Call or Raise from SB w/many Limpers?

[TakeMeToTheRiver]

Seven-handed, fairly loose game. You have AJo in the SB. There are three limpers to you. You know that there is a very high probabilty that, if you raise, all three limpers will call (and at least 50/50 the BB also calls).

Do you always/sometimes/never raise here?

What hands do you raise with in the SB?

[brettbrettr]

I usu call here.

Call. I don't think AJo is that a strong a hand, even here. I'd also fold to a raise in this spot.

[W. Deranged]

I will very rarely raise here. While it is possible that you have the best hands and/or that the limpers will put in more money with worse hands, you have a real reverse-implied odds type of hand that may be frustrating to play out of position.

Another major reason I call here is to maintain what I call my "check-raise privileges." If I flop a J (and, sometimes, an A) I really want to be able to check-raise the flop in order to protect my hand, which often becomes significantly more difficult if I have raised pre-flop.

[crunchy1]

[ QUOTE ]
Another major reason I call here is to maintain what I call my "check-raise privileges." If I flop a J (and, sometimes, an A) I really want to be able to check-raise the flop in order to protect my hand, which often becomes significantly more difficult if I have raised pre-flop.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think it's a big mistake if you're regularly checking these flopped top-pair hands OOP in an effort to check/raise in a loose-passive game.

[W. Deranged]

I think a check-raise will very often be the correct play, given certain conditions. I would not try for a check-raise at a notably passive table, but if I can expect a bet from late position with some confidence the check-raise is often the correct play. The value gained by shutting out random Ks and Qs with a check-raise is often quite high, considering how often opponents will call with only one overcard on boards like this.

Betting out has its own problems here, as this is the kind of board where at an average/passive table you are less likely to get raised and hence may lose out on potential flop value.

Obviously there are many factors but I think TPTK with AJ out of the SB in a 4 or 5 way pot is about the best situation for a check-raise I can think of.

[brettbrettr]

I suspect Crunchy just wanted to make sure you were mixing it up.

[W. Deranged]

I try to mix it up as much as possible so long as my play can still qualify under the sub-heading "lagtastic."

[crunchy1]

[ QUOTE ]
I suspect Crunchy just wanted to make sure you were mixing it up.

[/ QUOTE ]
Actually I wasn't. I'm leading TPTK everytime in a loose/passive game regardless of whether or not a raised PF. Sfer mentions checkraising with a TPWK hand - I also like the checkraise with a middle-pair hand.

[sfer]

[ QUOTE ]
Obviously there are many factors but I think TPTK with AJ out of the SB in a 4 or 5 way pot is about the best situation for a check-raise I can think of.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not me. I'd bet every time. If I had J9s, I agree with your line.

Also, if the limpers were bad, I'd raise. Which means like 95% of the time I'd raise. I'm more inclined to check in the BB.