QQ UTG: How the hell do you play this?

[cero_z]

Hi craze9,

OK, Loci's post was a little acidic, but someone behind you having AA or KK when you pick up QQ in EP is not something you should spend much time worrying about.

Raising about 3-4 X the BB should be the default, IMO, because you should be open-raising with lots of hands for that amount, AA and KK included. I suspect that your real problem is that you don't raise pre-flop frequently enough, and thus your hand is easily defined. 6 X the BB seems like too much, although it's on the edge, if there's already one limper. That said, games tend to establish precedents for a "standard raise," and I haven't played in the Stars games for a while. If 60 bucks is standard, then by all means do it.

If you are open-raising from EP to 30 bucks with QQ, 44, JTs, and some other hands, what will happen is that people will start to play back at you pre-flop, which is the best way to win money with big pairs in NL. Also, when the flop comes J-rag-rag, they may give you a little play with a good J, since they can't be sure where you're at.