Explanation of Back-raise
The most common application of back-raising is in a preflop squeeze scenario. Imagine the following in a 100bb effective cash game.
BTN raises to 3bb.
SB cold-calls.
BB squeezes to 12bb.
BTN folds.
SB back-raises to 25bb.
One reason why squeezing is effective for the BB is because SB rarely has anything strong. SB would have usually 3bet himself if he held a premium. If BB will get out of line with squeeze attempts, it’s possible for SB to smooth-call a premium preflop with the intention of back-raising against a squeeze.
Check out 10 Squeeze Play Techniques for Poker Beginners article.
Example of Backraise used in a sentence -> I wondered what exactly our opponent was representing with his preflop backraise against our squeeze.
How to Use Back-raise as Part of Your Poker Strategy
Back-raising is considered a deceptive line, since the back-raiser has an opportunity to raise earlier on the current street and yet opts not to.
Backraising is often used a trap against players who will raise over aggressively when they sense weakness.
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