[Derek132260]

Dear "Man"...

On these boards there are certain hands and specific plays that generate heated discussion, because there are many situations that arise that create very close decisions. I myself have posted two hands just in the last week where I've had people come down right about 50-50 on what the best decision was.

But playing 1/2 online poker and not raising AK is simply not even a close decision. I'm sorry to tell you you're simply misapplying the Sklansky analysis from HEPFAP. That book is written for playing in games where the median player is much better than the median 1/2 player. Even if you find yourself in the midst of a loose 10/20 game, it will almost never be as loose as a typical 1/2 game...and even if it is, it will almost never be with people with such poor postflop decision-making abilities. And EVEN in a loose 10/20, failing to raise AK in this situation is USUALLY a mistake. In 1/2, it is a clear mistake. Long-run, if you play even 10% of your AK hands in this manner, you will not make as much money from them as if you simply raised every time you were faced with a similar situation.

Every poster (most, if not all of them more experienced than me) has told you this. It is now simply down to whether you choose to accept the advice of 100% of respondents to your post or ignore that advice because of how you've (mis)applied Sklansky's loose games advice in HEPFAP.

That decision is entirely yours...and I do wish you good luck with it.

-Derek