Poker Basics: Back-raising

Learn about the back-raise, the confusing move where a player 4-bets after initally calling on the same betting round.

A back-raise in poker is a term you may not know very well, simply because it doesn't happen very often. It tends to happen in multiway pots and is considered a tricky or deceptive strategy.

A backraise is a tactic in which a player raises the bet after already calling earlier in the same betting round. It is often seen as a deceptive move because the player initially took a passive line. 

So for example an UTG player opens, the Small Blind flat calls then the Big Blind 3-bets. The UTG opener calls and the Small Blind 4-bets all-in. The Small Blind has made a back-raise.

A deceptive strategy

The back-raise is an unsual move in poker because, in the example above, the Small Blind would be expected to raise facing the first bet with a strong hand to thin out the field. 

It is similar to a check/raise in that the player takes a passive line initially, then an aggressive line in the same street when facing a second bet. 

A common time you might see a back-raise is when there is an aggressive player or very short stacked player left to act. You call the early position player's bet expecting a third player to come over the top of you.

For example let's say with 40BBs effective there is an UTG opening bet and you are UTG+1 with Pocket Aces. There is a player with just 6BBs in the Small Blind whom you think might shove. A good play might be to call here, then to back-raise if the Small Blind shoves and the UTG opener calls. It is a good strategy to trap extra money in the pot. 

Back-raising works best when you have a strong read that a player yet to act will take an aggressive action that reopens the betting round. It is also advisable that you have a hand that plays well multi-way if that does not happen. If neither of these criteria are met, it is probably better to play your value hands more straightforward. 

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