Background
6 handed Live 1/2 cash game. Stack sizes all 200+. Hero has just moved to this table, all but one of the players is unfamiliar. Play has been fairly tight so far. I can't recall a limped pot so far, usually one raiser pre and one or two callers.

Pre Flop
UTG, CO, BTN limp. Hero in SB?

I just automatically completed not thinking much of it, but is this good spot to raise in blinds?

Raise to $14-16

not based on the described conditions.

I guess it depends on the table.

If you think you will get 3 callers then better just complete. I normally raise KQ by default though, and if people haven't been limping much you probably have the best hand anyway and there is a chance they will all fold.

I've become more attuned lately to the effects of position, leading me often to simply complete/check in the blinds with hands like AQ/AJ/KQ, especially if my opponents are not "fit-or-fold" players. Along the same lines, if I'm at a table where I don't feel comfortable raising UTG with any of these hands, then I wouldn't probably wouldn't raise from the blinds with them, either

More often then not, I find myself adhering to Ed Miller's advice to raise from the blinds with the best and worst of your playable hands (the former for value, the latter for FE), while completing with your medium strength hands.

I have to imagine you're getting at least 2 calls. Build the pot to play a marginal hand out of position? I'd rather not. I complete.
It wouldn't really be a value raise and I'm raising stronger hands with shared cards (AQ, AK, KK, QQ) so flops you hit also are perfect for part of your value raising range, which if anyone's paying attention or thinking, will kill your action.

Yeah I totally agree. I'm not raising here very often at all. This seems like one of those spots where you can win a little or lose a lot, but very rarely win a lot.

We are oop, have a hand that could be dominated (see people limp-calling with AQ/AK), sounds like we should just throw in another 1$ and see a flop.

Are people at your table really limping AK/AQ/AA/KK/QQ in a 6-handed game? That would be pretty weird and terrible....if that's the case I wouldn't raise. In any other case I raise to $14-16 as stated above and at least two of the people are going to fold most of the time. The CO and button limping can't be strong hands unless they are really passive players. When I make this raise in my typical game I usually get a bunch of folds and collect a free $8. A 7-8x raise from the SB looks like a pretty strong hand and cbetting ~3/4 pot on almost any dry looking flop will usually take it down since that's probably the same way you'd play your overpairs, or so I would hope.

I am usually completing here. kq isn't much different from something like tj, 89, a,x suited in this spot. In that I'm looking to see a flop with this hand. Not inflate the pot preflop to be called and be out of position in the hand. You will often get a number of calls. Then if you c-bet and you are getting played back at with top pair or something you are suddenly making a decision for your stack. I'm treating kq the same as the aforementioned hands here. Also if you hit a hand you should have no problem playing for stacks building the pot up postflop. What I think people fail to consider is that; yes worse hands will call you pre, but peoples limping range is FAR FAR wider than they are willing to call. You want those people in their with their garbage k7 offsuit,q2 suited type of stuff. By keeping this range in, when you flop a top pair hand you can comfortably bet three streets for value and be called by these type hands. Raise preflop the garbage hands are folding and your getting called by broadways,ax's, and suited connectors.

I'm normally super nitty from the blinds with a very polarized raising range but my view is contrarian to most of the previous posters as I think the dynamics are very good for a raise here.

1) KQ is a very strong hand 6 handed.
2) This is the first limped pot, making it unlikely that we are dominated here.
3) The table is playing fairly tight, meaning we will often win dead money or only get 1 or 2 callers.

If our image is good/tight then this is an easy raise IMO. Most likely villains have hands like connectors and pocket pairs.

I think it really depends on the table, but if you think you'll narrow the field to one or two players, raise it to $16 or so, unless you don't think you have an edge postflop. If the table is pretty loose, just complete and look for a very strong flop. Top pair + OESD or two pair at the least. Top pair by itself might be fine, but if a flop bet doesn't take it down, I'd probably be cautious of some funky two pair combo and be inclined to throw away if I meet too much resistance.

if you told me that there were 4 donks limping and that they will call any amount of raise 100% of time, then i squeeze with KQ. If you cannot see this, then switch glasses and take another look,.

KQo is not a marginal hand. Unless you only raise AQ+,1010+ than I get your views. But to be honest vs 4 limpers KQ is really a strong hand.

specifically from the small blind yea.

Yup

I'm only completing Qwing here... Just doesn't feel like the spot to raise. You could be crushed by anyone who is looking to limp-reraise. I smell a rat based on the table dynamic as described.

Did you come equiped with febreeze?

LOL... I think someone was looking to limp-reraise... Just hoe it felt reading it.

Only a true idiot would try to limp-reraise at a 6-handed table.

Wow, sorry I must have glanced over that. 6 handed you can definately bump this up.

Why not 9 handed? I need to hear good reasoning.

people call preflop wider and they stack off alot lighter. There becomes alot of ego/stuff going on. It's also much easier to thin the feild to 1-2 callers. seems standard that your starting hand requirment goes down as the number of players in the game goes down.

KQ is too strong. Idc if 7 players limped. After people have telegraphed the strength of their hands by limping. I see no reason why to not raise KQo. If we had K10o it would be a decision. KQo is the nuts vs a sea of limpers.

I don't know what planet your playing on but this simply isn't true. Especially at 1/2.