[starbird]

[ QUOTE ]
Now in order for the SB to switch to raising, the increased equity from playing *postflop* against the widened distribution has to exceed the difference between the equity of playing out X, a marginal hand against the hands that the BB would fold.

This is virtually impossible because of the nemesis restriction on the postflop play. The SB can't make enough value from playing his weakest hand against an expanded postflop distribution to offset the +1 units he was getting from those hands that the BB was folding.


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To do better than folding out the BB, playing X has to give the button an average pot equity (vs. Z) of over 3 small bets in the 4 bet pot that results after BB calls. This is indeed a lot to ask.

It's a little more complicated than that, because of shania considerations -- adding X to his raising range makes all of SB's other raising hands play better, because his hand becomes a little harder to read. But SB's range is already pretty wide, so he doesn't gain a lot this way. By the same token, X is a fairly lousy hand, and I agree that it won't do well enough against Z, a collection of terrible hands.