$25 NL - Boated up on the end, but he's bet every street...

[Sam Stone]

Somebody help me with the "automatic raise from EP with 99" thought process. In full ring, I just don't see the value. A reraise behind kills the hand (at least for me). It may be weak, but I'm limping,hoping for a raise behind, and trying to stack someone with a set or bet out on a ragged flop with few limpers.

And if you raise, catch 2 or 3 callers (and in 25NL that seems pretty likely) , flop comes T K 4, what then? With 99, there are a BUNCH of overcards to dodge.

I'm not trying to give advice, by the way - just going from NLHTAP, which seemed to be pretty sound. What's the reasoning for raising?

[CazicT]

I think limping is a "long ball" type strategy where you are basically playing for set value and rarely will win otherwise.

Raising is more "small ball" where you are trying to get heads up where a pair of nines is much more likely to win on its own.

I've wondered alot why it seems that around here the consensus is very much for open raising almost always where in NLTAP there is really quite a bit of open limping going on.

I'm guessing it has to do with the fact that we are discussing Internet poker mostly and usually low limits and that our stack sizes are only moderately deep (100BB). I don't know if thats it or not, but I haven't won enough playing either way to really say which is better.

[IanB000]

Raise preflop. As player fold the flop, fold the turn, fold the river.

Your opponent is solid and he has no problem betting every street because he simply has the J or 4. He is the big blinds and a standard player so he isn't going to triple barrel bluff you here.

[rjacobs003]

I must admit I don't get the auto early position raise with 99 in FR either. Help!

[deflY]

Either raise preflop or limp/call for setvalue

[KurtSF]

[ QUOTE ]
I must admit I don't get the auto early position raise with 99 in FR either. Help!

[/ QUOTE ]

What are you waiting for? QQ+?

[threads13]

Whether or not to raise this preflop should depend on the players to your left, their stack sizes, and the overall style of the game.

It really depends where your edge is.

[SlightlyMad]

KurtSF, are you suggesting to raise *all* of the pocket pairs early?

If I'm willing to raise AKo and AQs+, I should be willing to raise 99+. At least, that's what PokerStove suggests. TT/99/88, as threads13 points out, is more table-dependent than JJ+/AKo/AQs, and I usually play these randomly (50/50 PFR/call) if I can't find a compelling reason to raise or call (i.e. I've taken down the last two hands with PFRs, and I'm not sure I want people taking a run at me when I have 99).

[effang]

so...i have a feeling that since this post has gone on so long you made a "hero" call.

what did he turn over? you're not beating much, and one hand i can see being played this one is 88-TT.

[CityFan]

I think the important thing to realise is that if you limp 99 PF, you ARE playing for set value and have to be able to get away from a J44 board.

I would raise the flop to find out where I am.