Open size

How big you raise when you open the pot, as a multiple of the big blind; shorter stacks open smaller.

Last updated October 16, 2026

What it means: The open size is the amount you raise to when everyone before you has folded. The same hand can be opened for 2x, 2.2x, 2.5x or 3x, or shoved, and the right size changes with the stack depth, your seat and whether antes are in.
How it is calculated: The drill grades the size by a rule table, not a solver: SB at 0 to 15bb: All-in; SB at 16 to 40bb: 2.5x; SB at 41 to 100bb: 3x; UTG, MP, CO, BTN at 0 to 29bb: Min-raise (2x); UTG, MP, CO, BTN at 30 to 59bb: 2.2x; UTG, MP, CO, BTN at 60 to 100bb with antes: 2.2x; UTG, MP, CO, BTN at 60 to 100bb without antes: 2.5x. The first rule that matches the seat, the depth and the antes decides the answer.
Worked example: At 40bb on the cutoff with 0.125bb antes, the table says 2.2x: raise to 2.2bb. At 15bb from the small blind it says all-in, because a 2.5bb raise that folds to a re-shove gives up a sixth of the stack.
Why it matters: A smaller open risks less when you have to fold to a 3-bet or a re-shove, and with antes in it wins the pot just as often. These are rules of thumb: solvers mix sizes, and a good player adjusts them to the table.

Lessons that teach it: Opening with deep stacks, Opening at medium depth, Opening with short stacks · lessons other than the free one need an invite