question concerning big pocket pairs in late posistion

[Alobar]

In a typical game when you are in the CO or on the button and it is folded around to you and you hold KK or QQ or even AA and your pretty sure that if you raise everyone will fold, is limping the correct play? or do you just take the blinds and be happy you didnt give anyone a chance to out draw you on a hand that might not have gotten much action anyway? I know youd be more inclined to limp with AA as you dont have to worry about over cards, but still, whats generally the best idea?

[Jon Poker]

You have to raise for 2 reasons.

1) Lets say you have AA, and an Ace lands on the flop. You won't get any action now and you just got 1 bet out of the people that saw the flop.

2) Large pocket pairs play best against a small number of opponents. So raise to limit your competion and to make the ones that choose to stay pay extra to see the flop.

[andyfox]

There is an argument to be made for just calling with pocket aces, since they should be worth more than just the blinds. So if you're 100% positive both blinds would fold, I would call with pocket aces.

But in reality you're never 100%. The blinds will put you on a "steal," and in the sense that you would raise with other hands in late position that you wouldn't raise with in earlier position, they're right. So they're more likely to call your late position raise themselves with weaker hands. And they're not going to put you on pocket aces (or kings or queens).

The only time I limp on the button is when my hand is too good to fold, but the blinds are tenaciously persistent and basically never fold to a raise. If I have limped with, say T-9s one round, I might then choose to limp with pocket kings the next round. Of course this situation comes up very rarely.

Against tight players who, as you describe them, will most likely fold to your raise, I would raise 100% of the time with a big hand.

[SinCityGuy]

I almost always raise in this spot. Sometimes, I'll limp in, knowing that the SB might sense weakness, and he'll come back with an isolation raise with a marginal hand. Then, I have the option to three bet or just call and wait to raise him on the turn. If the SB limps also and the BB checks, you are still a big favorite.

[mrbaseball]

[ QUOTE ]
your pretty sure that if you raise everyone will fold

[/ QUOTE ]

If that were the case you would raise any two everytime. More often they will figure you are trying to steal, call with 74o and flop two pair!

It depends on the game but you really have to raise with big pockets late. A limp reraise is okay though from early position. Giving the blinds a free flop can be very frustrating. And if all you get is the blinds it's not such a bad deal as I believe only Aces are really worth more than the blinds.

[Nottom]

[ QUOTE ]
In a typical game when you are in the CO or on the button and it is folded around to you and you hold KK or QQ or even AA and your pretty sure that if you raise everyone will fold, is limping the correct play?

[/ QUOTE ]

If this is a problem for you then you aren't raising enough from this position with other hands.

[Stephen]

I think that it is likely that raising is the best play. I believe that flat-calling can only be correct if your opponents routinely fold hands as weak as AQs and 99 when in the blind, completely unaware of your being in a prime steal position. Since this is probably not the case, the answer to your question is probably to raise, at least in my opinion. However, if your opponents would play this tight in the face of a raise pre-flop, and they would then play "softer" on the flop if they hit something then the play would be to flat-call before the flop, and then bet on the flop.

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]

If this is a problem for you then you aren't raising enough from this position with other hands.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually I do, which is what generated my question. At a table where im constantly stealing the blinds with close to any two hands from LP and its working well over half the time, I wanted to know if its a waste to attempt to do the same with the really big hands.