Raise
To raise is to increase the current bet, which forces everyone still in the hand to match the new amount or give up their claim on the pot.
It is the only action that can win a pot outright, because it is the only one that can make everybody else fold. That is the reason a raising strategy beats a calling one at almost every level of the game.
A raise also carries information, and that runs both ways. It tells the table something about your hand, and it demands an answer from theirs, which is often worth more than what your own two cards happen to be.
an example
your cards
A player opens to 3 big blinds and you make it 9 with two aces. You are not raising to end the hand, you are raising because the money that goes in now goes in while you hold the best hand in the game.
This example is made up. The real one is in your own hand history: find raise in your own hands and see how often it came up and what it cost you.
related terms
Call
To call is to match the current bet exactly, which keeps you in the hand without raising the price for anyone else.
Three-bet
A three-bet is the second raise in a betting round, counted by treating the big blind as the first bet, the opening rais ...
Bet sizing
Bet sizing is the choice of how much to bet, which sets the price your opponent is offered and therefore how often they ...
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Knowing the word is not the same as seeing it.
The full order of play, from the blinds to the showdown.