Defending the BB when an EP Player Raises

[RobertJohn]

Hey all,

These spots keep coming up in 6max (just started playing limit) and I was wondering what you guys would normally do.

These are all taken from the beginning of a session on Stars at the $2/$4 6-max limit games.

[sweetjazz]

Calling a HJ open raise with 65s is pretty bad. I think some of the other calls are bad too, but other than 65s and A4o, they're probably not *that* bad. The only clear call to me is KQo.

[Heisenb3rg]

Man ur all nits. the only thing I fold in this list is JTo to an UTG open and A2o to anywhere but button open.

A2s and T9o is the only one im not sure about. I always call, but have no way of verifying it's +EV.

[Heisenb3rg]

[ QUOTE ]
Calling a HJ open raise with 65s is pretty bad. I think some of the other calls are bad too, but other than 65s and A4o, they're probably not *that* bad. The only clear call to me is KQo.

[/ QUOTE ]

calling any suited connector to a raise in any position is widely considered +EV in full ring games. I cant see why that doesnt apply in shorthanded limit. Maybe I have my facts mixed up, but I suspect you should read some PF advice for full ring games to confirm what ive said is true. You may find a leak in your BB defense.

[sweetjazz]

I don't know. Hold em is primarily a high card game, especially in limit where your implied odds and fold equity with draws are both limited. I guess defending defending 65s isn't nearly as bad as I implied, since it's a clear defense getting 5-to-1 (instead of 3-to-1) and it will win a little more often with just one pair. Still, it's a hand that does not frequently flop a strong hand and even when it makes a strong hand on a big street and can get a check/raise in, if it receives any more action in return, it's usually beaten. (I.e. if you check/raise the river with 6s 5s on a board of 9s 8c 3s - Ah - Qs and get 3bet, you are almost always losing.)

[Oink]

65s has to be close. The implied odds of hitting a pair against a standard UTG raise must be around neutral if not slightly negative. Hero is going to make so many mistakes postflop on KQ6x boards from a FTOP point of view.

T9s does better against a TAG UTG range and I cant understand why anyone would ever fold it.

Anyone who folds K8s against HJ or KQo against UTG really needs to work on their preflop game. Those are VERY easy calls.

I voted fold to the A2s. But I really dont know in that spot. I should call?

[NinaWilliams]

I cant find the page right now, but in stox's book I remember him saying that Axs has enough equity vs an utg raise to make it a borderline call.

[Oink]

[ QUOTE ]
I cant find the page right now, but in stox's book I remember him saying that Axs has enough equity vs an utg raise to make it a borderline call.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks I will find it.

[sharpie]

[ QUOTE ]

I voted fold to the A2s. But I really dont know in that spot. I should call?

[/ QUOTE ]

I usually fold A2s but I voted call because I felt like a nit. [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

Edit: T9o and JTo are easy folds IMO.

[Oink]

I know. Hot cold eq sucks. But just to illustrate against

UTG: 66+,A7s+,KTs+,QTs+,JTs,T9s,A9o+,KJo+
HJ: 55+,A5s+,K9s+,Q9s+,J9s,T9s,98s,A8o+,KTo+,QJo

A2s 40%
T9o 33%
T9s 36%
65s 36%
K8s 38%
JTo 35%
A4o 37%
KQo 43%


In Stox book they talk about needing 35% eq to call a raise HU. Using that yardstick all of those hands are calls but T9o.

No way I am gonna start calling A4o tho.