25NL: god damn shortstacks...

[LOLDONKBETZ]

sb could easilly wake up with T9s or 89s, that 3xbb open is ugly, with BB having $5.xx i'd rather be playing for his stack and not worrying about sb coming along for the ride, now i dont know if a 4xbb raise would have done that but definitely people feel more committed from the blinds when you only raises 3xbb

[ajrees]

Raise to 4xBB PF.

[Guruman]

pf nl is an art not a science. I like to open it up for 4x from utg and mp, and 3x from co and button for the same reasons as op.

I instacall the push. Villain shouldn't have any fold equity vs you with a bet that size there.

[incognitus]

i guess you have to call and be very cautious with SB.

[clowntable]

[ QUOTE ]
keeps the pots smaller for c-bets, which i do quite a bit

[/ QUOTE ]
That thinking is way off imo. One of the main reasons to cbet is because it is profitable on its own merits because people don't call you often enough so that your cbets show an automatic profit.
If that is the case, you want your pots to be marginally bigger not smaller.

That being said I also raise 3xBB from UTG (and UTG+1) because I want smaller pots on average when i'm out of position. I go for 4xBB from CO and BTN because I want the pots to be bigger when I have position. I think this should be your answer to the "why 3xBB" question.
[ldo I add +1 BB per limper from each position]

Of course it depends on table dynamics, sometimes one ends up at a table where 3 BB raises get called all the time. If this happens, because we"ll play multiway OOP often I tend to switch it up to 4x from UT/UTG+1 and keep it at 3x with hands where I like multiway pots and know where I stand right away (PPs) if I think I can get away with noone noticing it.
I find that people willing to call 3xBB raises are over-proportionally less likely to call the 4xBB for some reason so this usually works out.

[tsearcher]

Raise more pre flop. SB is not aggressive so call BB's all in. If SB reraises, you can safely fold. Re-evaluate at turn.

[ICMoney]

Calling or making a fake iso raise is fine.

(and watch your language please)

[DaycareInferno]

3+1 is my standard raise, and 2/3 pot is my standard cbet. my reasoning is that my results are better than 4 and 3/4, for whatever reason.

you take down less pots preflop and on the flop taking this route, but, at the same time, you're more likely to get action when you make a good hand.

i think the reason that my own personal results are better using this approach is that i overplay my hands less often when there is more money behind on the flop.

another thing that people sometimes don't consider, is that against a donk, you can still get all of your money in. against someone with fish stats, you don't have to worry about being blatantly obvious by jacking the pot up when you make a good hand, because they're not paying any attention anyway, and even if they are, they still can't fold a good hand. against a reg, different story, but wotever.

[carnivalhobo]

[ QUOTE ]
keeps the pots smaller for c-bets, which i do quite a bit

[/ QUOTE ]

so does everyone else, and if you raise 25% more preflop, then the size of the pots you win by cbetting are that much larger. its also easier to get stacks in if you make it 4bb pre as opposed to 3

[pucks32]

[ QUOTE ]
3+1 is my standard raise, and 2/3 pot is my standard cbet. my reasoning is that my results are better than 4 and 3/4, for whatever reason.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sample size? Don't be results oriented.

As stated above, the point of cbetting is to take down the pot on the flop, so you would want a bigger pot if you're cbetting is successful. You want to be thinking about winning bigger pots, not losing bigger bets. Yes, it will happen, but if you're cbetting is done well, you will make moire in the long run with a 4x pfraise.