Against specific opponents I will often lead into a raiser with half pot or 2/3 pot bets... and it is a winning strategy against them.

Here are some of my criteria:
They have a specific raise amount that gives me the edge of a read. 3x raises with suited overs and AJo type hands and the flop comes undercards is fine for a bet. Against opponents that take AK to the river, I would rather have position bet or raise the flop, check the turn, act on the river accordingly with my small pockets or pieces of the board.

It makes OOP a good thing in that you have initiative. Having first to act when combined with the read above and an opponent that is just playing his hand is powerful.

The pot is either heads up or three handed. The larger the field gets the more likely someone is going to call me down. I would rather be betting my draw OOP than 77 that got no help against a larger field.

I have the confidence that I'm a far better player post flop than my opponent. I am sticking and moving properly, folding at the instant that I'm beat, jabbing and pounding when I'm ahead. Confidence in playing well breaks the set it or forget it mentality for me in some cases. This is especially true if I'm viewed as tighter, and am winning when betting. The opponent should be at least somewhat wary of me.

Bad times to make this play:
Against calling stations that bothered to raise preflop, they won't let go of AK and might well let me make my draw for cheap or give me two more cards for free. With small pockets I might call a continuation bet and try to get to showdown cheap if I think they have AK.

LAGs when I'm out OOP I don't want to keep hammering at a LAG on every street with 44 that didn't get help. It might well be the best hand, but the pot is likely to get crazy and they will pounce on weakness. I dont want to be stuck playing a massive pot with something silly.

Opponents that won't let go of 99-JJ after raising it. You are going to have to show them a real hand, and then they will crumple.

When I'm running poorly. The opponents are probably less concerned about my hand than their own. I am probably making errors in hand reading, and have been encountering some poor luck as well. If I am getting spanked, no need to make any hand more difficult to play OOP if I'm called. It also makes people more likely to look me up and become opponents that can't fold 99.

Examples of this play:

I call a min raise in the BB with Q9d and the flop comes two blue and one red. I lead into the very weak min raiser with my diamond draw, he calls. Turn is the Q, I check to the weak player and he places a min bet, I make it the size of the pot, he calls. River is another Q I lead for 3/4 of the pot, he calls. I never looked at the hand history to know what he had, but in this case my hand kept getting better. He might have well had AA, I didn't think I could stack him, and he might have had TT and didn't believe the Q.

I limp 88, guy to my left makes it 3x which I know he does KJ QJ AK, SB folds BB calls. Flop comes undercards and BB checks, I bet 1/2 pot, they fold.

Folds to me in the SB, I complete BB raises it 3x. It is his first round of play and he has about a full stack. Flop comes 9 high, and I check raise his continuation bet to the size of the pot, he calls. Turn is a blank, I bet the size of the pot, he calls. River is the K, I check and call his value bet, he turns over AK.

The last one is obviously not the guy to run this play on but waiting for something a little more solid than top pair no kicker to really drill into his stack is a better play. Maybe moving in on the turn would have been better, but I had him KQ or AK at the river, the price was too good to let it go.

I guess maybe my point is, that there are higher and lower variance situations to run these plays. Maybe even tables where the opponents are particularly suited to being out played with money instead of cards. I wouldn't get in a habit of running this play as a standard until you are given reason too.

Another idea that also has some pot control is to just call him if and only if you have position.

Check----call. Check---calll. Check----call.

If he really has nothing, usually these guys will maybe bet the turn but run out of steam by the river. Then you can raise or reraise the river representing a made hand.

If there are people behind you, I don't thinik I'd go into caller mode without anything.

My idea is more of a HU type thing.


And its general. If LAG is not really playing his hands true and just trying to raise off the board, then stop playing your hand and start playing him. Most cannot keep it up for long.

HOwever, this is VERY high variance so I wouldn't recommend it for everyone.