When to lay down pre-flop???

[nightlyraver]

ok, se here is what happened...

I'm down to $11 at a $25NL table and get dealt QQ in UTG+1. UTG limps and I raise to $2.50. Everyone folds to the CO who cold calls and the small blind raises to $7.

Here is what we know about the SB - he is very aggressive and if he bets, it's never small. I'm not sure exactly how loose he is since he has pretty rarely gone to a showdown. Also, he pushed me out of a big pot where I flopped a set - and then started mocking me - and pushed me out of a couple small pots as well.

Here is the question - What should I do in this spot?

In the actuall hand I had Q's, but what about if I had AK, KK or JJ??? When should you laydown your premium holdings to a significant re-raise after a cold caller?

As is turned out, I decided that the chances were equal that he was holding AA,KK,JJ,AKs,AQs or maybe even KQs so I pushed in the last of my chips and busted out to AA.... [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[nightlyraver]

???

[Wayfare]

Push with all those holdings for $11.

But rebuy after every hand so you have all $25.

[ctide]

With half a buyin, I just shove. You don't have the money to play postflop, so I'd just get it all in w/ JJ on up. People will call you w/ weaker holdings when you're a short stack than they will if you have the full buyin.

On that note, the only time I ever have less than the full buyin is if I've lost the last hand and haven't had a chance to re up yet. Playing w/ less than the full buyin is very bad poker.

[Raiser]

Not to pile on with this point, but you really need to be playing with a full buy in at all times. Your #1 goal in big bet poker is to double up. Might as well double up with more money [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

As for when to lay down pre-flop in a "normal" situation when you have at least a full buy in. I think most people here would say that you can risk your whole stack with KK or AA and anything else is too little of a hand unless you have a good read on your opponents.

[schwza]

playing 6-max (not sure if this was 6-max, but that's what i know), i'd be happy to get all-in for 50 bb's with AK, AA-JJ against an unknown player. maybe TT as well.

[Raiser]

Great point schwza, and thanks.

I've been playing the 6-max tables lately and wondered how much I should lower my "all-in preflop" standards.