The cards are dealt, you’re under the gun. You look down at your cards, expecting to fold, but lo and behold, you find some bitches. Two of them to be exact. Well this is great, but now what? I never really thought it was much of a decision until today when I had them utg and raised 3 times the big blind. I ended up winning the blinds, which was just fine with me, but one of my friends who was watching me said “nice take, but I don’t like the raise.”
My friend and I discussed the hand, and this is what I gathered from his point of view: limp in, slowplay. He expects a raise to come with someone eventually (especially at such low limits), and then he will reraise when it gets back around to him.
Interesting thought, but I just don’t know about it. This is the way I played it today. I try to vary my play, so who knows if I’ll play it the same way every time. Anyway, I bet the pot under the gun, and everyone folded to me, and I won my .35. I told my friend that if I win .35 every time I have QQ, I’m gonna be rich someday, and I’m fine with winning a little at a time.
Now I’m not saying said friend’s theory is wrong by any means, in fact, I’m sure a lot of players play it the same way he suggests, but here’s why I personally don’t play the bitches like that:
1. By not raising, you are banking on someone else raising, which, depending on the table, may or may not happen. As with pretty much anything poker, observation is key.
2. If no one else raises, but 4 people call, the probability of you winning the hand has gone from a very high percentage to a very low percentage. I realize it’s only a quarter, but if you lose a quarter (or more) every other time, you need to make some real profit on the other time that you win money.
3. Going along with #2, even if only 2 people come in, chances are 1 or 2 of them are going to have an A or a K, and then when one of those hits on the flop, how do you play the hand? You probably have to muck it, and once again, yes, only a quarter, but still, money lost that could have been won.
4. If you do represent preflop and get a caller, you figure he/she has to have a good hand, possibly a middle pair, possibly AJ, AQ, etc. You can really narrow down the amount of hands your opponent is playing when he/she has to call a raise.
That’s my opinion, and it is just that, an opinion.
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