Late position pre-flop question

[Hellrazor]

If you sit down at a .5/1 game online where you have chosen a "looser" game based upon % to see flop, would you re-raise an mid position raiser on the flop with AQo in late position?

Assume it's too early to get a good read on the initial raiser but they are showing a relatively short stack.

I'm a little confused on what to do here.. I think there are two main options - raise or fold. My gut says raise - wrong?

[tj00]

The player could be loose, but be a tight raiser. This is a common player type at low limits. My default play is to fold. If I find the raiser to be a loose raiser, then I 3 bet.

[johnb]

I assume you mean would you raise before the flop with Ace-Queen offsuit. The answer is usually no. If I have seen this player get out of hand with his raises, like the player in Shreveport Saturday who was raising with any suited ace, king, or queen, I might re-raise.

[Hellrazor]

Hmm... what hands would you re-raise with in the CO position with say an EP raiser and one MP caller?

Group 1 only? (AA, KK, QQ, JJ AKs)?

[lil']

You are correct that it is raise or fold time.

Since you have no read, look at the table conditions. Did MP open raise or did he raise after people limped? A raise after other players have entered the pot is usually a very good hand. An open raise is sometimes not as strong, although this depends on the player.

BTW, I'm sorry the Raiders suck this year. /images/graemlins/grin.gif What the hell happned to them? Seems like teams who lose Super Bowls often have a hard time rebounding.

[Hellrazor]

It was an open raise. After reviewing the rest of the hands this guy has raised with (after this hand in question was played) it seems like I made the right play by re-raising. Most of the table were very loose passive, but he was loose aggressive - but always backed down when re-raised.

I'm just trying to draw on the greater experience of this forum with your standard everyday play at default in this type of situation. (trying to avoid an early sucess on a play that is usually a mistake from becoming a bad habit)

And yes, I too am very sorry the Raiders fell to the bottom of the pit this year. I could say they were demoralized by the humiliating super bowl loss (I was sooo close on my pre-season bet for them to win it all....), or that the injuries to their sole deep threat (Jerry Porter) combined with injuries to the whole offensive line, and the aging of Brown, Rice, Rod Woodson, Gannon is just catching up.... but losers make excuses, winners smile say "NH" and remember the fish always payback in the long run. (Wait am I talking in pokerspeak again?) /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[BigEndian]

If there's a number of callers coming along, I think the play is to just call. If there's only one or two callers coming along, re-raise is in order.

- Groove

[johnb]

Razor:
I hate to come across as replying to every question with it depends. As I move into my 2nd 300 hours of holdem, one of the things that I am doing is to try and move away from the concept of rigid starting hand selections. I am trying to tailor a strategy based on the texture of the game and what reads I have on individual opponents.

I am going to answer your question with an assumption that I know nothing of the two players involved and have just sat down in the game. I would re-raise the hands you listed and possibly would also re-raise with 10-10, and A-K offsuit. I make a general assumption when someone I have no read on makes a play that they are a player of average knowledge and skill. I would assume that an average player would not raise from EP without a strong hand. My raise would serve to define his hand. A re-raise by him allows me to narrow the range of hands he has considerably and I would play forward with caution holding Q-Q, J-J, 10-10, or any A-K. A call by him gives me an opportunity to formulate how I will proceed with my holding given the flop. If the mp calls my raise and his re-raise also, I can begin to put him on a somewhat stronger hand than many players would normally call with.

Someone might say that I am making a lot of assumptions. However, with no read I think you have to do this.
jb