I'm not starting a thread because I tried this tactic and it blew up in my face. I really just wanted to hear everyone's thoughts on this play. I haven't used it for a very long time now because I want my PFR range to be balanced in early position, but when I was playing 1/2 at Red Rock a grinder to my right told me he had been using it successfully for years after watching old men use it in super loose/somewhat aggressive games. His reasoning was that a limp/raise to $35-40 following a PFR to $12 would allow him to get HU with other big pairs and AK (which are ideal and somewhat face-up opponents for AA/KK) and not worry about 76o and even set-mining small pairs provided the raise is big enough.

If we need a hand example, after hearing the guy talk about this I limped UTG+1 with K K, observed a limp and a raise to $5 in late position, and made it $27 after it folded through the blinds. Both villains folded but appeared confused and mildly annoyed (even though it's a very common play for old men, some of them seem suspicious when a younger player does this, as though they think we're always doing this with 86s and leveling them).

I don't use it because it turns our hand face up - AA/KK is really the only hand people limp/reraise with.

I would rather just open, like I'm opening the rest of my range. Hopefully, I've been aggressive enough at the table, that someone decides it's time to 3bet me with TT+, AQ, on this hand when I have AA/KK. If not, then let's see a flop, shall we?

As for "worrying" about 76o and setminers - we want them to call, not fold. (we don't want them ALL to call, but one or two while we have AA/KK is lovely).

If you're absolutely sure that you'll be getting raised by aggressive dudes in the back, you can do it. The best is to make sure you put the most money in the pot pre-flop with AA. But if you limp in EP and not getting raised in the back, you got a problem if the pot is mutiway.

AK

Since this is the most transparent play in poker, the only hands NOT in my UTG limp raise range are AA and KK. If everyone puts you on aces, no need to waste them when you really have it.

As long as the players involved aren't complete droolers and your image isn't too spazzy you can use this bluff once or twice a session.

As far as the face-up aspect of this move, that brings up another idea that I forgot to mention in the OP: how about limp/3betting suited connectors? Does anyone like to use this play at 1/2? If people start to weigh our range strongly toward AA and occasionally AKs, then a limp/3bet with 76s allows us to basically hold 4 cards in our hand. Pretty high-variance play that presents some tricky spots postflop...has anyone experimented with that line? If so, do you like to do it early in the session, show it, and then do the same thing with AA the next time you get that hand?

Hey Axel see my post above. I use this bluff later in sessions when I have a good read on the table and I never show. Let them believe they avoided your AA trap. It's really not too high variance as long as you size your reraise like a man (no min raise crap). You often take it down preflop or with a c-bet on the flop. It's hard to flop 2 pair or better and that's what your opponent will have to do if he believes you have AA.

I guess when I say high variance I mean spots where we flop 2 pair after limp/3betting 7 6, c-bet, and get raised by a very loose opponent. If we think our opponent thinks that we have A A, then we assume that he makes that play with 2 pair + or repping two pair + when holding a draw (assuming that his raise/call 3bet range is wide)...so 7 6 is now a bluff catcher on a flop like 7 6 T when we bet and get raised since villain is repping better two pairs/sets/straights while possibly holding several combo draws. What if the flop comes 7 6 4 and our c-bet gets raised? We have top two pair in a spot in which we're supposed to have an overpair...when super loose villain raises us here it seems his range includes sets/worse two pairs/straights/combo draws. And then how about the spots where we flop a legit draw against what we think is a 2pair + hand? Does villain slowplay a little bit when he assumes we have the overpair, thus allowing us to draw cheaply? I can see certain ways that this can get pretty tricky in a hurry, but I think it could definitely be an interesting way to balance when we want to make the limp/3bet with AA in EP.

Just to be clear I agree with other posters in this thread and would never limp /3bet AA and use this strictly as a bluff. IMO there's no reason to balance or really lrr with AA. I'll make a standard raise with my normal value range from utg including AA and KK.

Only time I try this play is if it's a straddled pot and I know straddler will raise the hand if there is a good amount of limpers. So even if everyone folds, you can still pick up between 10-25 BBs preflop.

+1 to using this when the straddle is on. i do that with many hands and not just aa/kk. i only do it when i know straddle is going to raise.

Limp raising pre often with KK+ is almost always a bad play IMO. It turns your hand face up and pushes out a lot of weaker hands that woulda called a standard open raise. I limp reraise occasionally as a bluff with SCs or blockers but this works cause I have a tight image. The only time I really limp raise with KK+ is when there's someone who's very aggro pre, calls 3bets very light, and stacks off light post flop even tho our hand should be face up to any halfway decent player.

Ya straddled pots at the room I play at we're usually great spots to do this. Table dynamics have to be perfect to do it other wise. As for as the limp reraise semi bluff that is something I will try this week, thanks for the info.

I think the most important considerations are how loosely the table is calling PFRs and how deep stacks are. If EP raises are routinely going five or six ways to the flop, l/rr should thin out the field to one or two callers. Also, AA/KK are reverse implied odds hands, so l/rr is a good way to lower our SPR so that stacking off on the flop can never be a big mistake.

If the hand goes unraised to the flop, it's not a disaster. Playing these hands in a limped pot can be quite profitable as your hand is so under-repped. Just play poker; pot control and be willing to release when you face a raise and the board hits villain's range.

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This. You want to avoid making it profitable for opponents to see a flop IP with a wide range, which depends heavily on stacks. Ideally, you'd like opponents to be willing to stack off with top pair / lower overpairs otf. When you raise from EP with AA/KK, you should have a clear idea of whether or not you're willing to gii when you get action on a dry flop (obv it's villain-dependent and all that, but in general).

Edit: +1 to the rest of what LCposter said too.