Playing small pocket pairs from BB in unraised pot

[Recliner]

I'd like to know what people are raising out of the BB with if you're not going to do it with PPs because I'm raising them nearly 100% of the time. Limping is stunningly weak.

If you limp and don't hit a set you're going to give up. If you hit a set, good luck trying to get money in, because it isn't going to happen. I don't want to win tiny 10-15 bb pots when I hit sets, I want to hit the felt ASAP. How are you going to get money in with a 6 bb pot on the flop? What's your plan when you hit a set in a limped pot OOP? Are you hoping someone will hit 2 pair? I'd really like to know what types of lines people are looking to take when they hit a set after limping.

If you raise PF you can win the pot PF. Miss your set? Why not cbet? You can rep AA/KK/QQ/AK/AQ. This will win lots of pots on the flop. If you're opponents like calling cbets, that's even better! When you hit a set the pot is going to be decently sized on the flop. With a 15+bb pot you'll be able to commit opponents on the flop.

[ShowUthExit]

Just from my own experience I've felt that just completing or checking from the blinds preflop is more profitable. I've always thought, 'I dont want to raise because if I hit my set I want it to be a 3 or 4way pot where someone else will probably catch a piece and pay me off.'

If you're continually raising pre from this spot with small pairs its usually going to be a HU pot and like alot of ppl said a Cbet will take it down most of the time. I don't really agree with the argument that it's so much harder to get stacks in in an unraised pot. If your opponent is strong enough to to get all his chips in it shouldn't be too hard to get paid off when hitting your set.

I do agree with some/most of the arguments for raising the pairs oop pre though and think its a pretty good topic for some more discussion.

[cbboy]

Well, how exactly do you plan to get the money in the middle in an unraised pot?

say its a 5bb pot. We flop a set and pot it. we get 1 caller. pot is now 15bb. we bet 13bb on a blank turn and he calls. 41bb in the pot now. (note, he has only put in 18bb or 18% of his stack). say we bet 35bb on the river and he calls. we only got 53bb out of him after betting strongly on ALL streets. How do you recommend getting all the money in? Doesn't look possible without him raising us at some point (thats just hoping he has a strong hand) or overbetting at some point in the hand.

[ShowUthExit]

If we're getting stacks in isn't our opponent usually strong enough to raise us at some point in the hand? Also, do you always lead out when you flop your set or do you check and plan to raise a bet?

[cbboy]

Well, your only looking at the hands WHEN we flop a set and you are ignoring when we don't.

Well, the thing is that its just so mcuh easier to get the money in when the pot is raised. You are just hoping for other people to have strong hands so you can get raised or do the betting for you. However, if its a raised pot, all you have to do is bet and hope to get called instead of hoping to get raised or whatever.

[MoP_86]

I'm in the raising boat... and just because you raise preflop doesn't mean you have to c-bet 100% of the time

[Loramov]

Good luck building a pot when you hit in an unraised pot. Limpers nearly never get stacked unless they hit big made hands or good draws. I vote for raising preflop unless I'm against players that have like 20% VPIP and 5% PFR stats or short stacks.

[klb.]

So opponent/flow of game dependent, raise if you got FE directly or on the flop. But do not raise if the opponents are 50/10 stations.

[matt85]

Raising is way, way better in the vast majority of SSNL games.