Calculator
Pot Limit Bet Calculator
How much can you actually bet? Enter the pot and what you have to call for the maximum pot-limit raise, the minimum legal raise, and the arithmetic behind both — plus why a pot-sized open in PLO is 3.5 big blinds.
The spot
Preflop opens
What you can do
Why 400: call 100 first and the pot becomes 300. A pot-limit raise is at most the pot you are then looking at, so the most you can put in is 100 + 300 = 400.
The dealer's shortcut gets there faster: three times the 100 you are calling, plus the 100 that was already in the middle.
The rule in one line
Maximum pot-limit raise = twice the call + the pot. Count the pot as everything already in the middle, the bets in front of you included. That single line covers every case — a bet you are calling, a bet plus three callers, a raise you are re-raising — which is why it is worth learning instead of the version that only works heads-up.
Guide
How to work out the maximum bet in pot limit
Pot limit is the only betting structure where the legal maximum takes arithmetic, and the arithmetic trips up players and dealers alike. There is one line worth memorising and one shortcut worth knowing.
Twice the call, plus the pot
A pot-limit raise is the amount you need to call, plus the size of the pot after that call. Written out that way it needs two steps, so collapse it:
Maximum raise to = 2 × (amount to call) + (everything already in the middle)
"Everything already in the middle" includes the bet you are calling and any callers behind it. That version works in every situation, which the more famous shortcut does not.
The dealer's shortcut
Dealers count it as three times the bet, plus the rest of the pot. That is the same number whenever the bet you are calling is the only one in front of you — triple the bet covers your call, the bet itself and your raise of that much — and it goes wrong the moment somebody has called in between, because those chips belong in "the rest of the pot" too. If you use the shortcut, count the callers.
Worked examples
| Spot | Pot | To call | Min raise to | Max raise to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLO open, 0.5/1 | 1.5 | 1 | 2 | 3.5 |
| Pot-sized 3-bet after a 3.5 open | 5 | 3.5 | 7 | 12 |
| Pot bet into a 100 pot | 100 | — | 0 | 100 |
| Facing a 100 bet into a 100 pot | 200 | 100 | 200 | 400 |
| Bet 10, one caller, 50 already in | 70 | 10 | 20 | 90 |
The third row is the one people forget: with no bet in front of you, a pot-sized bet is simply the pot. Nothing is doubled, because there is nothing to call.
Why a pot-sized open in PLO is 3.5 big blinds
Before the flop the blinds are already a bet. At 0.5/1 the pot is 1.5, calling the big blind costs 1, so the pot after your call is 2.5 and the most you can make it is 1 + 2.5 = 3.5. It is 3.5 big blinds at every level, which is why PLO players say "pot" and everyone knows what it means:
| Blinds | Pot preflop | Min open | Pot open |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.05/0.1 | 0.15 | 0.2 | 0.35 |
| 0.5/1 | 1.5 | 2 | 3.5 |
| 1/2 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 2/5 | 7 | 10 | 17 |
| 5/10 | 15 | 20 | 35 |
Antes and a straddle change it, and this is where home games get it wrong: every ante is part of the pot, so a 0.1 ante from six players adds 0.6 to the pot and 0.6 to the maximum open. Enter them above and the number moves with them.
The minimum raise, in both structures
A raise has to be at least the size of the previous bet or raise. Facing a bet of 10 the minimum raise is to 20; facing a bet of 10 that was raised to 30, the last raise was 20, so the minimum is to 50 — not 60, which is the mistake. This is identical in pot limit and no limit, and it is the rule behind the other question the table argues about:
- An all-in for less than a full raise does not reopen the betting. If the short stack shoves for 45 over a bet of 30 when the last raise was 20, they have raised by 15 — not enough. Players who already acted may call the extra 15 or fold; they cannot raise again.
- You can always go all-in. A stack too small for the minimum raise can still put it all in; it just does not reopen anything.
- There is no cap on raises in no-limit or pot-limit. Capped raises are a fixed-limit rule, and even there the cap comes off once the pot is heads-up.
Once you know the size, the question is whether to bet it
A pot-sized bet lays your opponent 2-to-1, so they need a third of the pot in equity to call. The pot odds calculator turns any size into the equity it demands, the PLO equity calculator tells you what your four cards actually have against theirs, and the SPR calculator shows what the stacks let you do on later streets. If the bet gets called and somebody is all-in for less, the side pot calculator splits it, and the rulings behind a disputed bet are in poker rulings.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate the maximum bet in pot limit?›
Take the amount you have to call, double it, and add everything already in the middle including the bets in front of you. That total is the most you can raise to. The two-step version is the same thing: call first, look at the pot, and the size of that pot is the biggest raise you may make on top of the call.
Why is a pot-sized raise in PLO 3.5 big blinds?›
Before the flop the blinds are already in the pot. At 0.5/1 the pot is 1.5, calling costs 1, so the pot after your call is 2.5 and the maximum total is 1 + 2.5 = 3.5. The ratio is the same at every level, so a pot open is always 3.5 big blinds — until antes or a straddle add chips, which push it higher.
What is the dealer's shortcut for a pot bet?›
Three times the bet you are calling, plus the rest of the pot. It gives the right answer when the bet you face is the only one in front of you. If someone has already called that bet, their chips count in "the rest of the pot", and forgetting them is the most common pot-limit misdeal of a bet.
What is the minimum raise in poker?›
At least the size of the previous bet or raise. Facing a bet of 10, the minimum raise is to 20. Facing a bet of 10 that was raised to 30, the last raise was 20, so the minimum is to 50. This is the same in no limit and pot limit, and a player can always go all-in for less than the minimum.
Does an all-in for less than a full raise reopen the betting?›
No. If the all-in raises by less than the size of the last bet or raise, players who have already acted may call the difference or fold, but they may not raise again. If it is a full raise or more, the betting is reopened as normal.
How many times can you raise in a betting round?›
In no limit and pot limit there is no cap: players can keep raising until someone is all-in. Raise caps — usually three or four — belong to fixed-limit games, and even there the cap is removed once only two players are left in the hand.
Can you bet more than the pot in pot limit?›
No, and this is the one place the structure is strict: a bet or raise above the pot-limit maximum is not legal, and the dealer will cut it back to the maximum. If your stack is smaller than the maximum you can only go all-in, which is always allowed.
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