[Ed Miller]

Again its just my estimates vs Eds (im sure most would go with ed over a nobody) but raising A7s in this situation is a mistake, KQs KJs and a few suited connectors are all better off.

This is the way I draw lines at hands like A8s. I say, "Well, ATs is an easy raise, and A7s is probably not a raise. So how about A9s and A8s? Well, they are close, but my guess is that raising is usually somewhat better."

I don't claim to be able to nail down a number, and if someone came with COMPELLING data (from a sim or real data) that suggested that I was wrong, then I'd simply accept that my estimate was wrong.

What I do claim is that, if raising A8s is an error, it's most certainly not a big one. So if you follow my guidelines for limping/raising, you will usually make the correct choice, and furthermore, when you do make an error, it will almost always be a pretty small one.

That is good enough for 99+% of all poker players. Remember, I'm trying to teach people to beat loose games. To do that, learning postflop play and concepts is WAY more important than deciding whether raising A8s on the button with three limpers makes you five cents or costs you five cents. So I intentionally deemphasize debates like this one. I think it gets people thinking about the wrong things as far as improving their play is concerned.