cferejohn
07-24-2003, 06:46 PM
I've seen this play in various forms, and I really hate it:
Variant 1: Player limps with AA/KK UTG, hoping to be raised. When they are raised, they *re-raise the minimum* (i.e. the amount of the initial bet).
Variant 2: Player is in late position with AA/KK. Some player to his right opens for a raise. Player *re-raises the minimum*
This is one of the biggest mistakes I see players make. In effect, they are saying "I have AA/KK, but here, take your best shot to draw out on me". When this is done to me, I almost always call (except *maybe* in variant #2 if I was on a pure steal). If I hit the flop big, I can usually bust them for all their chips. If I miss, or just hit top pair, its not too hard to get away (people who play like this will often check the flop too, giving me *another* card to suck out with).
What is amazing to me is that I don't think I've ever seen this play *not* be AA or KK (usually the former). If you want to smooth call your big pocket pair and try to break someone, great (and good luck, and no whining when they suck out), but effectively announcing what you are doing while giving them odds to suck out is mystifying.
Similarly, if you limp with AA/KK in order to entice a raise, for petes sake, make a big re-raise (or put them all-in) when you are a big favorite. That's whole point of the play. I can't remember where I read this, but somewhere someone wrote something like "your goal with AA or KK is to get all-in against another player before the flop." If someone gives you a chance to do that, for petes sake take it.
Anyway, just thought I'd lower my EV a tad bit more with a piece of unsolicited advice. Look for me making this play with 9Ts just to mess with you at a PokerStars table near you.
Comments/discussion welcome.
Variant 1: Player limps with AA/KK UTG, hoping to be raised. When they are raised, they *re-raise the minimum* (i.e. the amount of the initial bet).
Variant 2: Player is in late position with AA/KK. Some player to his right opens for a raise. Player *re-raises the minimum*
This is one of the biggest mistakes I see players make. In effect, they are saying "I have AA/KK, but here, take your best shot to draw out on me". When this is done to me, I almost always call (except *maybe* in variant #2 if I was on a pure steal). If I hit the flop big, I can usually bust them for all their chips. If I miss, or just hit top pair, its not too hard to get away (people who play like this will often check the flop too, giving me *another* card to suck out with).
What is amazing to me is that I don't think I've ever seen this play *not* be AA or KK (usually the former). If you want to smooth call your big pocket pair and try to break someone, great (and good luck, and no whining when they suck out), but effectively announcing what you are doing while giving them odds to suck out is mystifying.
Similarly, if you limp with AA/KK in order to entice a raise, for petes sake, make a big re-raise (or put them all-in) when you are a big favorite. That's whole point of the play. I can't remember where I read this, but somewhere someone wrote something like "your goal with AA or KK is to get all-in against another player before the flop." If someone gives you a chance to do that, for petes sake take it.
Anyway, just thought I'd lower my EV a tad bit more with a piece of unsolicited advice. Look for me making this play with 9Ts just to mess with you at a PokerStars table near you.
Comments/discussion welcome.