The ability to vary your bet-sizes creates an opportunity to obtain an edge that you can’t acquire in limit. One important concept in determining your bet sizing is keeping certain hands you want your opponent to call in your opponent’s calling ranges without hurting your over EV. But with some opponent’s in certain situations there is no need to consider an in-depth bet sizing equation. They’re either calling or they’re not, and size doesn’t matter. It’s called an inelastic situation where your opponent doesn’t differentiate between your bet sizing when determining whether to call.

Say you have AK and raised pre-flop indicating a big hand. On an A-A-4-6-K board, the effective stack size is 1-1/2 pot. You know you’re against a weak opponent who won’t lay down any Ace or better as he is more focused on the strength of his hand and indifferent to the size of the bet or the odds the pot is offering him. Go ahead and shove all-in and get the optimum value out of your hand.

Most situations are elastic; your opponent(s) will call differing sized bets with different hands. And computing what percentage they will call with which hands and calculating the best option is a complicated process. But recognizing situations that are inelastic and actualizing a big bet can have enormous value.
So when you’re contemplating what bet-size to make, think about if your opponent(s) are inelastic with a significant portion of their calling range.

And if they are… Stick it in!

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