DECISION POINT: In a live $1/$2 cash game you are dealt T♥T♦ in the Small Blind. Stacks are around $200 and you have no player specific information. An Early Position player open limps, MP1 isolation raises to $16 and action folds around to you.

What do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: We are playing in a low stakes, $1/$2 cash game with most of the stacks around $200. The standard raise size has been in the $10-$15 range and there has been some open limping as well. We are dealt red tens in the Small Blind. The UTG player folds, UTG+1 open limps, MP1 isolation raises to $16, and it folds around to us.

This is a situation where paying attention to our opponents tendencies can really help us make the best possible decision. If MP1 is also a very passive player they may be splitting their range and limping behind with a large portion of hands and only raising with really premium hands like QQ+/AK. If the MP1 player is very skilled they could be isolating the limper exceptionally wide trying to get everyone else to fold so that they can play heads up, in position against the limper.

Without having opponent specific information it’s always best to assume that our opponents are skilled. With pocket tens in the Small Blind facing a $16 raise, calling off nearly 10% of the effective stack to play out of position possibly against 2-3 opponents would be less than ideal and make it very hard to realize our equity.

If we assume MP1 is raising with a reasonable range they could definitely be trying to isolate here with as wide as 88+/AJ+/KQ. We have just over 50% equity against that range of hands and our equity will be much greater if we start to include AT or more pairs in the range of hands that would isolate in this spot.

In the event we had opponent specific information and have observed confirmed instances that MP1 was capable of acting passively here when calling behind and and splitting their ranges in such a way that we are way behind when they raise this EP limper, just folding preflop would be a fine exploitative adjustment.

Without that knowledge, calling out of position becomes far too difficult to realize our equity and we have too much equity to fold, so making a 3-bet to around $60 is best with pocket tens in this spot.

Reraising (to around $60) is the best play.