[Derek in NYC]

I generally wont try stealing from the SB against a thinking player with suited cheese. The positional advantage that the button confers can only be overcome through relentless aggression. I think this adds too much variance and not enough EV.

Raising from the SB has value in two ways. (1) You stand a chance of winning immediately. or (2) You stand a chance of winning on a bluff later based on your preflop raise. Against a thinking player, however, I'm not sure how much equity you gain either way by raising preflop.