Folded to you on the button - what adjustments to make?

[dfscott]

In my 2/4 game yesterday, I had the entire (previously fairly loose) table fold to me on the button. I auto-raised with QQ, and the blinds folded. Not a terrible result, but not what I would hope for out of QQ.

It got me thinking about what adjustments might need to be made when it's folded to you in LP, particularly the button. I already throw away mid- to small suited connectors and small pairs, and raise up middle pairs, but other than that, I don't adjust my play much for being first in. I'm curious what other adjustments people make.

(I apologize if this has already been discussed -- I did a search but got overwhelmed since "limp", "LP", and "folded" get a lot of hits, as one might imagine.)

[Fnord]

I'm raising any hand found on a reasonable starting hands chart and perhaps a couple more. I've made a lot of BBs between steals and silly over-aggressive blind defenses.

[ElSapo]

I think the raising-list only expands one way, essentially. The more the blinds will fold, the more you should raise. However, I'm not limping with anything on the button if it's folded to me, AA or not. Because yes, while sometime the blinds fold and you think, "well, I wish I had made more with my aces," plenty of times someone will three-bet you with JTs or 33 because you're also stealing with other hands.

Playing agressively, consistently, is good deception in a lot of ways.

Now, if you find that the blinds will fold as much as half the time in this spot, I think you can raise with anything playable. You have to remember, sometimes they'll fold and sometimes they'll call and you'll make a hand.

ElSapo

[Fnord]

Also consider how often the big blind will call with junk, then fold to a flop bet on a miss, or you can take a free cards via position to make a hand, or how often you'll hit a hand in position, etc, etc.

Most Party 2/4 players defend their blinds horribly, one way or another. At worst, raising a wide range of hands here can't be a big leak.