Live 1/3 Cash Games - Raising Pre-Flop

SanJoseShark

SanJoseShark

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Last night I got the urge to play a little poker, even though I've been saving my $ for an upcoming Vegas trip, so I headed to the casino. Since I've been saving I play pretty tight. Twice I was dealt AK and I raised it both times pre-flop, but looking back @ my play I question this strategy in a low-stakes game like this. I raised to $15 the first time and $11 the second, hoping to get all the bullshit out of the way. Neither raise worked. On the 5x raise I got called by 2-3, who check raised me on the flop when he caught the 5-high straight, and on the ~4x raise I was called by Q5 who caught 2-pair on the flop and gave me bad pot odds to call with my gut-shot on the flop.

So the question is, in a low-stakes game with LAG players, is it even worth raising pre-flop with top hands? Of course it depends on the type of players you're against, but I find that many at these levels are just "gambling" so a raise is just throwing away your $ because you're probably going to get called by a sub-par hand hoping to outdraw you on the flop.

I just wanted to see if anyone else has noticed play like this at these stakes and if I'm crazy for thinking raising is pointless when you're playing opponents who will call raises with any two. Cheers, yall.
 
BenjiHustle

BenjiHustle

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Last night I got the urge to play a little poker, even though I've been saving my $ for an upcoming Vegas trip, so I headed to the casino. Since I've been saving I play pretty tight. Twice I was dealt AK and I raised it both times pre-flop, but looking back @ my play I question this strategy in a low-stakes game like this. I raised to $15 the first time and $11 the second, hoping to get all the bullshit out of the way. Neither raise worked. On the 5x raise I got called by 2-3, who check raised me on the flop when he caught the 5-high straight, and on the ~4x raise I was called by Q5 who caught 2-pair on the flop and gave me bad pot odds to call with my gut-shot on the flop.

So the question is, in a low-stakes game with LAG players, is it even worth raising pre-flop with top hands? Of course it depends on the type of players you're against, but I find that many at these levels are just "gambling" so a raise is just throwing away your $ because you're probably going to get called by a sub-par hand hoping to outdraw you on the flop.

I just wanted to see if anyone else has noticed play like this at these stakes and if I'm crazy for thinking raising is pointless when you're playing opponents who will call raises with any two. Cheers, yall.
You got called by Q5. You should be ecstatic about that. I'm guessing you called off since you know his hand; that's where you threw your money away.

The second bolded statement is obviously hypocritical of itself. You should pump it up as much as a sub-par hand will call you with and if they manage to get you on the flop, so be it, but you'll make a lot more in the long run because they're calling with hands that, more often than not, lose.
 
SanJoseShark

SanJoseShark

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Nah, I folded both hands on the flop. I know what Q5 had because he put another player all-in. I would have ended up hitting my straight, but the all in player hit a flush on the turn and Q5 hit a FH on the river. Folded to the check/raise 2-3 also, he showed.

The raising basically gave me no valuable information, as I guessed (correctly) that I was outdrawn by some crap hands both times and folded, it just made the decision to lay down TPTK that much more difficult with me leading the action.
 
BenjiHustle

BenjiHustle

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Then, good folds, and be glad they're so willing to call with garbage. Still, it is of course beneficial to raise with better hands.
 
H

hffjd2000

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Maybe you can adjust the amount to pressure people from entering.

I think the table will dictate the standard bet/raise and it serves as a reference for us to adjust.
 
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