Low Limit Pre-flop raising

[Mr_robot]

I just finished reading Slansky and Malmuths section on loose games. It suggests limping and not raising pre-flop with some of your better hands. The explanation was pretty convincing. I am thinking of only raising only with AA, KK, and AKs and doing this only about 50% of the time I have these cards. What do you think? Does this seem like a pretty sound strategy in really loose games?

[Edge34]

Hey Mr. Robot,

They've definitely got a very good point. There's a reason they call these games "no fold 'em hold 'em" in a lot of cases. Value betting means nothing most of the time, so raising should be kept to only your best hands, mostly group 1 and occasionally group 2 in my experience. Of course, you can't do this all the time, to keep from being too predictable, but its definitely a start.

-Edge

[slavic]

There is merit to keeping the pot small to help others make mistakes, but please also note that raising these hands helps you win them. So in EP they need to be raised IMHO and anytime your opening you should raise them. Now with AA you have a special case if the game is loose aggressive to limp reraise with them but in general raise, reraise, raise again, and pop it a few more times, ect..

[danish69]

Value betting means exactly what it is - a bet for value. So I think you should raise for value especially in No fold´em games, where you are not able to scare people out of the pot, in the same manner you are in higher limit games. When you have the best of it going into the pot, make value bets. In the long run you will also have the best of it going out of the pot.
Be aware of post-flop play though. You should be able to fold your AKs, AQs, if the flop misses you totally.

[Mike Gallo]

I am thinking of only raising only with AA, KK, and AKs and doing this only about 50% of the time I have these cards. What do you think?

I think its a bad decision. If people feel compelled to calling your raises with inferior hands then make them pay.

See the chapter on raising in the Theory of Poker.

[ScottTheFish]

I read that too, but I can't make myself do it. When most of the time I have mental midgets 3-betting my KK with KTo or 99, it would make me physically ill to limp with a group 1 hand...except maybe to limp-reraise.

[Webster]

It's something I do AT TIMES but not all the time. Once again people have to take what he is saying and apply it on a table to table basis.

Poker is an art and what works at one table is wrong at another.

Sometimes I raise and and it will scare people - but if they are not scaring then I revert to limping. However - then if you DO get a good hand and want to win it RIGHT NOW - nobody believes you and you get sucked up.

As with all books and new strategies, keep it in your brain and apply it when you think it will work, BUT, not all the time.

[bernie]

id add a few more hands to raise with. but watch for something. if you start getting too much respect preflop, and you might, lower your standards.

however, in LP, you can really use a preflop raise for many, many free cards if the right players are in. the good thing about raising many hands here is that many wont necesarily see it as positional. they'll just see you raising. which, if your standards are wider (which they should be) it will help get/keep action up on your EP high pair raises. this is even more effective if you're with players who only raise with the big 3 or 4. they'll assume you have those hands.

i love it when i raise pre from LP with a suited connector and the reaction of some of the players if i show it down. their reaction can really tell you how far their game is developed. "You raised with that!?!"

b

[Mike Haven]

If you raise with good cards going in, and others don't, in effect you are playing 3-6 with your best cards and only 2-4 with your more gambley look-sees. Long term, this must be good for you, whatever they are calling your raises with.

[FredJones888]

"however, in LP, you can really use a preflop raise for many, many free cards if the right players are in"

In my experience so far the "right players" are almost never in since most of the players are either loose aggressives or loose passives(will call anything).

All raising does is make for a bit larger pot if you win, which of course is good. Raising in these games does not effect your probability of winning any particular pot because not enough people fold. The exception to this is if you get a re-raise behind you which will usually knock out a couple people, but then you probably have competition.

[bernie]

the loose passives are the 'right' players. they'll let you draw very cheaply.

b