The UTG steal raise

[somapopper]

I usually play 5/10, but I feel this is more a mid stakes concept.

If a game has tightened up, and for whatever reason I still think it's a good game to sit in, I will often take the HPFAP play of occasionally raising a hand like 87s from UTG so I can setup my legit UTG raises.

However, I prefer to raise with a hand like this when I have had the chance to raise UTG in a legit fashion recently, and would like to play two hands like this in two succesive rounds if I can.

My thinking is that I would like to get into an observant players notes, and definately make an impression if I don't get a chance to showdown when I'm raising light. Since I'm rarely making this play, I want good but not great players to conclude that I could be doing this kind of thing all the time, and I want to be sure they notice.

The downside of course is that if I do this a three times in a row, my play on the third hand is obviously more negative EV than if I was doing this in a more random fashion.

Also, I prefer making this play with mid sized suited connectors rather than mid sized pocket pairs, because raising UTG with midsized pocket pairs has become more standard, so I don't think I'm gaining as much in loose calls for my legit hands, plus I don't like giving up the multi-way EV of a smallish pocket pair if I believe I can limp in without being raised.

At any rate, would love to hear others thoughts on all this.

I wouldnt raise cheese like 87s I'd prefer to loosen up and raise stuff like JTs QTs QJs KJs and play a bit more aggressively from MP.

I think Ciaffone says it in MLH or IYP that raising stuff like 87s UTG doesnt work too well because most times you arent going to be able to take it to showdown.