limit holdem strategy questions
I have a few limit holdem strategy questions I'd like to get input on from the people here.
1. Usually, I only play small pairs and hands like suited connectors if I'm in late position for only one bet and there have been a couple of callers already. Basically, I'm wondering whether there is ever a situation where it's worth calling two bets cold with these speculative hands.
2. I see a lot of players raising before the flop in mid to late position with hands that are not normally good raising hands like K-J or K-10 or Q-J, even when there are already people in the pot. I remember I actually went through a phase where I was doing this. I have since stopped this, but my thinking at the time was that since people have limped to this point there's a good chance that my hand is a favourite, if only a mild one. The raise also had some added bonuses in the sense that it usually meant that I was last to act after the flop and that it made me look like an action player. So, I'm wondering if there is any wisdom to this sort of strategy or am I basically better off limping in as well and seeing what the flop gives me.
3. Is it always wrong to slowplay aces before the flop? I'm not talking about in a very loose game where there will always be six or seven players seeing the flop no matter what it costs, but what about a game where there is an average of four or less players seeing the flop and people will actually fold to a raise. Let's say I'm in middle position in one of these games with pocket aces and someone before me has already raised. If I'm the second person in I think I might want to just call and see if I can get one or two more callers. Is this bad strategy? People always say "if you'd have raised there you would have got that guy out" but don't I want inferior hands to call me? Won't the pots I win more than make up for the ones I lose? Am I wrong to think in limit holdem that when I have aces, before the flop my main concern is building the biggest pot as opposed to getting people out?
Thanks guys for any advice
1. Usually, I only play small pairs and hands like suited connectors if I'm in late position for only one bet and there have been a couple of callers already. Basically, I'm wondering whether there is ever a situation where it's worth calling two bets cold with these speculative hands.
2. I see a lot of players raising before the flop in mid to late position with hands that are not normally good raising hands like K-J or K-10 or Q-J, even when there are already people in the pot. I remember I actually went through a phase where I was doing this. I have since stopped this, but my thinking at the time was that since people have limped to this point there's a good chance that my hand is a favourite, if only a mild one. The raise also had some added bonuses in the sense that it usually meant that I was last to act after the flop and that it made me look like an action player. So, I'm wondering if there is any wisdom to this sort of strategy or am I basically better off limping in as well and seeing what the flop gives me.
3. Is it always wrong to slowplay aces before the flop? I'm not talking about in a very loose game where there will always be six or seven players seeing the flop no matter what it costs, but what about a game where there is an average of four or less players seeing the flop and people will actually fold to a raise. Let's say I'm in middle position in one of these games with pocket aces and someone before me has already raised. If I'm the second person in I think I might want to just call and see if I can get one or two more callers. Is this bad strategy? People always say "if you'd have raised there you would have got that guy out" but don't I want inferior hands to call me? Won't the pots I win more than make up for the ones I lose? Am I wrong to think in limit holdem that when I have aces, before the flop my main concern is building the biggest pot as opposed to getting people out?
Thanks guys for any advice
Comments
Lets suppose a junk flop hits the board and u know that your hand is best, u can check the flop and usually people will put you on AK suited or something like this, so I find a lot of times people will bet into you on the turn, and u can pump them and hopefuly a few others for a 2 bet. A lot of people will struggle to fold if they have top pair now because u checked a turn card. A lot of people dont think you will have a pocket pair after a slow play on the flop after there has been a preflop raise by you. This has been my experience anyways and I have been very sucessful with pocket A's and K's
The problem, of course, is knowing the precise situation you are in. It’s very difficult to know. Having said that, I will often raise after a string of limpers with a hand like 8-7s on the button (or in the big blind). It is very high variance play, but is marginally profitable. Even if it is a marginally losing play it give you the image of being a wild gambler at almost no cost.
To quote a little known poker writer: "Bet with the best, good draw to invest, fold all the rest." I like your original thinking. It is reasonably likely that you have the best hand. Raise. Once again, you are adding variance but also adding profits. However, like all things, you will need to play well post flop to make a profit. So, if you are confident in your post-flop play go ahead and add variance – raise. If you are a new player and are still learning I recommend limping in and lowering your variance.
Aces play well short handed or into BIG fields. With aces, it doesn’t matter. Bring on the callers. There is nothing wrong with slow playing them pre flop. Once again, however, you are adding profits AND variance.
With suited connectors however, you're looking to flop a draw, and after you flop the draw (5 to 1 for a flush draw I believe?) in, you're still only 2 to 1 to make your flush. So I won't cold-call with suited connectors nearly as much as I will with pocket pairs.
2. KJ is a raise for me in late position with 2 limpers or less, unless one of them is especially tight. KT and QT are limps. And with any more than 2 limpers, KJ is a limp as well. Basically, with KJ in late position, I raise because there's a good chance that I have more than a slight edge over the 2 limpers hands. With KT and QT, I think my edge is smaller, and in a big multi-way pot with KJ, again, my pre-flop edge is not that great, so I would try to limp and push hard on a favorable flop.
3. In a game like you describe, I think it's an easy 3-bet. There's already been an EP raise, which might drive players in middle to late position with marginal hands out. Go ahead and 3-bet it. I don't think you'd mind this pot being heads up, with someone showing strength already.
What about raising in the blinds? I had a discussion with this one guy who was next to me at the table about this. I was in the small blind with A-Q and no one had raised when it got to me, so I raised. The guy next to me, who seemed to be a sharp guy, was in the big blind and said "you'd have to have aces or kings to raise from the blinds". Is this guy right? Since no one raised, I think it's safe to say A-Q is the best hand at the moment, or at least has the best chance of winning. Is this offset by the disadvantage of position? And along the same lines as the previous question, if you think it's worth raising from the blinds with a hand like A-Q because you think it's probably the best hand right now, does that mean you should raise with the hands you might raise with from late position (K-Q, K-J) if you think they might be the best hand at this point?
Sklansky often advocates raising to limit the field (by the way, a thorough understanding of Sklansky will go a LONG way towards making anyone a great player). In my experience, in the games that I play in, the main reason to raise it because they WILL call with weak hands.