An AA hypothetical that doesn't involve folding

[adanthar]

Semi inspired by a hand I just played:

You are at a tight SNG with 9 or 10 people left in level 4. A 2+2'er limps UTG for the first time in the 5000 hands you have on him. You are in LP and put him on exactly two red aces, which isn't as great a read as you'd think because you have the black ones.

If there are a couple of limpers and/or there are no limpers, how do you maximize your EV on this hand?

[tomdemaine]

Play it like you're colluding in a limit game, minraise and minraise. Try to bring the other players along for as long as possible eventually getting all in PF then river a flush /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[suited_ace]

It depends if you can limp as well without raising any flags. If you can, hope for a drawy flop and the post-flop play is almost as playing against yourself.

[McBandit]

All of this depends on how many chips you and him have. If he is limping with less than 1000 chips, I would say he is pot-committed heads-up no matter how scary the board is. If there are no limpers, I smoothcall and hope for a really scary board. If he is a tight player, it might be possible to blow him off the hand if the board gets scary enough by the turn. Pushing on the flop is unlikely to get him out I would think.

If there are limpers, I think I would min raise. He would likely either push (which is fine -- we chop up the dead money with no risk), or better, he min-reraises as people often do with AA. Then the limpers have the opportunity to call another 200 chips before you push preflop.

I can see an argument for smoothcalling with several limpers to make it easier to blow buddy off the pot on the flop, but I would prefer to just share the dead money with UTG without the limpers getting to the flop (or for their whole stack if they do) The dead money would be 300+ at lvl 4, which is not small.

McBandiy/Daddys_Visa

[Phoenix1010]

[ QUOTE ]
Play it like you're colluding in a limit game, minraise and minraise. Try to bring the other players along for as long as possible eventually getting all in PF then river a flush /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

You could minraise, but unless you really are colluding, you're not getting a minreraise out of a good UTG with other limpers involved. Min raising still has the best chance of bringing in between limpers in along for the ride.

With no limpers, I'd flat limp, and then wake up really strong on the flop to represent a set, or whatever is scary about the flop. Actually, I might flat call a flop bet and then raise all-in on the turn, to show more strength, depending on stack sizes.

[microbet]

1) He limps, a couple of other players limp, you modestly raise, he pushes, limpers fold, you call. Split the limper money, and are you sure he doesn't have KK? Ok, yes, then split the limp money.

2) No one limps? Call, hope the board gets scary and you can push him off aces.