I don't play much hold'em. Was wondering can it be valid to limp in small blind for $1 with A-K and then end up with your stack in (~ 250) pre-flop? It drew comments.

BB made it 30 (looked like he might be steaming, had just lost last pot and that's a big over raise into $8 pot, but I'm brand new to the table so I don't know anything really and don't know the players at all) ... two others called it, I shipped.

As a general strategy limping AK is a bad idea. You will end up in too many hands where you have TPTK and villain shows up with some stupid 2 pair and it will lose you money in the long run.

As for this specific hand, assuming it's 1/2 or 1/3 and you are fairly confident that BB is ready to raise then limp/shove is fine. High variance since AK will rarely be a big favorite but generally profitable overall because it's hard for hero to be significantly behind either. It's being confident enough that BB is ready to make a tilt raise that is your problem. You can't really know that facing unknown opponents and having just sat down unless villain is really visibly tilted.

Good points, and no, I didn't limp counting on BB raise. I was just limping in bad position. I was in "flop nothing fold mode." That's bad. When over 100 was in the pot back to me last to act, probably mostly dead if I reraise, the shove was actually good I thought. I spiked the king on the river, which I never would have seen if just calling the 30 preflop ... and swept it.

"Limp/shove, huh?" the BB holding JJ asked.

I guess you're right about that. Tonight I played an A-K kind of slow, just calling a raise, it flopped A-6-4 and the raiser had 6-4. No help for me and loss of first buyin.

While I agree with QuadJ, there is another reason to play a strong hand weakly, however, it's rarely going to apply at 1/2, or 1/3. It has to do with setting your table image against observant and aggressive players and involves the meta-game. Kinda like the loss-leader concept. If you can convince someone you play one way, then play another, you can get away with all kinds of crap.

Cha ching on the meta, and it was that kind of table. A bunch of dime stacked pros! Bad table. I specialize in all that "mislabel me please stuff," and in small games it is impossible to know my strength consisteently. Of course they can get a strong read on you in spots. But 3-betting A-K and charging all the way isn't my thing. I'm more likely to fold it. So I'm a weak hold'em player with unexpected strengths. The reason they bitched about the limp/shove is it isn't easy to control.

I generally raise with AK. Its a strong hand but obtains strength partly by treating it as a nutty hand while also blocking villains' nutty hands. In weak low stakes games where players have internalised the idea that 3bets can be quite wide but 4bets are usually KK/AA, you can 4bet and fold out hands as strong as JJ, maybe even QQ.

flame-on.

I no longer post meta-game plays, whether they work, or not. The reason is that I knew what I was doing and way too many people here think one-dimensionally. The only time it's effective is when the setup is well described before the trap. It also involves a lot of reading their state-of-mind, betting patterns, tells and just plain gut feel. On the occasion, someone does all that to try and educate others, they're misunderstood, lectured on their bad play, or accused of making a brag post. The OP then gets defensive and the thread degrades fast and sometimes gets locked.

So, I would advise against posting any hand that involves a meta-game play. However, if you insist, then it should be made painfully clear in the initial part of the post.

flame-off.

Yes of course. But in this second instance it would have to have been a re-raise, of course I presume he would have folded 4-6, but I'm not sure. If I shoved, yes. But I'm falling prey a little here to "all or nothing" with the limp/ship strat,which is actually an anti-anxiety device and not so sound, but that first one was perfect for it.

Yes of course, generally raise with slick. But in this second instance it would have to have been a re-raise, of course I presume he would have folded 4-6, but I'm not sure. If I shoved, yes. But I'm falling prey a little here to "all or nothing" with the limp/ship strat,which is actually an anti-anxiety device and not so sound, but that first one was perfect for it.

I'm thinking this meta angle becomes much more important as the caliber of opponent goes up. Really sharp pros are the ones trying to use your "type" against you, instead of playing the cards. It's significant.

The problem with the limp-ship isn’t the ship it’s the limp. You overlimped SB when 8-9 times out of 10 the BB is going to check his option. Preflop play is about building a pot when you have a strong hand. Your limp has the effect of keeping the pot as small as possible when you have a monster.

FWIW I think it’s pretty awful that anybody flamed you at the table. Very bad etiquette to criticize other’s play at the table.