What Is the Minimum Raise in Poker?

September 17, 2026

What is the minimum raise in poker?

In no-limit and pot-limit poker, the minimum raise must add at least the size of the largest previous full bet or raise on that betting round. Work with the extra amount added—not simply double the total in front of the last player.

If the bet is £10 and somebody raises to £25, they have raised by £15. The next legal raise is therefore to at least £40: call the £25, then add a £15 raise.

The quickest way to calculate a minimum raise

Find the current total bet.
Subtract the previous total bet.
That difference is the last raise size.
Add that raise size to the current total.

In shorthand:

Minimum new total = current total + last full raise size.

This rule resets on each betting street. The pre-flop action does not set the minimum raise on the flop, and the flop action does not follow you onto the turn like an unpaid bill.

Pre-flop example in a £1/£2 cash game

The big blind is £2, so the opening minimum raise is to £4: the player calls the £2 blind and raises by another £2.

Now suppose a player opens to £6. The increase from £2 to £6 is £4, so the next player must raise by at least £4. Their minimum re-raise is therefore £10 total, not £12.

If somebody then re-raises from £10 to £25, the new raise size is £15. The next minimum becomes £40 total.

This is the detail that causes most confusion. A minimum re-raise does not automatically double the latest total. It repeats the largest full increase made on that street.

A live straddle changes the amount already in play before the cards are dealt. Our guide to what a poker straddle does explains why you should confirm the effective blind and action order before calculating your raise.

Post-flop example

On the flop, Player A bets £5. That opening bet sets a £5 minimum raise, so Player B can raise to at least £10 total.

Instead, Player B raises to £13. That is an £8 raise over the £5 bet. Player C must therefore raise by at least £8, making the minimum £21 total.

Player C does not need to make it £26. Doubling the total would be legal, but it is not the minimum.

Does the big blind always set the minimum?

Pre-flop, the big blind is the opening full bet in an ordinary blind structure. With £1/£2 blinds, the first voluntary raise must normally increase the £2 bet by at least £2.

Post-flop, the minimum opening bet is usually one big blind in no-limit hold’em. Once somebody makes a larger legal bet or raise, that action sets the relevant increment for the rest of that street.

Antes do not replace the big blind as the minimum bet. They put money in the pot, but they are not the opening wager a player must call.

What happens if somebody raises too little?

Do not negotiate it across the table. Stop the action and let the dealer or floor rule.

Under the current Poker TDA rules, a player who puts in at least 50% of the required raise without first declaring a different action must complete a full minimum raise. If the extra amount is below 50%, it is normally treated as a call unless the player declared “raise” first or is all-in.

That 50% standard helps the floor interpret an unclear amount. It does not mean half a raise is a legal raise.

Cash-game procedures and local gaming rules can differ, particularly when chips were already in front of the player. The universal practical answer is simple: pause and ask the dealer before more people act.

Does a short all-in count as a full raise?

Not necessarily. A player may move all-in for more than the call but less than the minimum full raise because they do not have enough chips to complete it. Their wager is allowed, but the short increase may not reopen betting for players who have already acted.

Example: the bet is £10 and a legal minimum raise would be to £20. A player is all-in for £16. The £6 increase is short of a full £10 raise.

A player who has not yet acted may still fold, call £16 or make a legal raise.
A player who already acted may be limited to calling or folding if the action has not been reopened.

Multiple short all-ins can cumulatively amount to a full raise and reopen action under tournament standards, which is exactly the sort of sentence that should make you call the floor rather than conduct arithmetic by committee.

Minimum raise, minimum bet and min-click are different

A minimum bet is the smallest opening bet when nobody has bet on that street.

A minimum raise is the smallest legal increase once a bet exists.

A min-click is player slang for making the minimum raise, especially online. It describes the sizing chosen, not a separate rule.

Small legal raises can be strategically useful, but legality and quality are different questions. The dealer can confirm whether £40 is permitted. The dealer is not there to confirm whether £40 is clever.

How to make the raise unambiguous live

Say “raise” before moving chips, then state the total amount: “Raise to forty.” After that, put the chips out in one clear motion.

“Raise forty” can be misunderstood as forty more rather than forty total. A silent oversized chip may be ruled a call. Returning to your stack for a second handful can create a string-bet ruling.

Clear words are cheaper than a floor decision.

When house rules matter

The core calculation is widely used in no-limit and pot-limit games, but the room controls its game. Limit poker has fixed betting increments and often a cap on raises. Short all-ins, multiple-chip actions and unusual blind structures can also create venue-specific rulings.

Watch the action, state your total and ask before releasing chips if you are unsure. If somebody acts before your amount is clear, our guide to acting out of turn explains why the order of events matters.