No Limit Betting Amounts

[cmcguinness]

So I've been playing limit hold em but want to move into no limit. The only problem is, I have no idea how much to bet. I look online but there isn't much info. I know the amount you bet depends on the game and your cards and position, but for someone just starting are there any guidelines. Like what is a small bet? 2x the BB? 3x? what is medium or large bet? (x the BB or % pot size). Anything to help me get started and not look like too much of a donk at a NL Table would be very much appreatiated.

[jimmer]

Before the flop most players talk in relation to the big blind. Depending on how much you raise will depend on what you are looking to acheive (i.e do you want to encourge or discourage action). It also depends on the history of the table (has a 5xbb preflop raise been getting 2 or 3 callers or is a 2xbb preflop raise taking down the pot without a fight). However the norm is usually around 3xbb for a preflop raise.

After the flop most players talk in relation to a percentage of the flop. Now this is where a good poker player makes his money as there are 101 million different options to think about and a lot of different plays to make. To find how much to bet post flop you need to start using the forum to research who bet what-when-and the reasons why. This will keep you busy for a while.

However, a very very very brief guide to post flop betting is to think about betting enough to give the other player the wrong odds to call. So for example - if you have A Q and the flop is Q 7 2 and the pot is 100, the other guy may be on a flush draw. His odds of hitting a spade is around 4.2/1, so what you need to do is bet more than 40% of the pot. This way, if he wants to call he needs to bet 40 into a pot of 140 (which is only odds of 3.5). This would make this the wrong call.

The other thing to think about is is your chip stack size compared to the amount in the pot. I'm unsure if you play tourneys or cash tables, but if the blinds are 10/20 and you have a stack size of 120, your options for the amount you raise are pretty much limited to all-in. This is because if you raise 3xbb and get called by one other player there could be around 120-150 in the pot. As you only have 60 left in your stack you are calling on the flop with pretty much anything.

This is a massive topic and i haven't even scratched the surface. If you can get your head around these two topics you will make a lot of money!

My advice to you is; post lots and lots of hands and let the forum talk you through it.

Good luck

[cmcguinness]

Hey thanks! The information really helped and it will def get help me get started!

[clarky]

Looks like jimmer nail the head of it! Well, as jimmer said in NL you can bet any amount between the big blind and your money you have on the table on any betting round. So, you are going to calculate the amount of the blind and not on your opponent.