On top of the reasons the previous posters mentioned, we can make monster raises in small games because our passive opponents call too much. It becomes a mistake when facing players capable of 3betting light or folding worse hands.

So really, it's not a function of the size of the game then, but of the capabilities of our opponents; if a 5/10 game has players just as bad as a standard 1/2, then we're raising as much as we're able to....correct?

*Grunch
Agreed 4x is optimal. I played at Turningstone in NY a couple months ago and no one, I mean NO ONE opened to more than 3x @2/5 and 5/10 when folded to them.

tighten your opening range and raise 100x

Is it worth worrying about rake/jackpots with your preflop raise. For example at a 1/2 house game I play at they pull 10% rake and $3 for a Bad Beat Jackpot at $10. So if you open raise to $6 on the button, SB Folds and BB Calls there is $13 in the pot but the cuts lower it down to $9 so effectively you only make $3 profit if you C-bet the flop and he folds. So is it better just to either just open raise a number like $12-15. If the same situation happened pot would be $25 with $5 being cut where you would in return see more profit($8).

I usually raise 4BB+1 in live 1/2 games, but recently began experimenting with 10BB as my opening raise. What value you lose in making a lot of inferior hands fold you gain when that one fish DOES call, and trust me, there is always someone at the table willing to call a 10BB preflop raise. Playing for a 20BB pot HU is still plenty value worthy vs playing a 20BB pot vs 5 players, however your decisions will be much easier, and you will get them pot committed much faster. This is the single fastest method to double up and building those monster stacks.

So far, blasting the pots with huge bets in fishy games really does seem to be a hugely EV move. The only downside is cbetting air and getting called anyway, but with a HU pot you're winning a lot more of those cbets so it's all gravy. When they do call, it doesnt matter, you'll c/f and then make most of it back on the next hand you raise 10BB's that you win.

I agree with your thinking when we are 100bbs or lower. But once you get above 150bbs+ your bound to go broke with over pairs. Its not worth it imo.

it all depends on your room

my room the standard is 12-15$

however i usually open from 10-15
only more than 15 if there are 6 limpers or more

my max open is to 20 if its a family pot and I have 1010+ or AK in the BB or SB
button in a family ill raise to 18

this kind of, i open with many many hands and i do it for only 5-6 bb usually