Forgive me for asking but limped to you in SB w/ AJo

[Maulik]

Party Poker 3/6 Hold'em (6 max, 6 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is SB with J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
UTG calls, MP calls, CO calls, Button calls.
Hero? raise or call?

Final Pot: 2.66 BB

I think I want extra money in this pot but I have no chance of winning it without position UI.

Many here will tell you to raise, but I've been taking the HEFAP line with this many limpers and just completing the SB and looking to c/r the flop. If I don't hit the flop, I get out cheap. If I do hit the flop, my check raise with either drive people out or crank a pot I'm well ahead in, depending on the location of the flop bettor. Going for the flop c/r also gives me a look at the entire flop betting round which gives me some idea of where my pair really stands before I have to commit more chips.

I only do this though with multiple limpers. If it's one or two limpers to me in the SB, I raise nearly every time. With lots of limpers, the texture of the flop means a tremendous amount and I'd rather limit the pot size preflop with a hand like AJ.

AKo I'd always raise, AQo almost always. AJs I'd definitely raise as the suited part helps the hand work well with multiple limpers.

Can't say as I'm playing optimally, but it's in my comfort zone playing this way.

[Entity]

I complete.

[sethypooh21]

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I complete.

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Does this answer change based on the blind structure? At a normal 1/2 blind, Completing is clearly best (using the HEPFAP line), but something just feels icky about completing with 1/3 blinds, and I find my self raising, hoping to at least fold the BB (which happens never with him getting 11-1 of course...)

[meow_meow]

What happened to getting the money in with the best hand?

I don't see a downside to raising here. I don't buy that you are giving opponents better odds to peel one on the flop (obviously you are, but it doesn't make any difference to the vast majority of the opposition at this level).

Raising here gets more money into the pot than does cr'ing the flop if you hit. It stands at least a chance of dropping the BB as well.

What if you miss the flop completely? I've got no problem with check-folding the flop here, but a check by the pf raiser often gets checked around by opponents wary of the monster.

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I complete.

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I find my self raising, hoping to at least fold the BB (which happens never with him getting 11-1 of course...)

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I think you answered your own question there [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]. Regardless of blind structure, a raise is just going to sweeten a pot and encourage people to draw out if you hit your overcards. It'll also tie you to the pot with a weak draw on the flop when you miss, costing you more chips to draw to what might very well end up 2nd best hand (top pair with this many players is pretty weak).

[Trix]

I raise.

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I think I want extra money in this pot but I have no chance of winning it without position UI.

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You dont have to win it every time..

[kidcolin]

It's close, but not really because of the pot sweetening effect many think. With a premium hand you have to raise, becuase your edge is significant. But your preflop equity with a hand like this isn't THAT big. You don't even necessarily have the best hand (a lot of weak tight guys will limp with AQ or AJ after 2 or more limpers), they'll be a pair out there already, and you probably have a couple counterfited cards. You're out of position the rest of the hand. And you have no post-flop fold equity. You have to play near-flawlessly post-flop to be able to take advantage of your preflop equity share.

In position after a limper or two, your raise sets you up to take down the pot unimproved. With AJo, you migth raise a guy with pocket 6s or A5, but you still take the pot down on a K Q 5 board with the worst hand.

So if you can play masterfully post flop, push that edge. Otherwise, just completing can make the hand easier to play the rest of the way and take advantage of some post-flop mistakes.

[Victor]

i complete although i dont think raising is too bad and is proly +ev. fwiw, i raise aq 100% here so that shows how close it seems to be.

[Piz0wn0reD!!!!!!]

easy raise. You will have the most pot equity preflop enough of the time to warrent a raise.