Bet Sizing and Calling Ranges – Elastic and Inelastic

Getting the best value out of your hands means optimizing your bet sizing. Having a good sense of what sizes and which hands will make your opponent make a mistake will go a long way in calculating your highest EV.

An important concept to consider is elasticity. Most bet sizing equations can be compartmentalized into “elastic” or “inelastic” calling ranges.

Elastic Call Range

Elastic calling ranges are opponent ranges where the size of the bet will dictate which hands your opponent will call the bet with. For example, an opponent will call a quarter-pot bet with any pair, but a three-quarters-pot bet will only be called by him with top pair or better.

When faced with an elastic situation, you should estimate as best you can your opponent's calling range for different bet sizes, estimate the EV of each of those bet sizes, and compute which of those sizes produces the highest EV.

It is important to consider the entire range of hands for each bet size, not just the drawing hands. Many players choose their bet sizes solely to lock out drawing hands and to prevent low-value hands from calling. However, sometimes low-value and drawing hands can produce a higher EV at smaller bets than bets that are designed to eliminate those hands entirely.

Example – TOP SET on the flop on a draw-heavy board

For example, if you flop a top set on a Jh Th 8s board, betting a large enough amount to scare off your opponent's entire drawing range will also scare off hands that often only have one or two draws left in the deck. Oftentimes, the positive EV received from calling the hand with two outs can offset the negative EV of calling the drawing hands.

While other considerations are necessary, in general, the largest amount that the hand with few outs will call should be the size of your bet. This bet will both attract the hands with little or no outs and reduce the price of the positive EV that your opponents receive from their draws.

Inelastic call range

An inelastic calling range occurs when your opponent’s calling range is generally unaffected by the size of your bets. This usually means that your opponent has a strong hand, but it can also apply to players who call a lot of bets, or calling stations. Some players will call literally any bet, of any size, just to see if their draws will hit on the turn or river. More often than not, they are holding very weak hands.

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Furthermore, the concept makes sense when you are bluffing. If your opponent is in a situation where he will either call or not, regardless of the size of the bet, you can increase your value bets and decrease your bluff bets.

For example, let's say you're first to act with JsJc on an AhAcJh8s3d board. Your only opponent in the hand is a calling station who called the flop and turn. Both of your effective stacks are 1.5 times the size of the pot. You assume that your opponent will fold any draw he misses but will never fold an Ace or better.

In this case, betting the entire stack is the best play. You will get much more value out of his strong hands and eliminate some hands that would only call weak bets, if any. However, if you hold 5h4d in the same situation and want him to fold a draw that he missed, a small bet will do the trick.

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Conclusion – Elastic and Inelastic Bets

When faced with a bet sizing decision, think about how the situation will play out. Is your opponent elastic or inelastic? Many players have a psychological hard time folding a strong hand no matter what, just as many players can't resist a bet. Think about your plays with this in mind, along with everything you've learned about bet sizing (or should have learned!), and always look for the best bet size for each situation.

This way, you will greatly improve your EV in these situations.

Article translated and adapted from the original: Cooke's Corner: Elastic and Inelastic Bet Sizing