I'm worried that if we bet too much we'll scare our opponents away. But if we bet too little we might get a bad beat.
Even at my current level, I think you’re
overthinking the idea of
“scaring people away.” 🧐 Betting
bigger with strong hands isn’t a problem — it’s protection. 🛡️ If you raise too small, you just invite people with junk like
22–77, suited connectors, or weak aces to see a cheap flop and crack you with
two pair, sets, or straights. 🎲
With
AA / KK / QQ preflop, the goal is simple:
raise 2.5–3BB and
charge opponents. 💰 If someone 3-bets you, you can 4-bet because those
hands are
strong enough to do it. ⚡ That’s their value.
At
micro and low stakes, players call way too wide anyway 🤷♂️ — so betting bigger only
helps you. You’re not losing value by
“scaring them off” ❌👻 — you’re
protecting yourself from giving them cheap ways to beat you. ✅
Example: Imagine you’re like
“OMG I’ve got pocket Aces 🂡🂡, I’ll just min-raise to trap them!” 🤡
The board runs:
9 – 2 – 4 – 5 – 10.
👉 Dingus in Seat 5 calls with
9♠4♦ offsuit (94o).
👉 He hits
two pair (9–4).
👉 Suddenly your “trapped” Aces are
dead 💀.
Bet bigger and you force that garbage hand to fold. 🚮 Better to “scare them” and scoop the blinds 🪙 than to slow-play and gift them a miracle. ✨
