Something That's Always Confused Me

[ConstantineX]

When you call a raise in LP or whatever, are you trying consciously to be ahead of the range of the raiser, or at least have live cards?

For example, I often call alot of raises from EP with hands like 910s, but never or rarely with K9s or A8s.

What influences you then, whether you fold or call with a hand in a given position? If you KNOW someone only raises big preflop with say AK, should you call in the CO with A8? Why the CO versus the button? Does it make a difference?

[RiverHebrew2]

i would do that unless u have position (like if u call on button w/ that) b/c if ur oop w/ suited connectors often they hit mid pairs and thats hard to play OOP and same with draws... if ur calling OOP any raise u need to be confident in ur play but i suggest folding mostly

[ConstantineX]

No, this is strictly in position. What hands do you call and raise with? Why? For example, I feel uncomfortable just calling a hand like K 10 in MP to an EP/MP raise. I similarly feel very uncomfortable calling AJ anywhere to an UTG, UTG+1 raise. Combined with the nature of SSNL regulars betting EVERY street, making kinda unpredictable value bets, I've wondered if I should just mega tighten up and play a pretty unimaginative game.

[SimonAllan]

You are generally trying to make a hand that can bust an overpair (or a big ace that connects). This means trying to make sets, straights and flushes.

T9s is better than K9s or A8s, as T9 can make a straight or a flush, and the others can only make flushes. Also, villains are more likely to pay off straights than flushes. Additionally, K9 and A8 are very difficult to play if you flop top pair.

Out of position, only call with pairs that you won't reraise with. Fold suited connectors and suited aces unless the pot is four or five way. If you have position, you can consider calling with SCs, and occasionally some others such as suited one gappers and suited aces. You should be calling a little more liberally on the button than in the CO because you will have good position post-flop, and because there is one less player still to act (who may 3-bet).

If you actally know an opponents cards, you could call with more hands, because you should play perfectly after the flop, but in real life, you very rarely know exactly what villain has. This doesn't make too much of a difference in actual play, because, with a looser opponent you get worse implied odds, as he misses more flops when he raises with weaker hands, but, against that, you can pick up more pots with one pair when he has nothing.

Edit - play back against people who bet every hand. Raise the flop with draws, and/or one pair hands, and consider check/calling with two pair plus, depending on the board. The exact hands that you call raises with will vary according to the player who makes the raise - I would generally fold KTo to almost any raise, and AJo quite frequently. If I don't fold, 3-betting is better than calling. I would usually call AJs, and would only call KTs in a multi-way pot, without any reads.