5/10 NL: QJs call $60 more after limping against two opponents?

[Rick Nebiolo]

Here’s a simple pre-flop question/poll from a 5/10 blind $400 fixed buy game in Los Angeles.

I’m $1400 deep and seem to have a tight, moderately aggressive image. Button player on my left has been loose with his pre-flop calls but hasn’t raised much pre-flop in the two hours we’ve played. Seems to play average to good post flop for this level (i.e., moderately tricky and aggressive, seems to stay out of trouble). He has me covered by a bit.

Anyway, two average players limp in front of me (I think about $500 to $800 stacks). I pick up QJ suited in the cutoff. I’m about to grab $40 or $50 in chips to make a modest raise but I can see the button player has grabbed a stack of chips and is about to put in a raise. So I take advantage of “sloppy chip-handling tell” and just call to see what develops. The button does in fact raise to $70 (I’d say a typical raise for this group might be more in the neighborhood of $40 more (to $50). A loose-aggressive player (especially aggressive postflop) in the BB has us both covered and calls. The two limpers fold. It costs me $60 more to see the flop and the pot is now $170 after raking the SB.