This is an area I'm having a little trouble with...can't quite get my mind around it.

You have a short stacker say...at 1-2 say some one with $75 to $125...not supper lagy or super passive...recreational type player...

he raises 10 to 15 % of his tack $12 bet with $100 stack type thing...


You have mid pair....77-99.....whats your usual strategy thinking process..here..

1) he raises no callers but you have players behind you with stacks
2) he raises a deeper stack calls...more players behind..
3) he raises a couple of callers...your in the BB...

Also if you can , if your calling whats your plan after the flop...assuming the short stack cbets and you don't hit a set... with second pair, an over pair

1) if the players behind like to see flops I am calling
2) calling for sure
3) dependent on the other callers stack size I'm calling as well

I think only time I do not call is it is heads up or even just 3way with a smaller(ish) stack as well

Rather than maintaining a call or fold mindset I'm considering a 3bet/call first, depending how light he's opening, my position on board, what I think of his general position awareness, # of players involved, etc.

There is no generic answer. Instead of using labels like LAGGY or rec player, estimate his raising range, his continuing range to a 3!, think about his post flop tendencies and think about what effect these have on our optimal lines.

If it was the 1st hand at the table

a) depends on our positions. If he raises from UTG and we are UTG +1 I muck. If he is MP and we a HJ then I probably flat but it is really marginal.

b) and c) are pretty easy calls, IMO readless.

I would look at your hand at this point as a drawing hand (assuming a couple callers you are probably not better than even and might be a bit worse) and consider position when making a choice for 1. OOP with several unknowns and bad position = folding for me.


2 and 3 are calls for me.

1) With no other players yet in the pot, I'm mucking. At best we're flipping, at worse we're crushed, and there's no dead money.

2) As soon as one deepstack calls, and especially if there are looser deepstacks behind me that will likely call once I call, I'm calling.

3) If the limpers are loose / deep and likely to call once I call, I'm calling.

I'm trying my best to see a flop and setmine, and I think it might still be worth our while as soon as one other nice effective stack is in play.

So if I understand here. No one thinks interms of showdown value, we are just playing 99 as a stet mining hand... If we think we have the odds we call if not then we fold...

Especially in Hand 2 I am definitely thinking about SDV, winning with the worst hand.

There are too many questions and too many unknowns to give a reasonable answer to your question. You can make cases for folding, calling or raising in each of those situations, depending on the villain and your skill set. In my mind, even 77 and 99 have different values and I would play them differently.

Therefore, I'm locking it. OP, if you have a specific situation in mind, then feel free to post it.