Play a Hand With the Masters #1 Pre-Flop

[djg40]

Why's that? I don't really understand tournaments, so I would really appreciate it if you would explain why my justifications change it to a raise. Thanks!

[pfkaok]

[ QUOTE ]
I just think that lesser pairs/suited connectors would be happy to win the blinds given the likelihood of overcards on the flop.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know. I think that he'd be happy to pick up the blinds with his junk hands here, but for hands like small pairs and suited connectors that can flop big he's probably looking to just get a cheap flop that could give him a monster. if he limps in, then he still might have implied odds to call a reasonable sized raise (esp if its from the blinds so he has position), but if he raised, and was reraised big he'd probably be forced to dump those types of hands.

anyways, i agree that it is probably close between raising and calling , but i really think that suited connectors, and smallish pairs comprise a pretty good chunk of a tightish players limps here.

I would guess that this would be a good spot to vary your play a bit, as if you make it a habbit of raising MP or LP openlimpers on your button, then a great player like Miami J might have picked up on that, or that you're the type of player who likes to do that. and it would suck to have to lay this good of a hand down PF when it could be a potential steal, or counter-isolation move raise. even still, i like the idea of taking charge of the hand, and finding out for sure if the CO is trapping here, so as a default i would probably raise to 550-675 here more often than not. but i haven't played in any events with this big of buyin and stack sizes so there could be some major flaws in my logic/strategy here...however, i hope i'm not too bad at some of these deeper stacked spots in big buyin events though, b/c i won a won a super sat and am playing in the WPT at borgata tomorrow.

[bugstud]

With these stacks I am indifferent to raising and calling. Raising has obvious advantages and limping lets you try to flop huge without getting restole preflop or on the flop.

If I had been tight I raise I guess, and aggro isolator I probably mix up the frequency some.

[grandgnu]

I don't mind the limp, you have position in the hand, and might maximize your earnings if you can snag a flush/straight type holding.

His limp does NOT have to be a range of smallish pocket pairs or high connecting cards. He could be limping with 5/6 of diamonds for all we know.

Most of the time I'd be inclined to raise here as well, but I think in this spot I don't mind limping and keeping the pot small. I'm looking to hit a strong hand, and I can get away reasonably easy if I don't hit, and I have position the whole time.

I think because the stacks are so deep, the large stack to my right has limped and might pull a limp-reraise, forcing us to throw away our hand, that a limp with position is a nice play.

You don't really reveal the true strength of your hand, you can't ALWAYS be raising with these hands, so your opponents might not give you credit for that strong a holding.

Then again, you might get yourself into trouble here as well, if you hit a strong pair and wind up against a blinds two pair or what-have-you.

I guess I should put it this way:

1. If your post-flop skills and reads are good, limping here is a reasonable option

2. If you don't like your post-flop play and ability to read opponents, then make the obvious play and raise. Stick to ABC poker and keep yourself out of trouble.

I like to be a little more tricky and switch it up from time to time, keep em guessing.

[JaBlue]

I would raise without thinking to 600

[Wanabe]

i agree with the raise to 450 but i dont agree with the hand range you suggested exit.
the CO suppose to be very tight ,and the range you selected is not a range of tight player.
depedning if the CO is trapping or not :
not trapping [AQ-AT suited or not,KQ-KT suited or not,55-99]
trapping [AA-TT,AK-AJ] so all and all i think the hand range is [AA-55,AK-AT,KQ-KT suited or not] .
seen as we have no ther information about CO apart from the fact that his tight i think a raise so 450 is enough to get some more info about our players.

[MeanGreenTT]

[ QUOTE ]
For me, it's close between limping and raising. Ordinarily, I'd be inclined to raise and would take a line very similar to McMelchior's. However, in this particular instance, I'd limp in hopes of flopping a big hand because the CO's limp appears very suspicious to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not being accusatory, honestly curious....if we put the co on a "trapping hand" what exactly do we hope to flop?

If an Ace comes, can we be sure our kicker is good? Even if the Jack comes, will it be top pair? Are we limping here hoping against hope for 2 pair or a flush?

[Sluss]

I like a raise to about 550. I would have a pretty big range for the CO. He could be coming in here with any semblance of a hand, suited conectors, Axs, Q10, KQ, QJ small pairs. This really sounds like a hand that wants to see a flop. Sometimes a player who seems tight has just been seeing some crappy cards for an hour.

My flop plan is to bet on anything that helps my hand, flush draw, straight draw, pair. If he calls then I'm really going to be slowing down on the turn unless my hand improves. I'm not looking to get myself in trouble against a tight big stack.

[bugstud]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
For me, it's close between limping and raising. Ordinarily, I'd be inclined to raise and would take a line very similar to McMelchior's. However, in this particular instance, I'd limp in hopes of flopping a big hand because the CO's limp appears very suspicious to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not being accusatory, honestly curious....if we put the co on a "trapping hand" what exactly do we hope to flop?

If an Ace comes, can we be sure our kicker is good? Even if the Jack comes, will it be top pair? Are we limping here hoping against hope for 2 pair or a flush?

[/ QUOTE ]


the same things you hope to flop when you raise, but in a smaller pot with a different percieved range.

[MeanGreenTT]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
For me, it's close between limping and raising. Ordinarily, I'd be inclined to raise and would take a line very similar to McMelchior's. However, in this particular instance, I'd limp in hopes of flopping a big hand because the CO's limp appears very suspicious to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not being accusatory, honestly curious....if we put the co on a "trapping hand" what exactly do we hope to flop?

If an Ace comes, can we be sure our kicker is good? Even if the Jack comes, will it be top pair? Are we limping here hoping against hope for 2 pair or a flush?

[/ QUOTE ]


the same things you hope to flop when you raise, but in a smaller pot with a different percieved range.

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe it's still too early yet, but that makes my eyes bleed [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]