Facing a minimum raise holding big cards preflop, no limit cash game

Game type: No limit, cash game
Your image: You have yet to play a big pot after 3 orbits
Misc notes: Your opponent has raised PF frequently
Your hand: A♥Q♠

The setup: With two limpers in front, the player one off the cutoff makes a minimum raise to $10. The blinds and the two limpers are still to act behind you. You have raised twice preflop since you sat down 3 orbits ago, and both times the table folded to your raise. You have yet to re-raise preflop, and you haven’t been involved in any large pots. What do you do with your AQ?

10 COMMENTS (Jump to comment form)

lespat

I like to raise since I have a tight image and I will be able to win the pot a lot when I miss, I like to raise now and take control of the hand.

[Reply]

rakebacknation

I like the small re-raise here. I’m looking to get rid of the limpers, and see a flop HU against the original raiser with position. It also gives me a chance to find out what the original min-raiser has. His minraise is odd, so I’m slightly worried about his holdings having me crushed.

[Reply]

Ruckus

I think you need to make the large reraise. No reason to change your style or table image with a hand like AQ. You could very well be dominated from the small raise and this is not the kind of hand you would want to take a multi way flop with, without knowing where you stand.

[Reply]

Swanfeld

i re raise 3x plus 1x for every limper..

should thin down the players to the flop

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benzoate

can calling be considered a mistake? I usually try to see a flop in these situations.

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Jesse Fraser

I think a call would be an excellent play here. You would be moving into unknown waters but would have a chance to hit a massive hand. Crazy as hell move though.

[Reply]

mykel

the call might be a good play, if you have an idea of this guys hand. he has been raising a lot preflop, so if you are ahead, maybe you can take a flop and let him hang himself with a continuation bet. dont forget you have position, and it only costs 10 bucks to call and toss em on a missed flop. the downside is the limpers, you calling invites them to call because its so damn cheap, and raising can not only narrow your feild but give you info about the raiser. guess it depends on your desire to gamble.

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Ripp

you have a tight table image so it should narrow the field if you throw out 50. be aggressive on the flop too. if you happen to buy the pot at any point in time, show what you raised with and keep your tight table image. if youre at a table that there is alot of players per flop, no matter what the raise, then just call. (start seeing more flops and wait till you hit.)

[Reply]

Cristiano

AQ is a good hand so, even if the flop does not hit you, it is a good hand for a strong raise after the flop, specially being at the button. A small reraise would throw away the limpers and add some money to the pot which you might win anyway.

[Reply]

Paul

In my experience, with no reads on players, min raises in early position, pre-flop usually mean:

1.) Pocket pairs (JJ-22)
2.) Weak ace (I’d probably rule out AK here).
3.) monsters e.g. AA, KK, QQ

So what kind of percentages does this mean for you?

1.) Small pairs – 45%
2.) Weak ace – 65%
3.) Monsters – AA 10%, KK 30%, QQ 30%

Let’s look at the options:

Fold – We can rule this out. You’ve got a hand. You’re in position after the flop. You’re playing tight so you can’t afford to be folding good hands like AQ.

Call – Better than folding but I don’t like it because you don’t know where you stand when the flop hits. You’ve let your opponent see the flop cheaply. He’s playing loose and agressive so you need to play back at him from position.

I like a reraise here. It shows strength and you’re in position so you can probably c-bet the flop and even the turn if you think you could take down the pot. A reraise represents to him that *you* might have a pair as well. So you have more fold equity with a reraise.

So how much? I think about 3-4 times his raise is fine. You don’t want to pay him off too much if he does have a high pair or hits his set. AQ is not a lock. You still need the A or Q to hit on the flop (or turn).

After the flop is a different question. If he kept betting at me out of position I’d take that as a sign of strength (a set?) and shut down. Don’t make his preflop call correct by give him implied odds by pushing with AQ (unless the flop comes 2 A’s or Q’s or something). He might think he’s got implied odds to take your stack if he hits his set. Don’t prove him right.