open completing in the SB

[imported_The Vibesman]

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Regardless of what cards you're holding?

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The phrase "open-complete" simply refers to the betting action, the cards have nothing to do with it. I would say it's usually wrong to open-complete with 88, not so easy to say w/ 86s.

[Henke]

If BB would always call your pf raise, but fold 50% on the flop, you're risking 2.5 to win 2.5 if you raise, and you risk 1.5 to win 1.5 if you don't but always bet the flop.

For completing to be more +EV than raising, your opponent would need to adjust and call more on the flop, which often isn't the case.

[MrWookie47]

Raising any two in the BB when the SB open completes is usually a mistake. I am writing up a fairly lengthy post about this. Sure, if you have a good hand, raise it up, but if you have a pretty marginal or terrible one, you're encouraging the SB to make fewer mistakes (or less costly ones).

[Rev. Good Will]

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You obviously haven't played much stars .25/.5...

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word, preach it brother

it happens more often than you think during the day at most sites too

my vote was yes because of the key word usually. Its largely dependent on my cards, and and my read. I lay down crap hands because generally the value isnt there. If I play em I like to be aggressive, needless to say, there are a few but only a very few where i like open limp here.

[MrWookie47]

The most common mistake people make playing poker is calling too much with marginal or poor hands, and our default play should be to exploit that tendancy, not play into it. Bloating the pot with a crap hand plays into this tendancy rather than exploiting it.

[TeeVeeDude]

In my very humble (and quite possibly wrong) opinion, it's always wrong to open-complete in the small blind. Yes, regardless of what cards you are holding.

If you have a decent hand, even a speculative one, then raise. Give the Big Blind a chance to fold. If he calls bet the flop no matter what it is.

If you have a crap hand then fold. But calling is just a bad idea here.

[Henke]

I will await your post anxiously, but until then I beg to differ. The only reason I see for not raising someone just completing the SB is if they are passive callingstations (against whom I have no FE, but would pay me off if I hit).

Even if they call too much, it usually isn't enough heads up...

[MrWookie47]

Here's a thought. The guys who open complete in the SB tend to be passive calling stations.

[arsixsixwy]

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As a side note, if a SB open limps when I have the BB, I will raise any two.

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I like this line as well, but particularly in no-limit hold 'em tournaments. In fact, I've taken to raising any late-position open-limper in tournaments. Usually something like 4xBB -- an amount that's probably more than they feel like paying for their junk hand. I throw out a pot-sized (sometimes half-pot, if I feel like the players are particularly averse to calling) bet at any flop, provided the SB doesn't dig his hand sufficiently.

Not that this is a tournament forum.