Large PF Raise w/AJs in BB vs. 5 Limpers

[DavidC]

I'm playing Paradise $2 right now (.01/.02) blinds. My roll is about $57 and when I get to $75 I'll move to the NL $10 tables. My goal is to slug it out there until I've got $250 or so and then move to the NL $25 tables.

So, yes, these $2 tables are a little crazy, but I swear to god, they do fold sometimes (quite a bit of my profits come from bluffs)! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

------------------

Paradise NL $2 (0.01/0.02 blinds): 7 handed.

Stacks:
SB: ($1.44 in chips)
BB (Hero) ($0.84 in chips)
UTG: ($6.55 in chips)
UTG+1: ($2.41 in chips)
MP: ($2.15 in chips)
CO: ($1.92 in chips)
BUTTON: ($1.89 in chips)

Hero dealt AJs diamonds.

pf: limp, fold, everyone limps to sb, sb completes, hero raises to 0.25, everyone folds except sb, sb calls.

*** FLOP *** : [ Ac 2h 8h ]

sb checks, hero goes ai ($0.57), sb calls.

--------------

My PF raise was about 1/3 of my stack. I had decent cards but bad position, and I've got about 1/3 chance of hitting the flop.

With 1 caller, a 1/3 stack bet means that I'm only able to bet the pot on the flop, giving flush draws and straight draws correct odds to call me all-in river. I'm not sure that that's entirely good. Perhaps a 1/4 to 1/5 stack bet is better.

Once I hit the flop, I had no choice but to go all-in, based on my stack and the board.

Does anyone here disagree with the size of my pre-flop raise?

--Dave.

[creedofhubris]

AJ is not that good of a hand. If you start blasting away for 12BBs with stuff like that from the blinds in a bigger limit game, people will start laying traps for you and you will go broke.

The flop allin is fine, given your preflop action. in fact, you would probably want to move in on any flop.

Why are you playing shortstacked at a $2 buyin table? Refill.

[DavidC]

[ QUOTE ]
Why are you playing shortstacked at a $2 buyin table? Refill.

[/ QUOTE ]

I did already, I put $50 in there, and I already had about $15 or so... I'm waiting until I've got $75, maybe $100, before I move to the $10 tables. Once there I plan to slug it out til I hit $250 and then move up to "the big time": the NL $25 tables. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

I didn't have a whole whack of cash at the table... 48bb. The raise to 12.5 bb (because 0.25 is a nice even number to look at) was made because it approximated my chances of hitting the flop and because it had to be big against that many limpers. Again, my position was a factor. What I DIDN'T want to happen was be out of position with 41BB in my stack, top pair with a questionable kicker, or top pair jacks. It would seem unlikely that I could get my stack in on the flop and be called with less than two pair or trips, and if I can't get the stack in, I'm offering implied odds to a drawing hand.

Should the number of limpers actually have made me less willing to raise pf with that holding?

--Dave.

[mannika]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Why are you playing shortstacked at a $2 buyin table? Refill.

[/ QUOTE ]

I did already, I put $50 in there, and I already had about $15 or so...

[/ QUOTE ]

Dave, I think he was referring to your reasoning behind only having $0.84 at a $2 max buy-in table. If you can beat a game, then you should always have the maximum amount of money on the table at the same time, so that you can make money on your sets, etc.

As a general rule, I'll rebuy for max whenever my stack is below 80% of the max buy-in. Anything less would be uncivilized (random Charles Barkley quote).

[DavidC]

[ QUOTE ]

Dave, I think he was referring to your reasoning behind only having $0.84 at a $2 max buy-in table.

[/ QUOTE ]

Whoops. I believe you're right about that. /images/graemlins/blush.gif

... there was actually a time when I would top-up as soon as I paid the blinds... honest! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[ QUOTE ]

If you can beat a game, then you should always have the maximum amount of money on the table at the same time, so that you can make money on your sets, etc.


[/ QUOTE ]

In terms of maximizing EV, yes. However, there are things that you can do short-stacked that you simply can't do with a big stack (that is, bet 25% of your stack on AJs).

I wouldn't mind learning how to do that, so if I get booted down, I tend to look at it as a learning experience for how to deal with the short stack, rather than a hindrance to my hourly rate, especially at a $2 table!

Given the size of my stack, how do you feel about the 12xbb raise with AJs?