Why is there more River Raising at Higher Limit 6max???

I hope this post has some value and creates some discussion

I was wondering about the frequency of CheckRaising and Raising on the river in higher stakes 6 max games (i.e. 20/40 to 100/200), versus the lower level games (10/20, 5/10, 2/5..)

I have noticed through playing and observing that there seems to be a higher frequency of raising the river (through a CR or a flat raise) in the higher limit 6 max games. Also, there may even be a higher frequency of bet/calling as opposed to check/checking.

Anyway, if this the case, I was thinking about what might be some of the reasons for this, and I was wondering if you people could weigh-in with your thoughts.


Possible reasons for higher frequency of river CR or raises at higher limit 6max.

1. There are fewer passive players at higher limits, and this = more river aggression (or perhaps more “correct” river aggression )
2. Players at higher levels (on average) have better hand and board reading skills, and are therefore able to assess with a greater level of confidence where they “are” relative to their opponents. As such, they are less shy about value raising than lesser skilled players who, through uncertainty, may choose to “call down” more often as opposed to raising the river.
3. Players at higher levels have (on average) better and deeper post flop skills. While some weaker players may make moves on the flop that will enable a certain turn play, they may not be able to plan or think how such plays impact the river play. On the flipside, stronger players at higher limits have more complex strategies that are more likely to set the table for river raises. (I perhaps didn’t articulate this well, but I’m thinking the better players are move prone to be thinking about the river with their flop action, while weaker players may just be thinking about the turn).
4. This one may seem like a paradox, but I think the extra river raising at higher limits creates opportunities for more river bluffs. It seems that at 5/10 and 10/20 players will call down river raises more often than in higher limits, and this would suggest that river bluffs would occur less frequently at lower limits. However, if the river raise action becomes more frequent in higher limits for some of the reasons noted above, would this not also allow room for more bluffs (more opportunities to find favorable situations to bluff)? If so, oddly enough, this would cause the frequency of river raises to go even higher. Or, am I missing it here and the fact is there is less river raise bluffing at higher limits?

Any thoughts or discussion on the above would be appreciated. I’d really be interested in what factors others see at play in cases where river raising and check raising seems more frequent at higher limits. I particularly notice the shift starting at 30/60, and from watching 100/200 it seems even higher.

PS. I suspect some posters might say it’s simply a function of higher aggression at higher limits, and not much more….