Raise with AA?

[squiffy]

Let's say you are playing a limit ring game with 10 players, 9 other opponents, plus YOU.

You have AA and raise. Clearly you have the best pre-flop hand. Clearly, the more opponents you face, the worse your chances of winning the pot.

So, as has been discussed a million times, if you raise, you MAY thin out the field a bit. And some people may fold to your raise, increasing your chances of winning the pot.

But the raise also puts more money into the pot. So if you are playing microlimits and even if all 9 opponents stay in, you are increasing the amount of money you will win, when you do win the pot.

What is the OPTIMAL number of opponents you would prefer to face, that is how many opponents would you want to call the raise? Let's assume no one re-raises.

In other words, if you play 10 million hands against random opponents with random hands, would you make the most money if 9 people call, or 8 people or 7 people.

I ask because in another thread players are arguing about whether you raise to thin the field or to win more money. I really don't see it as an either or thing. It seems to me that you raise with the best hand because you will win more money in the long run, but that the fact that some people may drop out is ok, because it increases your chances of winning the pot.

Is the optimal number of opponents something less than having all 9 call?

[Bozeman]

With AA, definitely 9. You are raising to build the pot, not to isolate.