Skip to main content
Poker glossary

Open Raise

What it means

An open raise is the first raise in a betting round when no one has raised before you. In pre-flop play, this means being the first player to raise after everyone has either folded or called the big blind. The term distinguishes this action from a 3-bet (re-raising an initial raise) or a limp-raise (calling first, then raising when action returns).

How it works at the table

When you’re in middle position with A♦ Q♣ and everyone folds to you, raising to 2.5 big blinds is an open raise. Here’s a typical scenario: You’re playing 100bb deep in a $1/$2 game. UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, and you’re in the hijack. You raise to $5 - that’s your open raise. The cutoff folds, button calls, and both blinds fold. You’ve successfully opened the pot and gained position on the caller. The size of your open raise often varies by position: 2.5bb from early position, 2.2bb from middle position, and sometimes just 2bb from the button.

Strategic context

Open raising serves multiple purposes. It builds the pot when you have strong hands, steals blinds with weaker holdings, and defines your range for observant opponents. Your open-raising frequency should increase as you get closer to the button - you might open 15% of hands from UTG but 50% or more from the cutoff. The sizing tells a story too. Larger opens (3-3.5bb) protect strong hands and discourage callers, while smaller sizes (2-2.2bb) risk less when stealing and give you better prices on your bluffs. Modern poker theory suggests using consistent sizing from each position regardless of hand strength.

Common mistakes

Players often open raise too many hands from early position, forgetting they’ll face 5-8 players who can wake up with premium holdings. Another error is varying raise sizes based on hand strength - raising to 5bb with aces but 2.5bb with suited connectors telegraphs your holdings. Many recreational players also fail to adjust their open-raising ranges based on table dynamics, opening the same hands whether the table is tight-passive or filled with aggressive 3-bettors.

Open raising connects directly to 3-betting (re-raising the open raise), cold calling (calling an open raise), and fold equity. Your open-raising strategy must account for players left to act, stack sizes, and tournament considerations like ICM pressure. Understanding optimal open-raise sizing and frequencies from each position forms the foundation of solid pre-flop play.