TPTK in general

[Arcturus]

I orginally posted this in the micro-limits, but the responders were not sure of which action to take. I figured since most of the posters in Small Stakes are more experienced, you might have a more straight-forward answer.

Something that I have had a problem with when I started out playing NL is getting too crazy with TPTK. I would think that having AQ on a Q high board meant giving the thumbs-up for going all-in. Fortunately, I have toned down the action a bit after reading a lot of posts on 2+2 and some NL books. I have read that TPTK is an good holding, but not outstanding. It especially helps if you are in position. It is even easier to play with specific reads and known player tendencies. Obviously, HU would be optimal, but it could be played against 2 people frequently.

My main concern with TPTK deals with my play when sitting down early at a table without any reads on other players. I have read in some posts that it may be better to err on the side of caution when you don't have any reads. However, how far do you take this? I guess the best way to get my point across is to use an example. I will use an example against two other players since it involves a little more strategy.

You just sat down at a table, have played a few hands, and you don't have any reads. Assume the effective stack is 80BB. You are on the button looking at AQo. Two people limp in front of you. You decide to raise it up to 6BB. The blinds fold and both limpers call. The pot is around 20BB. The flop comes Q84r. The first limper checks and the second limper opens for 18BB.

What is the best course of action here? Let's say you raise. How much do you raise? If you raise to 36BB, you are putting almost half your stack into the pot. Doesn't this commit you to the pot? What about going all-in? The open-raiser has something on this dry board or he wouldn't have bet so much. Let's say you decide to call. Doesn't that show weakness and set you up for an all-in bet by an aware opponent on the turn?

Until recently, I would play my hands without taking into consideration the possible consquences of my actions. Here, I would have put in a significant raise. But lately, I have been trying to determine my pot commitment earlier in the hand than on the turn or river. This example is just one area where I feel I don't have a good grasp on correct playing strategy. Any comments on this topic and the example I provided are appreciated.