Global Poker, PLO $0.25-$0.50, 6-player max

UTG: 44bb
HJ: 79bb
CO: 100bb
BTN (Hero): 128bb
SB: 80bb
BB: 240bb

Hero has K J K 2

Preflop: (1.5 bb, 6 players)
UTG call, HJ call, fold, Hero call, fold, BB check

Flop: (4.5 bb in pot, 4 players) K 9 8

BB check, UTG bet 4.5 bb, HJ call, Hero raise to 22.5 bb, UTG fold, HJ call

Turn: (54bb in pot, 2 players) K 9 8 J

HJ bets 53 bb all-in, Hero calls




My thought process:

Preflop > If my hand was double-suited or if there was only 1 limper I would have raised.

Flop > Top set on a very coordinated board. UTG bet into 3 players shows a lot of strength, which is great. HJ call suggests draws or mediocre made hand at best. I don't see any reason to slowplay. I'm a little surprised when the UTG folds and the HJ calls again.

Turn > HJ leading into me on this turn screams of a made straight. I think for a little bit. I briefly think of folding. Then I worry that I'm "playing scared".

I'm getting 2-1 and villain is all-in, so I won't face any tough decisions on the river. I have outs if villain has straight, and it's possible that the turn gave them a mish-mash two-pair + straight draw and/or flush draw. I call expecting to be beat.

Raise preflop, and I'm only going to say it nicely once, haha.

It affects everything else so much that I'm honestly not interested in talking about postflop.

Overlimp is fine with marginal side cards and two limpers, better than raising. We favour as high as possible an SPR with this hand.

Once you get past the least skilled recs I face every day (you know, the ones who are terrified to raise preflop), there is a tier of player who is minimally competent but also far too passive preflop and they make my life EXTREMELY easy. DO NOT BE THIS PLAYER. I cannot imagine they do well long-term. How could they?! They're sabotaging their potential showdown winnings like half the time they VPIP.

PPG, you say it's "better than raising" as though it's self-evident, and then give like one dubious reason.

Here are two reasons for raising that I just cannot see past:

First, this combo is an RFI even in the tightest situation I have a preflop sim for. We are not getting especially adventurous with a raise here; it's a PPT top 6% hand.

Second, why would we let three opponents see the flop for free (and a fourth player, SB, almost for free)?!

There are other reasons I have in mind, but these two are so huge that I don't think I need to get into the others.

I hope I don't.

Hey now, don't hold out on us.

Another reason limping is clearly a terrible idea is that is micro-stakes and therefore a high-rake environment.

Congrats on coming back here with maybe the worst imaginable response. No "oh sure, I hadn't considered that" and no counterargument. Just snot. Pure snot.

Yep, this was reason #3 in my head (not that it should be a tertiary concern; it's just, in some ways, more abstract than the two things I mentioned). The more time you spend under the rake cap, the more rake you pay. Limping top combos (again, literally top 6% by PPT rankings here) is doubly counterproductive: you win less when you win and a higher percentage of it gets taken by the house, on average.

The faster you can hit the rake cap, the less rake you pay on your winnings, proportionally. (This isn't just WRT how we play; this is just generally a vital fact. It's why rake is usually effectively so much lower at higher stakes; the percentage typically doesn't change but they stop collecting way sooner, as measured in big blinds.)

Pf is an auto raise

Are there any type KK combo you are not raising form the button?

Even the weakest kkxx hands tend to play better as a raise against a single limper *from btn. That is because we will win a lot of pots uncontested or with minimal effort. Some limpers even limp-fold.

If we have agressive/overagressive players in blind we can limp-call some mediocre kings that might otherwise raise-fold.

If we are not confident in our post-flop play we can open fold some of our junkier kk, no big deal.

Just to clarify, I was facing 2 limpers in this situation.

Does the argument for raising pre change at all if the initial callers are very likely to call the re raise?

Against 2 limpers i don't really mind an overlimp that much (ignoring rake considerations), especially because the 2 dangler is so bad.

I'd raise, but there are some situations where limping behind is better (stacks and 3bet tendencies or limp raise tendencies). I'd pretty much always raise though.

As played line standard.

Yes, but not with this hand. You push equity against those tendencies.