Do you raise her preflop?

[brizzypare]

$30 sng, no reads

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t100 (8 handed) converter

UTG (t1350)
UTG+1 (t985)
MP1 (t750)
MP2 (t835)
Hero (t1150)
Button (t505)
SB (t1805)
BB (t620)

Preflop: Hero is CO with A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">4 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t300</font>

Good play?

[citanul]

I'd like to think that I raise here, so yeah. However, a strong case can be made for pushing, instead of 300 raising. You're pot committed to calling either of hte small stacks if they push, but the big stack in there might either play back at you or call you with marginal hands that you don't especially want ot play the flop with. So I generally, if I want to raise there, want to try to get heads up with one short stacked all in player.

My problem here is that since the players are short stacked, they are likely to play back at you with many aces, any pair, and some other junk, none of which is your hand far ahead of, and if you lose the hand, you'll be short. That brief ramble means "I hate trying to steal from/through short stacks." But I think it's a necessary evil.

citanul

[SNOWBALL138]

The problem here is the SB. He has a big stack, and might be inclined to call you with some strange cards. Pushing is better than raising to 300, but really I think maybe the best option is betting enough to truly pot commit the BB while driving out the SB, and allowing yourself to room to fold if the SB puts to all in. I think betting 450 here would be good. If you get played with by the SB, you'll still have t600, which isn't bad.