Raising preflop

[MargieX]

Dear all!

With which other hands do you continue playing, when you are raised preflop, in addition to AA,KK,QQ,JJ,1010,99,AK,AQ,AJ,A10 (the last ones both suited and offsuit)?

MargieX

[pudley4]

Who is raising - a tight or loose player? A passive or aggressive player?

Am I in a blind or do I have position on the raiser?

Have I already limped or raised? Or am I still yet to act?

How many other people have already limped, called, raised, folded?

Is the game loose or tight? Passive or aggressive?

[Ed Miller]

If you have limped for one bet, it is raised behind you, and it is back to you for one more bet, you call with any hand.

[davidross]

There are so many variables here it is difficult to answer. If I believe the raise is legitimate and I suspect we may be heads up, I will 3-bet the QQ, JJ, TT most of the time (To make sure we are heads up). I am tempted to cold call AA and KK for deception. I will probably call with 77-99 too. I will play AK s and AKo and fold the other Aces, suited or not. If I thought we would get more callers then I will play AQs and AJs too.

[MargieX]

OK

I always folded if I didn't have the cards mentioned in my first mail in this case. Do you think that's a serious mistake?`

MargieX

[pudley4]

So you are saying that if you limped in, then someone behind you raised, you would fold everything except the hands you listed above???

Major mistake.

If your hand is good enough to limp in with then it's good enough to call 1 more bet when there is significantly more money in the pot. There are very few exceptions to this.

If you mean someone raised before you had a chance to act, then I'd remove ATo, AJo and maybe AQo from that list.

[Ed Miller]

Again, if you limp, then someone raises, and it comes back to you for one more bet, call with any hand. Folding regularly is a serious mistake.

If you limp, someone raises, then someone reraises (so it is two more bets back to you), then you will be folding a lot of your hands. Generally fold small/medium suited connectors and generally call with pairs. Other hands will need some judgement of the raising standards of the raisers, but hands like KJo should almost certainly be folded in this situation.

If you have yet to act and it is raised in front of you, then you need to play very tightly.

[MargieX]

Thank you very much. This information was very worthwhile for me. Why doesn't it stand anywhere in the books or does it?

Regards MargieX

[Ed Miller]

I believe there is a sentence in HPFAP that says this somewhere... I seem to remember reading it.

[bad beetz]

suppose you limp UTG with 44 in a super loose table expecting 9 callers. Then UTG +1, a megatight old lady who only raises big pocket pairs raises, it is folded back to you. I would fold for one bet having limped.

[Ed Miller]

suppose you limp UTG with 44 in a super loose table expecting 9 callers. Then UTG +1, a megatight old lady who only raises big pocket pairs raises, it is folded back to you. I would fold for one bet having limped.

You would? Given that you a) know her holding (basically) and b) will likely collect at least one bet on every street when you flop your set... I think it's worth seeing the flop for one more bet. It's certainly close.

[MargieX]

Thank you pudley, too.
I knew something was wrong with my preflop play. Fortunately the second thing you told me I did right already, only difference was I cold-called a raise with A10/AJO only in late position and did call on every position with AJ/A10 s.

[SoBeDude]

The only thing I'd add is you *MUST* get a read on the raiser.

I just spent an hour playing against a true maniac. I think my first time ever.

This guy was nuts, raises and re-raises with a naked ace, and almost any two suited cards. he'll even cap it when I or someone 3-bet.

I've also 3 times seen him go to the river 3 times with ace high, betting all the way.

In this type of situation, you have to really adjust your raising AND calling standards.

There were several at the table who adjusted to him as well and loosed up appropriately.

-Scott

[bad beetz]

fine, replace 44 with 89s and now we're playing 1-2-4-8 spread limit.