22 and KJ UTG, shorthanded

[Dan Bitel]

[ QUOTE ]
Why do you raise with 22 if it's to flop a set ? It seems EV-, no ? Why don't you try to see the flop for as cheap as possible ?

Also, what is the advantage of raising oop with KJs ? You just build a big pot, with a medium hand, oop ?

I'm not saying these are wrong ... I'm just trying to understand ...

[/ QUOTE ]

raise 22 to win the blinds/FE on teh flop/build a pot for when we hit

raise KJs b/c I think I can outplay my opponents with it postflop and might even have an eqity edge over their calling ranges preflop. Again cbets take down most flops. Limping with it is really bad, much worse than limping with 22 as you hardly ever flop big, and if you hit TP, you're in a tricky spot, but if you limp/call 22 preflop, if you hit, you know you're good

[TNUC]

limp 22 any position , sometimes raise KJo mostly fold. always raise KJsuited. I see no value in raising 22 can put u in awkward positions that you dont need to be in

[Dan Bitel]

TNUC,

what possible awkward positions could raising 22 preflop get you in?

[CASSHERN]

[ QUOTE ]
TNUC,

what possible awkward positions could raising 22 preflop get you in?

[/ QUOTE ]

A re-raise for once ...
Let's say you play at NL25 and Open-Raise UTG to 1$ .. a decent player will not reraise to 2$. The reraise is likely to be at the minimum 3-4$. 4$ is 8 big blinds. This is a very close call. If your opponent (or even you for that matter) doesn't have a full stack ... w/o a full stack you don't really have the odds to justify such a call preflop ...
Where as if you had limped (let's say), the vilain does his raise to 1$ or so ... and you can happily call ...

[CASSHERN]

Anyone else ?

[kolotoure]

Raise both and don't be so weak/tight

[AE6]

For beginners, I think by far the best advice is to raise 22 and fold KJ. Ducks are a really easy hand to play postflop; If you hit your set jam, otherwise fold. KJ on the other hand can lead to some very tricky situations.

[Vinny80]

KJ gets you so many troubles oop. On most flops you have no idea where you are. 22 is easy... you've got a set and win a big pot, you cb and fold to any real agression...

[The White Rabbit]

[ QUOTE ]
A re-raise for once ...

[/ QUOTE ]
Then it's an easy fold, nothing awkard.

The value you get from picking up the blinds/taking down the pot down with a cbet on the flop outweigh the value you're loosing from folding to a 3bet.

Another very important point is that stacking someone in an unraised pot is very difficult, in a raised pot you just slightly overbet flop, pot turn, shove river with your set.

[cts]

Easy raise with 22 -- implied odds hand, easy to play out of position. Easy fold with KJo -- reverse implied odds hand, not fun to play out of position.