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When the Minimum Raise is Maximally Wrong

The subject today is the min-raise — that is, somebody bets, and you submit a raise that is exactly double that amount, which is the smallest raise you can make in a no-limit game. I want to address this very specific tactic because I see it used way too much by relatively inexperienced players. I’d like to explain why it’s usually the wrong move.

Note: A min-raise is a popular preflop opening move these days in high-level tournament play, with solid game-theory math to support it. But here I’m talking about postflop play in cash games, against less sophisticated opponents, which makes it a whole different animal.