Of course 22 is not a very strong hand to be raising with in any position, but if you're at a very tight table does it matter if it is 22 you're opening with? I hear alot of the common knowledge saying "Hands like 22 -44 are better to open with in late position if nobody had opened already." But i ask why only in late positions?
I know the common arguement is: if you get raised you are playing 22 out of pos, if called and you don't hit a set or strong draw (A, 3, 5 for example, which is unlikely) you are likely beat by any overcards that flop.. ect...
IMO, at certain times in a session or tourney, raising UTG with any two can be profitable. At least 22 and the like is (are) a made pair with set potential, and you don't even need to connect to take a pot if called. and I'm not just talking about the standard c-bet play.
Condsider this: It is a very tight table, and you (I assume) are fairly tight as well. In this example stack and blind sizes are not entirely relevant. Anyways, think about it. At a tight table, with a fairly tight image, what kinds of hands do your opponents expect you to be opening with? 99+, AK,AQ AJsuited and the like are the likely range for a tight opener UTG. Now you see the flop and you completely whiff. If there are any cards in your likely raising range, you can either c-bet and represent strength, and if you get called, you can re-assess on the turn depending on texture, and play the hand based your reads of the caller and the story you are tyting to sell him/her. OR, you can pull the handy check-raise if they fire at the flop. Either play can be +EV if you have fairly solid reads on your opponents, and have the image to pull it off. This will not work if you are frequently the aggressor, or are generally very passive
Before I go further I just want to touch on the posters who ask for all details such as stack sizes, cash or tourney, reads, ect.. Most of these OP's are just posting for some general guidlines that they can apply to these general situations. They are not looking for a detailed hand analysis or synopsis. Just some general info to help them out.
Ok, back on topic. On certain tables, at certain stages in the tourney or times in the ring game, there comes a time where the table is tightening up and not throwing around chips for no good reason. If you have any experience at the tables, you've noticed these times. This is the time when a hand like 22-44 can play very well pre and post flop, especially if you can be fairly clear on your opponent's calling range. Once again, exact details don't really matter as this is purely a positional and read based play, instead of a straightforward UTG raise.
One thing though, you don't want to make a habit of doing this. Once in a while is fine if it is concurrant with your image, but if you get caught, all credibility goes out the window. I have had some small success recently employing this train of thought. Though I must admit, it still needs some fine tuning. Hence me stressing not making it a habit. GL