I have all but given up raising preflop.

[wyrd]

I can't stand this anymore, and I am getting very frustrated. I play $5 SNG (it's what my bankroll allows), and raising almost seems pointless. All it does is create a bloated pot on the flop which prevents a continuation bet (too many people in the pot, plus it'd cost me virtually half my chip stack), and to defend the pot against a draw I'd basically have to go all-in assuming I hit my hand.

A raise in a 10 handed game typically goes something like this;

- Few limpers.
- I raise 6x BB (4x BB if no limpers).
- One caller.
- Blinds call.
- Limpers call.
- Pot insanely huge.

If I know I'm going to get called, what's the point of raising? Typically you'd want to raise for these reasons;

- Knock out drawing hands (suited cards or connectors).
- Get money in with the better hand.
- Show aggression.

I can't knock out drawing hands. I can get money in with the better hand, but my % of winning is low with so many players in the pot compared to if I narrowed the field. And aggression... well, I can't continue to show aggression on the flop against so many players. Someone was bound to hit something, and it'd cost me a large portion of my stack to make that continuation bet.

Please help me. Thank you. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[PoBoy321]

This thread shouuld be moved to a the STT forum, but in short, raise fewer hands pre-flop and play tighter.

[wyrd]

I play MTT, so I posted here. Sorry if it's the wrong forums. This isn't really an issue for me in STT because people get knocked out and the table tends to tighten up as it gets closer to pay out. However MTT it can be a long time before we even get to that point.

EDIT:
BTW how tight are you talking? Raise AA, KK, AK only? I generally play tight to begin with and only raise with AA-TT, AK-AJ, depending on position.

[PoBoy321]

If you're playing in games this loose, you should probably only raise big pairs, possibly limp big face cards and play to get paid off post-flop. You could also consider raising more pre-flop in the early stages to at least try to knock out more players.

I agree, play tighter, your good hands will be paid off.

Try limping with speculative hands in late position. If you flop a monster then you should be paid off very well in loose games.

Really the idea is picking a spot and going all the way with it in games like that. The idea is wait until you have a made hand and move in rather than raising with drawing hands like AJ-AK and making continuation bets. Pocket pairs go up in value while hands like AK and AQ go down.

[PoBoy321]

My only disagreement with you is that AK-AJ aren't necessarily drawing hands. In many situations, they can win UI. The key is recognizing those situations.

[locutus2002]

play Bugsysclub.

you get 200XBB for your $5. The play is pretty conservative. Bugsysclub is a great site for low limit small field play.

Against a bunch of callers like that AK is usually drawing to beat maybe at least a small pocket pair. Regardless, its not something I feel comfortable pushing with in those types of games.

In multiway pots like that you need to be careful about AK, I've had AK in games like that and the flop comes A62 and someone with A6 busts me.

You really either gotta pick a good spot to really push hard or to hope to limp in with hands and pick up a monster..all really depends on the blind and ante structure of the game rather than the players.

[betgo]

I would go ahead and raise with good hands. If you get a bunch of callers, a bloated pot is good. You just have to realize that the 4 other players in the hand have a chance at the pot too, even if they didn't have the best starting hand. You will get paid off well when you hit. If you raise with AK or AQ and don't make a pair, you should usually be done with the hand. Similarly, if you raise with 99-KK, you don't make a set, and overcards hit, you usually don't want to put much more in

If people are calling you with inferior hands, you have the edge. You have a greater edge than if you were getting one or no callers. However, it is still not that huge an edge, and you have to play correctly postflop to exploit it.

[bawcerelli]

to OP, the answer is simple. raise more. raise 10xBB or 14xBB. I'm not joking. you'll get just 1 or 2 callers. problem solved.