AK limp re-raise

[icecreamwillie]

The game is a 2/3 blind with an extra 2$ blind on the button. (a 4$ rake). I have AK off in middle position and limp after two limpers ahead of me.

All folds until the small blind makes it $20 to go. At this point I have played with the SB about an hour and although he is aggressive, this is the first raise I have seen out of the blinds. He has me covered with about $500. I have a little less than $200. To my surprise the two limpers ahead of me call.

The $40 from the two callers ahead of me make me decide to try to take down the pot right there. I went all in.

My thinking was that SB would probably lay down all pocket pairs below JJ and any suited high cards lower than AQ. In essence this is a semi-bluff hoping to change a 50% win into a 100% win. I thought that the $40 from the two limpers would make up for the times I was way behind AA or KK.

If I had a bigger stack, or there hadn't been the two limpers I could just call or possibly even fold this drawing hand. But since the pot was now almost 30% of my stack a good size raise seemed best. A pot size raise, would leave me with only about $120 so the all-in raise seemed best to me at the time.

Of course the SB had KK and I lost the pot, but I am curious as to what others think of this play.

[zaxx19]

Id read you for 10-10 AK or AQs....

Id push QQ KK AA instantly and JJ might get mucked. 200 into a swollen pot...is gonna make it a hard muck for anyone with AA KK QQ or JJ...IMHO

[icecreamwillie]

That's an interesting read. The player next to me guessed 10,10 before I flipped my cards. I usually will limp re-raise only with AA, KK, or AK.

I agree that AA, KK and QQ would push. I think JJ is the dividing line. AK suited might also call. When I was called, I was pretty sure I was behind. Maybe that makes it a bad play.

[SoCalPat]

What turns this from a push to a call is the two limpers calling the raise. One, if not both, are likely to have Ax of some sort, thereby eliminating some of your outs in the event you're called -- and if you are, you're waaaaa-aaaaaay behind.

You're in even more trouble if there's another AK out there, and you're best-case scenario is that you're drawing to six outs to chop. So even if you're up against QQ, it's far from a coin-flip situation.

Heads-up, it's an entirely different story. I've got to believe that more of my outs are available. But I'm not going to risk my stack here on a limp-reraise steal attempt. Call the raise and see what the flop brings.