Using an ace on board to get your bet through

[Tosh]

Big stack villain is decent, got his stack from aces in a big pot. This hand is very much experimental. I am messing about with these barely above minimum raises with hands I'd like to play. I take the blinds a decent amount and I've built a little bit of a pot, with a hand that can flop big, when I get called. Plus when theres a lot of action behind I get out cheaply. On the flop he didn't seem keen to call, so I followed through.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t100 (8 handed)

saw flop|<font color="C00000">saw showdown</font>

UTG (t2630)
Hero (t2365)
MP1 (t2795)
MP2 (t2925)
CO (t2110)
Button (t6460)
SB (t1070)
BB (t2140)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
<font color="666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises to t225</font>, <font color="666666">3 folds</font>, Button calls t225, <font color="666666">2 folds</font>,

Flop: (t600) T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">Hero bets t300</font>, Button calls t300.

Turn: (t1200) 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">Hero bets t500</font>, Button folds.

Final Pot: t1700
<font color="green">Main Pot: t1200 (t1200), won by Hero.</font>
<font color="green">Pot 2: t500 (t500), returned to Hero.</font>

[MLG]

If you have a feel for a player, firing a second bullet is very very effective. It works beautifully against players who you know don't like to slow play flops.

[SossMan]

The problem with the min+ raise from EP with that type of hand is that it usually wants 0 or 3+ callers. If you are at a table where you can expect to routinely steal the blinds with a min+ bet from UTG+1, then it doesn't really matter what cards you hold. If you are at a table where you will expect 3+ callers, then I like the bet. Many time it will allow a player with a monster a chance to slow play you in a spot where you won't lose many chips w/out a flopped set. If you limp, I think a player behind you with JJ-AA is going to raise, but if you make this little raise, they may feel that it's a good time to slowplay.
Then the flop comes 6 high and the railbirds think you are the fish (ha!)
I think the flop bet/call requires you to fire again on the turn. I wouldn't fire again on the river, though.

[Tosh]

Although stealing the blinds is not the sole purpose, I have been surprised how much everyone folds.

[SossMan]

I think that could be because of the prolification of the "EP min raise w/ monsters" lately. I love players that do that, as it gives me plenty of implied odds to take their stack.

[Tosh]

What do you think overall about these raises with nice playable hands? Decent pairs, JTs and hands of similar potential. I've had some good results so far with the play, I think the advantages outweigh disadvantages with deep stacks.

[MLG]

I like the play, and use it (2.5 BB) pretty much whenever I'm first in after the first hour actually. Although at that point I'm generally not playing hands like J-10 suited from EP. I figure if I limp and I'm only up against 1 or 2 players I'm probably gonna fire out at the pot anyway, so why not both make the pot bigger, and give my flop bet some validity at a cheap price. I generally slow down after the flop though (although its player dependent). Playing this line will sometimes mean I bet out with a big hand on the flop and then check the turn, which really confuses a lot of opponents.


Sidenote: This play is super effective UTG late in tourneys as nobody wants to contes an UTG raise. Also, many times I've found if I limp UTG late in tourneys I get the button because it looks suspicious to everybody else, and I take it down with a flop bet (good for maybe once a tourney). Stealing UTG is not for the weak of heart.

[SossMan]

Well, if you don't see a difference as far as how often these raises get the blinds, then I'm all for it. If a min-raise would often steal the blinds, then that's what I would use. I think that, for me, the table would have to be pretty good (i.e. weak/tight) for me to be able to consistantly steal w/ 2x-2.25x early. I usually go with 3x early and lower it to 2.5x as the blinds get bigger.

Because you should be open raising very often, I think the benefits of the smaller open raise outweigh the risks. I would just realize that you are going to see a wider range of hands than you normally would...especially from the BB. That's okay too, though. Adjust, adjust, adjust.

[SossMan]

[ QUOTE ]
Although at that point I'm generally not playing hands like J-10 suited from EP.

[/ QUOTE ]

Uh oh...where are the weak tight police?? You won't limp at a passive table w/ JTs in EP with, say, 25x?

[durron597]

Why would you want to play a drawing hand out of position, SossMan?