I was wondering how you guys decide on how much to bet in certain situations - particularly when out of position.

If I connect with the flop in some way, I have a tendancy to just make pot sized bets. I'll do this if I want to take the pot down after flopping a good but fragile hand, and I'll do it if say I hit bottom pair on the board and the texture is good. This size of bet might sound aggressive, but it has the advantage that I always know where I am - I'd rather get reraised one hand in four than end up in a lot of pots, out of position, with one or two flat callers when I don't know if I have the best hand.

What information do you guys use when deciding how much to bet in a 'standard' situation (if such a thing exists)?

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For me, it depends on how many players remain for the flop. Heads up and in some cases 3-way, I like to be agressive and take charge.

But if you're playing against a whole group of calling stations then you may have everyone in for the flop and it's time to take it easy unless you have a big hand.