Medium Pairs and Marginal Broadway Hands - To Raise or Not to Raise?

[BigDan9]

I play 9- or 10-handed FR games (200 and 400) against a motley crew of donkeys, nits and strong players - even a few, incredibly, who might be better than me!

Fairly obviously, I'm very happy to open raise from the last three or four spots with hands like TT, KQs, ATs and better. Sometimes that takes down the blinds and a couple of limpers or, if not, I need a very good reason not to cbet into one or two opponents post-flop and try to take it down there and then. If I can't, well, that's another story...

Anyway, where I'm struggling is what to do with more marginal hands like KTo, 88 and QJs in around the MP2 and MP3/Hijack positions. I find myself limping a lot and wondering whether I should have raised and used the same strategy I do in the CO and Button and with my better holdings in earlier position.

I know we could debate how to play specific hands like KTo (probably using the word "fold" a lot) until the cows come home, but what do we think is the best move with these kind of hands as a general rule in those mid-late positions? Limp and try to catch a flop or raise and hope nobody in better position calls?

[iponnet]

raise 88 from any position ifact you should raise most PPs higher than 55s from almost any position! forget about k10o, only time you play that is when you trying to steal the blinds.... QJs/J10s is better to limp in EP, MP, raise in hijack/btn.

gl

[Split Suit]

[ QUOTE ]
raise 88 from any position ifact you should raise most PPs higher than 55s from almost any position! forget about k10o, only time you play that is when you trying to steal the blinds.... QJs/J10s is better to limp in EP, MP, raise in hijack/btn.

gl

[/ QUOTE ]

plz name 3 difference between 22-44, and 55-77

[ActionStan]

- I lose more with 77
- 77 puts me to more tricky 1 overcard decisions
- 77 sometimes feels almost strong but never is.


Maybe I should put this over on the leaks thread:
- I play mid small-mid pairs more strongly than I play baby pairs

[ActionStan]

Hijack is the first steal spot. I've taken to using pretty much my UTG rage through the hijack with a couple of exceptions. For example, I'll play AQo from MP but not from EP as a general rule. Once I hit the hijack, I play everything for a raise and start to expand my range as I move towards the button. In the hijack, I start to play more middle suited connectors like 9Ts, TJs and QJs. I'll also play more suited broadway cards. I'll also start working in some middle suited A's. Maybe down to A8s depending on the table. I raise all of those. The only time I limp is if I have a tweener sort of drawing hand and there are a few limpers in front of me. Even then, I limp very rarey. That's just the way I roll.

[Jeans]

In full ring smaller pocket pairs are very hard to play. In smaller stakes NL100 or less I always limped them from pretty much any position, and openraised from button/CO, but at NL200-400 I don't think this is a profitable strategy, in early position I (usually) fold 22-88, and start opening more of them as I get to better position, from CO and BTN you should obviously openraise all the pairs, most of the time I overlimp if ther are 2 limpers, and raise one limper (depending on the player). Then again hands like KTo are crap, only play hands like that from CO/BTN and always come in raising if you decide to play them.

[diebitter]

88+ is an easy raise from mp2. 22+ is an easy raise from the hijack if there's no raisers (though it's just as good to call with a little pair with 2+ limpers in front, and way less variance than with raising IMO)


KTo is a terrible hand to play from anything but the button, imo. And there it's really only for raising if no raisers in front.

QJS - tends to work fine as a raising or a calling hand around the HJ. Raise for sure if no or 1 limper. If more than 1 limper, try randomising - if they're red raise, if they're black call.

[iponnet]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
raise 88 from any position ifact you should raise most PPs higher than 55s from almost any position! forget about k10o, only time you play that is when you trying to steal the blinds.... QJs/J10s is better to limp in EP, MP, raise in hijack/btn.

gl

[/ QUOTE ]

plz name 3 difference between 22-44, and 55-77

[/ QUOTE ]

66/77 is actually a hand,,
when you raise 22 in ep they dont put you on 22 they put u on a higher pair and will set hunt you and guess what if you are playing for stacks with a set of 2s what you think they have? with 66/77 there is a better chance you have the better set

you win little money when you hit your set, lose alot when they also hit, low PPs in 'EP' are losers/very marginal winners, in the 'long run' more than 100k hands

[diebitter]

iponnet is correct in that in decent games, playing little pairs early doesn't do you that much good if you're ABC TAG.

I'd add the caveat you can raise or even limp 22 early if you have a well-developed LAG strategy and image, as you could be playing anything in that spot (a well-developed LAG strat includes the possibility of limping AA or JJ or 98s or even Axs early, so you know). For ABC TAG, middle pairs upwards (99+) should be raised in EP (everything should be raised in EP for an ABC TAG).

[Split Suit]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
raise 88 from any position ifact you should raise most PPs higher than 55s from almost any position! forget about k10o, only time you play that is when you trying to steal the blinds.... QJs/J10s is better to limp in EP, MP, raise in hijack/btn.

gl

[/ QUOTE ]

plz name 3 difference between 22-44, and 55-77

[/ QUOTE ]

66/77 is actually a hand,,
when you raise 22 in ep they dont put you on 22 they put u on a higher pair and will set hunt you and guess what if you are playing for stacks with a set of 2s what you think they have? with 66/77 there is a better chance you have the better set

you win little money when you hit your set, lose alot when they also hit, low PPs in 'EP' are losers/very marginal winners, in the 'long run' more than 100k hands

[/ QUOTE ]

at what level does 66/77 become "actually a hand"?

i dont 100% mean this to come out arguementative, and for all intensive purposes, its probably -EV for me to even have this conversation...but ur logic makes no sense. ur logic seems to account for the fact that 66/77 are actual hands, yet money only seems to go in when its set>set situations (thats the way ur wording makes ur thoughts appear). (also, out of curiosity...what % of the time u hit a set, do u think some1 has one as well. and better yet, a bigger one?)

the real reason u raise all pairs from all spots is for a few reasons. 1.) u take betting lead and iniative. 2.) because of this, ur CB will b more successful. 3.) when u hit a set, there is already money in the pot.

and on an aside...i will bet u $100 that i can produce at least 5 ppl by Sunday who are not losing money with their 22-88 from EP over 100K+ hands.