Playing in a live game in Laughlin. Tight and passive table. Pre-flop raises are rare. 8 players.

Blinds are 1 and 2

Any two aces cracked pays $50. Two red aces cracked pays $100
Pot must be $20 or more to get paid for losing.

I am under the gun with 2 red aces.

What is my play?

(btw it is a lousy game. The 10% up to $4 + the jackpot $2 drag makes the game seem unbeatable to me.)

I'd raise. If you lose, use the $100 to buy into the NL game, as it has to be better than the game you describe.

Limp...make sure there is 20 in the pot and hope to lose.

I limp and pray table loosen up for this hand.

I'd make my normal play and raise. Every now and again everyone will fold, but that's rare at 2-4.

By making it 4 to go, if you get 4 callers then you have $20 in the pot and you're good either way. In my experience of typical 2-4 games, you'll most often get 3-5 callers.

And if you only get 2 or 3, if you're going to get cracked you're not going to have any trouble getting another $4-$8 into the middle.

UTG I would limp hoping to lose the hand and collect the bonus.

If I were in later position after a few people enter the pot (presumably limping in since the game is described as "passive"), then I would raise preflop, partly to make a larger pot in case I do win, but also to disguise my hand since your opponents won't put you on AA since you raised preflop - it would be fun to see the confusion on the faces of my opponents at showdown when they realized I raised AA preflop.

For all those advocating limp, what else are you limping?

Smaller medium sc, 55-77 maybe ?
Basically hands below what we would normally raise ?
Don't need tons of hands to balance it anyway, if balance is needed at all on those kinda of table.

Can't imagine you need to balance your open limping range at 2/4, I'm sure most players are doing it all the time.

This sounds like a terrible game to be playing though, both in terms of +EV and +fun, so unless you are a masochist who still wants to lose as little money as possible, a strategy discussion seems irrelevant.

Raising is a recipe for disaster, which in this case would be everyone folding.

Are you still considering moving to Bullhead City? At least go visit Kingman. It's still not much, but only 100 miles from Vegas, and appears to be a somewhat livable city. The Orleans 2/4 is populated by folks that bet 2nd pair hard to the river and look disappointed when they don't win.

It's a tight passive table. You should be open-limping nothing.

How long have you been at this table. What "usually" has happened when someone has raised from EP?

I can find a raise if we still get 3-4 to the flop. I just bet if an EP raise drops the table.

Why?
We could limp many hands without being scared to be raised.

Sounds like good advice. afaik I can't play no limit very well. I may have to learn

Thanks

I haven't a limping range from UTG and if I dd AA wouldn't be in it.

Yes, this was as much a m9iini trip report as a strat post. btw you described me well there.

We are considering it, and we will look at Kingman. My better half is looking for the horse community that fits her best. The casinos are just a diversion for me. I actually prefer playing on line so when I can I probably will.

I did not and do not recall any pre-flop raises from UTG or UTG +1 in the 40 hands or so I had played. Not saying it didn't happen though.


Very true with this specific group of villains.
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I appreciate those who have read and responded. Like I said, I was more keeping in touch than anything.

When I looked at my cards, I was most concerned about getting the pot to $20. I went about that by open raising. I later decided I had made the wrong play for that table. I now think the situation called for me to limp and try to be sure I get the pot built up that way.

Really? I thought it was because you were a gambling junkie, because you're looking in the crappiest parts of Arizona. I've lived in the state for decades, and almost anywhere else is where I'd want to live. Look in Prescott, Wickenberg, Pinetop, Show Low, Globe, or even Tucson.

better play more stake