We typically think of raising as a purely aggressive move, but like everything else in poker, a raise can also be a source of valuable information. Players can raise for any number of reasons: To get more money in the pot, to eliminate opponents, to get a free card on the next street, to get information, and so forth. Whenever you’re in a hand and another player raises, your job is to try and figure out why this player decided to raise at this particular juncture in the hand. Only then can you make an informed decision as to what you should do next.

Note: In this article, I am discussing limit games only. Raising in no-limit or pot-limit games is a whole other animal, as the relative size of the bet becomes a huge factor.

First, let’s take a look at one of the more obscure reasons for raising, to gain information. This play is not common (for a good reason, done too often it can be quite costly) and it really only works against an opponent whose playing style you already know well. But done right, this type of raise can tell you where you’re at in the hand. For example, a conservative player in middle position puts in the first raise preflop. You’re in the cutoff seat with pocket jacks, and you reraise. Here, your raise accomplishes three things: Getting more money in the pot when you have strong cards, hopefully eliminating a few opponents by the time it gets back to the original raiser (since pocket jacks are more likely to hold up against a smaller field), and giving you some info about the first raiser’s hand. If he caps the betting, then you can put him on pocket aces or kings. If he just calls, he’s more liable to hold something like A-K.

This also works post-flop, particularly on “scary” flops (three suited or straight cards, paired boards, all high cards, etc). Say three diamonds fall on the flop and an opponent bets into you. With that bet, he’s representing the flush. If you raise him now, you’re effectively telling him: “No, I have the flush.” And at the same time you’re asking: “Do you really have the flush?” His response will answer that question. A call says, “I have a hand, probably a pair and/or a big diamond.” A reraise says: “Yes, I have it.”

Now, let’s consider when another player makes a raise at you. With that raise, your opponent is trying to tell you something. It can be anything from: “Hello, I’m a maniac and I love to raise!” to “I think I can bully you out of this pot,” to “I want to get a free card on the next street,” to “I have the best hand; please give me your money.” For the most part, however, raises can be divided into one of two categories. They’re either “call me” raises, or “go away” raises, with “call me” raises being the most common. The trick is figuring out what that raise is saying, which in turn will tell you how much you should respect it.

It begins with considering the source. What type of player is making this raise? How often have you seen this player bump up the pot before? Think of it as a broad spectrum, with maniacs at one extreme end, and ultra-conservative rocks at the other. Where does this particular opponent fall on the spectrum? If he raises frequently, then he belongs more towards the maniac side, and you know he has to be raising on some mediocre cards, at least sometimes. So his raise, in and of itself, tells you very little, and a raise from a true maniac tells you absolutely nothing aside from: “Wheee! Raising is fun!” At the other extreme, a raise from a player on the rock end of the spectrum, somebody who has been folding hand after hand for the past two hours, fairly screams to the whole table: “I have the nuts!” Naturally, most opponents will fall somewhere between these two polarities, and so you’ll have to gauge where they belong — a little bit towards this end, very close towards that end, or right smack in the middle — and decide how much respect to give them accordingly.

And needless to say you must also consider the position of the raiser very carefully. All else being equal, a raise from early position (including the blinds) should get much more respect than a “position raise” from the button. Which is not to say that the button can’t have a great hand. But for many players, a preflop raise from the button is de rigeur with any two decent cards — especially if no one has entered the pot yet.

Aside from the raiser’s fixed position in the betting order, you also need to consider the raiser’s position relative to the original bettor. This is especially important in multiway pots. If the raiser is to the immediate left of the original bettor, thus forcing other players to call two bets cold if they want to stay in, then this is likely a “go away” type of raise. The raiser wants a shorthanded pot. Furthermore, but if the original bettor is an obvious weak player and/or maniac, who then is raised by a player on his immediate left, this could be a standard “isolation raise,” designed to get the raiser heads up against the weakie/maniac. All in all, “go away” raises tend to be made by medium-to-large pocket pairs and big unsuited cards — hands that are more likely to win against fewer opponents. Isolation raises are often made by hands that are weaker than the average raising hand (since the raiser knows that the weakie/maniac is liable to hold a poor hand himself).

If the raiser is to the right of the original bettor in a multiway pot, that’s a different story. In this case, other players in the hand have already called for one bet, and so these same players are extremely likely to call again for one more bet. The raiser is aware of this (or should be). This is virtually always a “call me” raise. The one exception might be if the raiser has reason to believe that the original bettor will raise again to make it three bets, which will force the remaining players to call two bets cold. Aside from that one circumstance, a raiser who is sitting to the right of the original bettor is looking to get a lot of money in the pot. Generally, a preflop “call me” type of raise will mean a big pocket pair or big suited cards. Post-flop, it means “I still love my hand and I want your money,” which, unless the raiser is an idiot (entirely possible in most games), means that you need a very strong hand or strong draw to stay in.

A few other things to keep in mind: If there is an obvious draw on the flop (such as two to a flush) take note when a player raises from late position. That player just might be trying the “free card play” with a drawing hand. Also, raising on a bluff or semi-bluff is seldom seen in limit games. You should still consider it, especially if your raising opponent is extra-aggressive, or one of those guys who just loves to try and run over any woman in the game. But it’s rare. Raises on the turn almost always mean a very strong hand. Ditto for a check-raise on any round. But again, always consider the source. Watch and remember what the raiser shows down at the end. The more you do this, the easier it will become to figure out what your opponent’s raise is really saying.

This article originally appeared in Woman Poker Player Magazine print publication