Is Limping UTG w/ AA Bad?

Many players will say "always raise AA" and I tend to go along with that. However, there are times when you need to vary your game.

I've done the same thing at bet365 since it seems like almost all PF rounds are raised and many times it will fold around to the BB with an open raise. Besides, you need to get enough in the pot for the hand to be raked to count towards your bonus, so this is one way to do it.

If you have that good of a feel for the game, then do it, but remember, you could end up giving a free chance for the BB to outdraw you.

[TomBrooks]

No.

If everyone tends to fold to raise, lower your raising standards and limp with AA, KK and maybe AKs if your're feeling lucky. If your premiums get raised, reraise.

Stealing the blinds is worth .75BB. AA averages about 2.7BB/hand and KK about 2.4. Winning .75BB with them is suboptimal.

It also doesn't hurt to mix up your game a little.

[Guthrie]

Conventional wisdom says it's bad, I agree, and I'm nearly always brutalized for slowplaying, but recently I've been so successful in stealing blinds from UTG that I decided to take a flyer here. Sometimes the magic works, and it never hurts to vary your game.

PokerStars 1/2 Hold'em (9 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

Preflop: Hero is UTG with A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
Hero calls, <font color="#666666">5 folds</font>, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: (3 SB) 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
SB checks, BB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, MP2 folds, SB folds, <font color="#CC3333">BB raises</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero 3-bets</font>, BB calls.

Turn: (4.50 BB) 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">BB bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises</font>, BB calls.

River: (8.50 BB) J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
BB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, BB calls.

Final Pot: 10.50 BB

Results in white below: <font color="#FFFFFF">
BB has 9h Ks (two pair, kings and fours).
Hero has Ac Ad (two pair, aces and fours).
MP3 doesn't show.
Outcome: Hero wins 10.50 BB. </font>