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View Full Version : Raising for value Pre-flop?


09-03-2005, 02:59 PM
A leak in my game is raising preflop with hands like KTs or QJs or even AJ or AT, WHEN I am on the Button or in the Blinds and a lot of people have limped in.

Example: 3/6 live limit. I am in the SB with KTs and there are 5-6 limpers in before me and NO raise. I should raise here right?

I'm thinking I should. I have a hard time pulling the trigger though and when the flop hits A /images/graemlins/spade.gif6 /images/graemlins/heart.gif4 /images/graemlins/club.gif, I get reinforced for wimping out and less likely to pull the trigger again.

Any recommendations for typical 3/6 live on when to raise for value preflop from the button, SB, and BB?

I easily raise premium hands but I don't raise the less than premium hands when I could get some more value out of them.

LLL

synbad13
09-03-2005, 03:06 PM
You are raising for one of two reasons, to build a pot so that when you hit a draw/big hand you will get paid off. The other reason is to drive players out of the pot.

With a lot of players in the pot, on the button I would raise QJs (maybe 75% of the time), K10s a little less of the time. The thing is that if you flop top pair, you may not be best so must learn to get away from the hand.

I would also raise Ajo from the button because you probablly have the best ace given the action. I would not raise A10, I may even learn towards folding it with a lot of players in the pot.

In the blinds, you don't have position so you must be more cautious. I would normally just complete with weak suited broadway cards (K10s, Q10s), raise some % of the time with suited connecting broadway cards. I would also compete with Aj and A10, oop there's no point in pumping a pot- thus giving gutshots odds to draw out on you if you do hit top pair.