Theory: Raising from the SB in 6max
 

Situation: Any 6max table.

Everyone has folded around to you, and you're sitting on the SB. Assume full stacks.

I was discussing this situation with a few people the other day; some favored stealing here a lot, while others would simply lay down and move on without a decent hand.

Personally, I don't particularly like to play big pots out of position without a good reason.

This is particularly significant in this situation because the raise from the SB always looks like a steal; you know that BB/villain knows this, so it's easy to piss away chips interpreting his aggression as resteal aggression. This is bad -- you either end up folding when you shouldn't, calling when you shouldn't, or playing a giant pot with a mediocre hand that happens to be best.. this time. This seems like a dangerous spot that could be avoided by folding your mediocre SB hands and forefeiting the 0.5 BB.

If you're loosening up to steal here, you're going to flop top pair with a vulnerable kicker... and what do you do?

When I'm the BB in this situation, I take the positional advantage and absolutely demolish players who raise too much from the SB. If I know they do this, I'll raise almost every flop.. giving me the upper hand IN position.

The best argument I can construct for raising often here is to allow you to get paid off with your strong hands... but I don't think this is worthwhile in most SSNL games.

What do you guys think? How often do you make a "steal" here? What are your PF raising standards in a blind battle?

Re: Theory: Raising from the SB in 6max
 

My default play is to just limp in and then bet most flops. I find this works much better than raising preflop out of the SB. If a flop comes like J-8-6 I will check/fold if I don't have any piece of it, but if the flop is relatively disconnected I will bet it 100% of the time. Raising out of the SB every time is very exploitable... you're risking too much with marginal hands for a minimal reward.

Re: Theory: Raising from the SB in 6max
 

[ QUOTE ]
My default play is to just limp in and then bet most flops. I find this works much better than raising preflop out of the SB. If a flop comes like J-8-6 I will check/fold if I don't have any piece of it, but if the flop is relatively disconnected I will bet it 100% of the time. Raising out of the SB every time is very exploitable... you're risking too much with marginal hands for a minimal reward.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is my general approach. I've started raising a bit more though with two high cards and decent pocket pairs. I never raise with weak aces though. If you are raising infrequently, your opponent will give you credit on flops of Axx so it's a classic case of winning a small pot or getting action from something that beats you. I'd rather raise QTs and bluff the Axx flops than to raise A3o and find that flop.

Re: Theory: Raising from the SB in 6max
 

you guys are giving away too many secrets.

but yeah, this is what I do too.

it only breaks down if you are playing against somebody who is very very aggressive in the BB. then it plays like blind defense against button steals.

to be honest, there is nothing I like better than somebody who raises the sb almost every time its limped to him in the sb and me in the bb.

Re: Theory: Raising from the SB in 6max
 

Open folding the small blind is an underrated option, IMO.

Re: Theory: Raising from the SB in 6max
 

A lot depends on who the blind is, but as soah brought up, Ace small and king-small hands generally stink to steal with. I'd much rather steal with 54 suited than A2o or whatever. Ultimately it comes down to how I feel about how I stack up against the blind and how good a read I have on him, etc.

Of course there are some multi-tabling nut peddlers whose blinds you can steal at will

Re: Theory: Raising from the SB in 6max
 

I've been thinking about this topic a lot lately too. My current approach is to mix up limping and raising 3-4 bb's. This may sound backwards, but I tend to raise speculative hands and pairs, and limp with broadways and Ax hands. My reasoning is that speculative hands make for more profitable semibluffs. And pocket pairs are good 2/3 times on the flop if BB calls with lots of unpaired high cards, so cont. bets work more often and your hand has showdown value if called. I like keeping the pot small with stuff like A5o or KTo and seeing a cheap flop.

Re: Theory: Raising from the SB in 6max
 

[ QUOTE ]

Of course there are some multi-tabling nits whose blinds you can steal at will

[/ QUOTE ]

FYP.

Re: Theory: Raising from the SB in 6max
 

I like to just complete here a lot against loose players, especially with hands that favours a small pot. This way I can keep the pot small and outplay them after the flop instead. Against tight players, I complete with pretty much all hands in this situation and bet on almost all flops, except those that look very unfavourable.

Of course, my raising standards are quite low here as well, but I think I'm raising more hands on the button first in than I do in the SB.

Dumle

Re: Theory: Raising from the SB in 6max
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
My default play is to just limp in and then bet most flops. I find this works much better than raising preflop out of the SB. If a flop comes like J-8-6 I will check/fold if I don't have any piece of it, but if the flop is relatively disconnected I will bet it 100% of the time. Raising out of the SB every time is very exploitable... you're risking too much with marginal hands for a minimal reward.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is my general approach. I've started raising a bit more though with two high cards and decent pocket pairs. I never raise with weak aces though. If you are raising infrequently, your opponent will give you credit on flops of Axx so it's a classic case of winning a small pot or getting action from something that beats you. I'd rather raise QTs and bluff the Axx flops than to raise A3o and find that flop.

[/ QUOTE ]

does this apply to CO and Button as well when limped to? I raise Arag often when limped to. I know that its not good when I'm called and an A hits, but I normally evaluate from there. should I limp instead and smooth call an A high flop??? that doesn't seem right, or should I raise and proceed with caution/ hope to showdown cheap or take it down? I know, it depends. Steal with any two on the button vs tight blinds and limp vs LP blinds, and mix folds and steals against tough opponents?