[Buzz]

[ QUOTE ]
Situation 1)

What's your preferred usual play?

[/ QUOTE ]Hi Rob. Yes your re-explanation makes situation 1 clear.

It would be highly dependent on what cards I thought the TAG player held. (Some TAG players usually have AAXY when they raise from late middle position, some have crap like QJTTo, some have A2XY, some have A3XY, some have A4XY, some usually or often raise when they enter the action regardless of their cards, some are totally unpredictable). And it would also depend on the other players still in the hand. And it would depend on how I thought it would affect my table image.

My raises before the flop generally are more dependent on my opponents than on the cards I hold myself. But they are somewhat dependent on my own cards. This hand is a rainbow lacking in high card strength, but it does have ABCD. It does connect with a high percentage of flops, and then goes on to get a share of the pot. And it's easy to play after the flop. And there is something to be said for occasionally re-raising your big blind as a sort of attacking defense. (Some of my opponents use the raise-from-your-own-big-blind tactic too often for their own good, in my opinion, but I like it once in a while and this hand, despite it's flaws, supports a re-raise before the flop.

Thus I might either call or re-raise.

Situation 2 is still not clear to me. Start with the opening paragraph. [ QUOTE ]
TAG player open raises (3 seats off the button), a tricky rather loose-aggressive player in BB. It folds to SB holding
A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img],2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img],4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img],T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]The first "sentence" is unclear. Is TAG three seats off the button? Is BB the player who is tricky and rather loose-aggressive?

If I've interpreted correctly, isn't "TAG player (3 seats off the button) open raises a tricky rather loose-aggressive player in BB." clearer?

And then what or who is "it" in the second sentence?

O.K. after further thought I guess everyone folds to SB who holds
A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img],2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img],4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img],T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].

[ QUOTE ]
In the game the SB smooth called, flopped Nut Lo draw with counterfeit protection + A-hi non-nut Flush draw on paired board. Played passively on flop and then proceeded to lose the maximum, against the BB who flopped an unlikely fullhouse with a trash hand.

[/ QUOTE ]O.K., I think I see.

If you just replace the period in the middle of the paragraph with a comma, and then make the next word (played) small case, and then put another comma after the word "flop" (although the second comma isn't absolutely necessary), then the paragraph makes sense to me.

O.K. I think I see, but that was a struggle.

Then you write:[ QUOTE ]
In this case, it seems the SB is better to re-raise.

[/ QUOTE ]I rate the two starting hands about the same in overall value. Maybe the A234o hand is slightly better. If the second hand was A23Ts rather than A24Ts, then it would be better than either of the hands in your post.

At any rate, I'd just call from the SB with the second hand, rather than raise.

[ QUOTE ]
1) Struggles for iniative HU, against TAG opponent; showing strength will help read responses and might scoop the pot

[/ QUOTE ]That's a good point.

[ QUOTE ]
2) Cuts the implied odds of tricky loose-aggressive opponent who has position on SB

[/ QUOTE ]Excellent point!

[ QUOTE ]
3) Charges the TAG more to see flop, might easily have raised with A3sxx, or A45xs; or even be raising deceptively with a good Hi hand.

[/ QUOTE ]Agreed.

You make a good argument for raising, such good reasoning that it's worth wading through you wording. But whew!

Buzz