strategy again!

what to do with large pairs under the gun...do you raise normally to show strength, do you raise a little to induce a healthy pot or just call to see if someone in position raises to reraise? what is the best way to play them?

How large is your definition of a large pair?

What you do here is dependent on your opponents. Remember that your goal for playing these large pairs is to get the action as shorthanded as possible, preferably heads up. If you can expect a raise after you call from a particularly aggressive player, then re-raise after she raises and push out the rest of your opponents. If you are in a more passive game, raise more than the typical raise in order to ensure a single caller. The only "healthy" pot is one that joins your stack.

EDIT: My response above was based on a NL game. In a limit game, I see no reason not to raise. Nobody will put you on a big pair if you raise (unless you are supertight), but you may as well turn your cards face up when you call/reraise.

[DemonDeac]

it depends

[Drunken Monkey]

In no limit anywhere between 2-5 times the BB is good. The more vulnerable your pair is to overcards the more I would raise.

In limit I would raise everytime unless I am sure that a high percentage of players are actualling paying attention.

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it depends

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LOL classic poker response.

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In limit I would raise everytime unless I am sure that a high percentage of players are actualling paying attention.

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I'm not sure why you would avoid raising if a lot of your opponents are paying attention?

[OrangeKing]

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What you do here is dependent on your opponents. Remember that your goal for playing these large pairs is to get the action as shorthanded as possible, preferably heads up.

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With AA or KK (and really any large pair), I'm happy having a huge equity advantage with 5 other people in the pot. Your goal isn't to win as many pots as possible, but to win as much money as possible.

Not that you're wrong about raising; you still want to. But your reasoning is somewhat faulty. When you have the best hand, you're perfectly happy to have people along for the ride, as long as they make the mistake of calling your large raise.

Edit: Of course, we're not particularly sad when people decide to fold, either, but it's not our primary goal (that would be getting our money into the pot with the best of it, and being paid off).

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What you do here is dependent on your opponents. Remember that your goal for playing these large pairs is to get the action as shorthanded as possible, preferably heads up.

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With AA or KK (and really any large pair), I'm happy having a huge equity advantage with 5 other people in the pot. Your goal isn't to win as many pots as possible, but to win as much money as possible.

Not that you're wrong about raising; you still want to. But your reasoning is somewhat faulty. When you have the best hand, you're perfectly happy to have people along for the ride, as long as they make the mistake of calling your large raise.

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When it comes to AA or KK, you will (in most cases) either win a small pot or lose a big one. One pair isn't an incredibly strong hand, and in NL games (and even FL games), one pair is generally not good enough to win. It's not a monster and I never want to "slowplay" it preflop by trying to build a "healthy" pot that I probably won't win.

[ChipLeader]

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With AA or KK (and really any large pair), I'm happy having a huge equity advantage with 5 other people in the pot. Your goal isn't to win as many pots as possible, but to win as much money as possible.

Not that you're wrong about raising; you still want to. But your reasoning is somewhat faulty. When you have the best hand, you're perfectly happy to have people along for the ride, as long as they make the mistake of calling your large raise.

Edit: Of course, we're not particularly sad when people decide to fold, either, but it's not our primary goal (that would be getting our money into the pot with the best of it, and being paid off).

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I highlighted some things from your thread that make your reasoning "somewhat faulty." I agree with whoever said you want this thinned down to heads up, 2 callers max. The reason is because the more callers you get the less likely the aces are to hold.

You say you want to get your money in with the best of it but you also say you dont mind 5 callers. With 5 callers you no longer have the best of it. You will have the highest odds to win the hand of the 5, but you will not be favored overall.

Unless we mean a ring game. In a ring game where survival is not your main goal but rather pot odds, i can see an argument for wanting many people in the hand.

In all cases however, there will be very few times when you know your aces are no good and while the pot odds are still good for you, the implied odds are much higher for your opponents. If the flop comes K93, you are probably going all the way with it. Anyone with 99, 33, or a slowplayed KK is gonna bust you .

The answer to the original post is of course it depends. As my rule of thumb i ALWAYS raise at a full handed table EXCEPT from UTG and sometimes UTG + 1. From these two positions i will only not raise when the table has been preflop betting over 80% of the hands and the blinds are still low. When the blinds get high there are people getting desperate and its much easier to get your overbets called. In any event, you want to bet an amount that isnt giving everyone odds (pot or implied) to call and outflop you. You can't try and bait unless youre sure you arent the one being trapped.

[KenProspero]

High pair UTG I assume AA or KK

If it's a loose game and I'm 99% sure that someone will raise, I'd just call, then reraise when it comes around to me. However, I can't remember the last time I was in such a game.

Otherwise, I'd throw in my standard 2x-5x bb.