Mid pockets in early position

[Newt_Buggs]

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t50 (7 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

MP2 (t1240)
CO (t3030)
Button (t2525)
SB (t905)
BB (t780)
UTG (t625)
Hero (t895)

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with 8/images/graemlins/club.gif, 8/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, Hero?

[Bigwig]

I'd limp with this stack 100% of the time.

[bigt439]

Care to elaborate a bit? I'd drop it like it's hot. You can't call a raise, which usually happens at this level, and the only really good flop is undercards or a set, both of which don't happen very much. Even then you're not guaranteed a big pot. If you make it to post flop you're usually beat if you actually play a pot, except for the rare chance you flop a set against a second best hand. I'm interested to hear your logic.

[Bigwig]

[ QUOTE ]
Care to elaborate a bit? I'd drop it like it's hot. You can't call a raise, which usually happens at this level, and the only really good flop is undercards or a set, both of which don't happen very much. Even then you're not guaranteed a big pot. If you make it to post flop you're usually beat if you actually play a pot, except for the rare chance you flop a set against a second best hand. I'm interested to hear your logic.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, sometimes you won't get raised. And sometimes you can bet the texture of the flop and take it down without a contest. And sometimes it will fold to the blinds, which makes it easy to play postflop. And sometimes you'll flop a disguised straight draw. And sometimes I want to take a chance of hitting to build a stack.

[microbet]

88 seems very tricky to me here. I think I would feel very different about 77 (certainly 66) or 99 (certainly TT).

You have a couple of pretty large stacks acting after you. It's not rare, when you have this situation that one of those stacks will reraise with a HUGE range of hands. If this is true, I think limping and then pushing over their raise is a pretty good option here. You are not in great shape stack-wise and I think a 55% shot at doubling+, plus some FE is a good thing here. Of course if you aren't raised you can no-set-no-bet it. (unless all undercards flop)

If the table is passive, then limping for set value is probably worth it. If you hit the set, you should expect to win a big enough pot.

I don't think folding is a crime though.