Q4s

An extremely loose/weak player limps in. It's folded to you on the button. Both blinds are slightly below average. Can you play Q4s profitably here?

also, why take the chance? if playing against opponents who will limp with hands that Q4s might beat, why not play "by the book" and beat em up for the rest of your career?


never give a sucker an even chance . . ..

You cannot play it profitably by limping. If you are going to play then you must raise. What you are hoping to do is to drive out the blinds and isolate the loose limper. A loose limper will have either two big cards (but not A-K or A-Q), two medium connecting cards, or a medium to small pair. With two big cards, he will only catch a flop he likes about a third of the time so most of the time he will check to you and you can simply bet him out of the hand. With a pocket pair, he will only flop a set about 12% of the time and most of the time overcards to his pocket pair will show up, so again you can probably bet him out of the hand. With a connecting cards, again he will usually fold if he doesn't catch a pair or a draw. You also have an outside chance of making a hand.


I would normally fold but if you feel you have good control over the limper and that you can get the blinds to fold, then raising is the right play if you are going to play.

I think dropping down to Q4s for isolation raises is going much too far. I would want two "big" cards such as QTo or A8o to make this kind of isolation play. The suited nature of the hand is negligible in a heads-up hand.


I would always fold.