Responding to a Preflop Raiser

I received an interesting question from one of my Sit N Go Training Course readers:

I've come across this situation a few times now and I am not sure what I should be doing as your training does not discuss it. What do I do if I have a +EV hand bigger than my M value but someone raises before me. A couple of times now I have had a PP and put a re-raise in only to have them put me all in. Since it is late in the tourney, I'm at a point where since I already raised, my M-factor becomes less than 7, so I call and find myself against a bigger PP. What would be the best course of action in this situation? Do I fold and leave myself with an M-factor lower than 7?

This is a great question, so I thought I would post my response here also. The answer is highly dependent on the situation. This is the type of thing that my future lessons get into (if I ever get around to finishing them!)... how to modify the basic strategy based on your observations at the table. So, to start off, some things to think about...

First, if your raise is equal or greater than 1/3rd your stack, just shove it all in to begin with. If you raise 1/3rd, you do not have enough money behind to push your opponent out on the flop or turn (they have pot odds to call). So if you are going to commit 1/3rd your stack, put it all in. If you shove, your opponent might fold. But if you put 1/3rd in, it is equal to shoving (because you are pot committed), except your opponent might stay.

In the situation of someone raising before you, think about three things.

First, who is the person that raised and what does the raise mean. The next lesson will teach about active observation. This is basically carefully observing all the plays of your opponents and drawing conclusions based on that information. If the person who raised before you rarely raises and only shows down strong hands, it is likely that he is raising with real strength (and you will get called if you reraise or shove). In that situation, unless you have AA or KK, I'd dump the hand and wait for a better opportunity to get your chips in. However, if the raise comes from a very loose player or someone that you have observed raise preflop and then fold to a reraise, shove it in! But if they are loose and a gambler, in other words they call with crap just because it is fun, again, wait for a better opportunity.

Second, think about who is left to act behind you. Are the players left to act tight players who don't like to get involved unless they have strong hands? or are they people who have shown a tendency to gamble. In other words, is there anyone behind you that you expect to reraise or shove? If so, you might want to wait for a better opportunity because the PFR'er might call and then you are in a three-way battle. Not the situation you are looking for.

Third, think about how far you are from the money. If you are on the bubble (1 away from the money), you decision is highly dependent on your stack size compared to the others at the table. If there is a player in the red zone and the blinds are going to hit him before you, it usually makes sense to wait it out. If you are the small stack, that increases the need to be the first one to raise. So in both situations I would avoid the confrontation.

Again, there are numerous other things to consider in this situation, but these ideas should start you thinking in the right direction.

Good luck at the tables!