My first post - please advise with this hand

[jcm4ccc]

I disagree with those who say he should have raised more preflop. I don't think the point was to make the UTG fold (at these levels, they never fold once they have raised). The point was to make the other five people following fold, so that you have UTG heads up.

Let's say you raised it to 300, and UTG goes all-in. Now you probably have to call because you are pot committed, while hoping that you are facing AK, rather than QQ, KK, or AA.

Or let's say you raise it to 300, and UTG calls. Now you have a pot with 630 chips, and you only have 700 chips in your pile. Now suppose the flop comes Queen high or King high. Because you made the pot so big, there are now only two ways to play it: all-in or check/fold.

By keeping the pot at a manageable level, you have more options pre-flop (you could fold to an all-in, if you wanted to) and on the flop. It's easier to win it if an overcard hits, or to get away from the hand if that's want you want to do (though I don't think he should have gotten away from this hand--he should have called the all-in). You have an opportunity to outplay your opponent with a hand that might be second-best.