Limping with AA/KK in EP: Always, sometimes, never?

[The Lobster]

If I'm UTG with KK or AA I almost always try to limp/raise it. Sometimes they do get cracked this way... anybody can flop a low 2 pair and crack those A's/K's but you'll also win monster hands that wouldn't otherwise be played. Last night I unsuccessfully tried to limp/raise AA but got 5 more limpers instead. This is exactly the situation I don't want to be in, but luckily the flop came down A J J. I flopped the second nuts and won a big hand against somebody who had a J. If I raise from UTG I maybe get one caller if I'm lucky (who doesn't get involved post-flop with a board like that) or I take down the blinds.

The only caveat is that you HAVE to be able to release them post-flop if you're going to play like this. I just don't think that an UTG raise with AA/KK is a good way to take advantage of the hand in the long run. If nobody else at the table is gonna raise it for you then they're unlikely to call your raise.

[iceman5]

I limp AA and KK in EP almosr every single time. Ive done it enough to know that it is much more profitable than raising.

I dont have PT on this computer so I cant quote exact stats but believe me, my win rate when limping is signifcantly higher than when I raise.

As long as you can lay it donw to significant pressure especially from a blind when the pot is unraised, then its a very profitable play. I win alot of pretty good sized pots from people with AJ on Jxx flops...or KQ on Qxx flops etc. Alot of those people would fold AJ and KQ to a raise.

[nathan_hicks]

I also limp AA KK almost every time. The only time I wont is when I am sitting at a table with no pf raising.