[PoorLawyer]

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Let's say you raise with (AA) J, your opponent with (xx) Q re-raises you, is it more profitable to immediately re-raise and basically give your hand away (kings or aces), or smooth call and play the hand deceptively.

This situation arises quite often, and needs clarification. I believe against a decent player, you are giving too much information away by re-raising. If you make an open pair, he will be apt to fold and if an Ace or King hits he'll be very careful.

On the flip side, against a bad player, you might as well re-raise here. First of all, he probably won't even think you have a bigger pair in the hole, and certainly won't fold when you hit an open pair or hit trips. I think taking the value immediately is probably best.

But this can all change if you are the type of player to re-raise here with (J A) J. Now your better opponent can not be sure if you have a bigger pair, or simply an overcard kicker. Now they will be forced to pay you off when you make an open pair, but will still be afraid when an ace or king hits.

This is another reason why you should really play hands like (A 6)6, because against the better players you will get more value out of your pocket pairs. This is obviously more important at the higher limits, but can be useful at lower limits too.

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I would definitely reraise if there is a 3rd hand in between that you can get more money out of. Heads up I might wait until 5th if I think I will be able to get a bigger raise in then the raise on 3rd. Also if things get ugly I can release the hand easier.