I'm struggling with a bit of a theory question. We all agree that the blinds are the most disadvantageous position on the table to play hands from, but I still want to get value from my top 10% of holdings.
I play in mostly loose passive 1/2NL games where multi-way limped pots are common. When I do decide to raise from the blinds should I be increasing my standard raise size to discourage multi-way action?
In practice this has resulted in me playing some pretty bloated pots OOP w/ a range advantage. Is this the best result we can achieve?
For me raising out-of-the-blinds comes down to stack sizes and difficult of opponents. The shorter the stacks (especially if we can get in 10% of our stack with TP type hands were we can't be outplayed postflop due to simply committing) and the more ABC face up non-difficult our opponents are, the more I lean towards a raise (say TT+/AQ+). The deeper the stacks and the more difficult our opponents, the more I lean to tightening up greatly and just seeing a cheap flop (cuz building bloated multiway pots OOP with mediocre hands that are just asking for difficult opponents to steal the pot from us postflop is pretty meh).
I do raise my whole range bigger from the blinds (if I would raise 20 from the button, I would raise 30 from the blinds, for example, I do not mean I would raise my button raising range). I raise wider than most from the blinds though, so I don't always have a range advantage.
I'm pretty nitty from the blinds, I'll definitely raise JJ+ and typically AK but I think with sticky opposition even JJ and AK and definitely AQ would be a little marginal. I'll never raise AJ in the blinds.
But yeah, definitely size bigger. It's a totally fine result if everyone folds.
I've raised absolute junk from the button though over limpers... A4o, T6... I just really value position.
Perhaps I should clarify based on the question. We need to make it silly big if we don't want to play a bloated multi-way pot OOP. If we're deep enough that we're nut-mining and just juicing the pot to be able to play for stacks if we hit, by all means, make it 4X.
The only hands I'd consider it with would be lower pocket pairs when the pot is very multi-way and the opposition is straight-forward (i.e. no limp re-raisers.)
I think it's okay as long as we have a clear plan after the flop (often hit set or c/f) because weak overpairs can be difficult.
Perhaps I should clarify based on the question. We need to make it silly big if we don't want to play a bloated multi-way pot OOP. If we're deep enough that we're nut-mining and just juicing the pot to be able to play for stacks if we hit, by all means, make it 4X.
Maybe I'm making it too "silly big." - If I have 2/3 ABC limpers, I make it 4x + 1BB for each V.
If it's 4/5 ABC limpers, I'm making it 4x + 1.5BB for each V. So in a 1/3 game, vs 4 Vs, I'd make it $12 + $18 = $30.
