25-50 live: QQ hand in small blind - preflop play?

[jdock99]

I just read a post a couple minutes ago about a player who said he limped in behind 3-4 limpers with QQ and he was thoroughly lambasted by the newsgroup for this play. However, it did remind me of a hand I played a couple months ago I was hoping to get some feedback on.

I was in live 25-50 game in Los Angeles. It was one of those special games which you only find in Los Angeles, normally in the mid limit games in the smaller card rooms late at night. I had QQ in small blind and the entire table limped in. I then raised in small blind and entire table including big blind called. I ended up winning the hand on a 4 5 6 8 9 board where I was the second or third overcall on the river and a nice $1000 pot. However, one of the other players in the game, who I know to be a good winning player, said I shouldn't have raised in small blind against the whole table with QQ. He is a little more conservative then me so he probably wouldn't have made that play, but I have a feeling he was more upset with my raise because it messed up the odds he was getting with whatever junk he was trying to limp in with. I was just wondering if any of you thought that the raise in the small blind against the entire field was an ok play, or whether I should wait and go for checkraise on flop with favorable board to thin the field (which prolly wouldn't have worked in this game anyways just cause it was one of those special games). My philosophy on the matter is that if I am in what I feel to be in a marginal situation that could go either way (in a live game) I will normally take the most aggressive approach, because it isn't costing me anything and it is good for my table image and the game in general. (BTW, this isn't the sunday morning oldtimers 3-6 game where players start grumbling if you have the audacity to raise preflop. In these games the loosesy gooseys love raised pots and flock to them like moths to the flame.)

Also, assuming you would make this play, what is minimum pair that you would raise pre-flop in this situation? For me it is probably QQ/JJ depending one how I am doing in the game and my mood at the time.

[partygirluk]

I don't think this situation is marginal. The reason why the good player was angered by your raise is the same reason you should raise.

[Bob Moss]

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I had QQ in small blind and the entire table limped in.

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what is minimum pair that you would raise pre-flop in this situation?

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Deuces.

Bob

[CaliStyle]

Depends on how solid the players are. I might not raise with T's from the blinds or nines when a lot of people limp in, but Q,Q is a must, you got to raise and make people pay. Raise and get maximum value with this hand everytime and don't smooth call a raise make it three bets preflop and then play it aggressive on the flop.

[B1GF1SHY]

I'll be the only one to disagree with the other posters. I think it was wrong to raise preflop after the entire table limped because nobody is going to fold. You're just building a pot that you're going to lose the majority of the time (unless you hit the ideal board - set). On top of that you're giving everyone great odds to chase anything they want after the flop also. It would probably be best to call in the SB then go for a check-raise on the flop to try and knock as many people out as possible. With that many limpers and in the SB I don't raise any high pocket pairs.

[budman]

I think your pre-flop raise was proper. You were building the pot, not trying to limit the field.

As to minimum raising requirements in this situation, I probably would not raise with a smaller pair than queens.

[IndianOcean]

QQ in Full limit game. Raise it like a monnkey.

Next hand plz

[ggbman]

Not raising here would be terrible at best.

[JasonP530]

You must raise preflop, as you can get 4 or so big bets in the pot now, when you have the best hand. I would seriously consider doing something to move people out of the pot though. Raising preflop, making the pot 20 bets and leading the flop and the turn isnt going to cut it.

[hockey1]

POT EQUITY.

If the whole table limps then a raise with any pair isn't too incorrect just for the set value alone. If it's something like 4 limpers rather than 9, I'd consider not raising with 99 or less, maybe TT, depending on the opponents.