AA2x in the BB at Mid-Stakes, do you raise?

[wiseheart]

So, to continue this from a different post.
Im interested in opinions here. Personally,
I feel this is a mistake, cause Im generally
playing against thinking players and don't
want them to know my hand. Perhaps, though,
most of you play against players who don't
care about what you might have?

That said, this isn't a question of do we raise
AA2x from any position, thats completely different
and of course I raise AA2 from most positions, just
not the BB.

[DCWildcat]

I think we'd lose too much value otherwise

[TxRedMan]

what if it's already been raised?

what if it's HU?

what if it's a 9-way pot?

this question is WAY too general.

it's a scenario specific answer.

[wackjob]

votes like this without the:

sometimes

option, suck.

[wiseheart]

I thought about the sometimes option,
then i realized that everyone would choose
that option, and thus I would get nowhere.

Don't think I didn't think of the sometimes option.

But that said, forgive, I felt that everyone had read
our previous discussion, where this a FR game, with
average opponents.

Also, Im not saying my opinion is right or wrong,
thats why Im having this poll to see what everyone
thinks.

[wackjob]

Like many things, Poker should never have absolutes, there must be gray area. In Poker the gray area is way more important than in most things. Some games deserve a raise every time you have premium hands, and some games deserve a c/r, and some just a simple limp.

[wiseheart]

Okay, well thats a little better,
is there a set rule for what kind
of game deserves a raise and which
kind deserves a check? Or is it instinct?

[Chris Daddy Cool]

raise cuz raising is fun!

[grandgnu]

[ QUOTE ]
Personally, I feel this is a mistake, cause Im generally playing against thinking players and don't
want them to know my hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

If everytime you raise your opponents know you have A/A/x/x where one of those x's is a wheel card, then you're making mistakes somewhere else.

You could just as easily be raising a premium low holding with suited cards:

A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 2 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 4 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 5 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]
A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 4 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] K [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

Or, maybe you've seen a boatload of players coming into the pot at a generally tight table. As such, you assume the majority of them are on low-oriented hands. You might then raise some of the following holdings to build the pot in hopes that the flop is 2-3 high cards:

10/10/J/K
K/K/Q/J
J/J/Q/Q

etc.

[egordo877]

Since you're talking mid stakes I assume that it's not crazy multiway action and fairly decent players. I also assume you're talking something like AA29 no suits.

I would just flat call most of the time, especially if it's almost certain to be multiway. I'm less concerned with losing out on preflop value than I am with having a better chance to, for example, get it headsup after the flop if i think my aces could be good. Even when it's headsup action already you can get much of the lost value back with a checkraise later. Also, this balances for the times when you call in the BB with weaker holdings.