players will fold to your bets if they missed the flop.

The Raiser Controls the Hand

Raising a hand is showing your dominance because like this you are revealing the seriousness of your intentions with respect to your opponents. They know you will take no prisoners, if they miss the flop. This is true for any type of texas holdem game, but more so for No-Limit. In Limit things are going a bit differently. It is harder to bet people out of pots since the big bet is always small and constant. In case if there’s a short-stacked player in a Limit game, there is a chance for you to bluff him out of some pots after you raise.

As for me, after raising any hand, as long as there are fewer than three people in the pot I almost always bet the flop. I’ve already showed strength pre-flop so even if they hit the flop they must be very careful while playing. Most of the time your opponent won’t hit strongly enough to call your raise on the flop.

Here’s a good example of why raising pre-flop is best:

Two people limp in pre-flop and you raise with Ace-King. You totally miss the flop and a player who limped and then called your raise has 8-8. The flop comes J-Q-5 and you bet out. Even though he had the winning hand he immediately folds.

Also recommended:

1. Limit Texas Holdem Strategy for Shorthand Games
2. Playing the Blinds in Texas Holdem poker
3. Slow-Playing Before the Flop in Texas Holdem
4. Limit Texas Holdem Strategy for Longhand Games
5. The Latest Tendencies in Calling/Raising