Daniel Negreanu: How Much Should You Raise?

(Photo: Radardemedia.ro)

Every Tuesday, I dutifully check the YouTube channel of Daniel Negreanu to watch his video of poker tips released the day before.

Obtaining free advice from poker's all-time winningest tournament player is something I don't want to miss. Especially with private coaching from players of Daniel's caliber running into hundreds of dollars per hour.

Although the tips provided thus far since DNegs announced that his fans could expect videos every Monday have been geared more toward rookie players, I have found the advice to be extremely helpful. Which likely means that I haven't reached the poker skill level that I had assumed or imagined.

Up Your Raise Sizes Before Flop

This week's tips and tricks from the creator of small ball poker focuses on how much to bet and raise, and when. KidPoker advises beginners with good starting hands to increase their raise sizes pre-flop in an attempt to avoid being outplayed after the flop.

Negreanu said:

"If you want to win the pot before the flop .... force your opponents to pay a price to defend."

A raise three or four times the big blind will make players with lesser and marginal hands think twice about seeing the flop, as opposed to a min-raise that is almost inviting those opponents to come along for the ride.

Short-stacked Bet Sizing

Another tip put forth by the Poker Hall of Famer dealt with how to bet when sitting on a short stack during tournament play. Negreanu wants his short-stacked followers to either increase their bet size or lower it.

"I don't want to see you ever bet like 35% of your stack, and then fold for the rest," DNegs stated. "It's almost never right."

In other words, if you have a hand and want to bet, either shove it all in or make it a small bet somewhere between 10-20% of your stack. That is, if you're short-stacked.