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[QUOTE="Four Dogs, post: 341145, member: 2668"]
"The gap theory states that a better hand is required to call than to raise."

While I agree with what your saying Bill, I'm not sure that's exactly what the Gap Concept says. Sklankys exact quote in [u]Inside Tournament Poker for Advanced Players[/u]  is [i]"...you need a better hand to play against someone who has already opened the betting than you would need to open yourself." [/i] If the pot has been raised ahead of you, your starting hand requirements need to be greater due to the implied strenth of your opponents hand. He goes on to say that the gap grows or shrinks depending apon how loose or agressive the raiser is. Very tight = huge gap, very loose = small gap or no gap.
Why is this? Weighed against the playing style of your opponent, his bet can be used to assess his strength. When opening the pot you can be fairly sure that nobody before you has a stronger hand. If the pot has been raised ahead of you, some doubt has been introduced as to the relative strength of your own hand and therefore you must be more certain of it's potential to enter, whether you raise or just call. Even though position has little to do with the Gap Concept, it certainly is part of your decision making process. In late position in an unopend pot, you can be very certain that your raising hand is relatively strong.
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