Preflop with AQ from various positions |
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Posted Tue Mar 06, 2007 3:05 pm GMT by exit music
Okay I'm thinking cash games here, I've been having trouble playing AQ and want some preflop advise.
Assume: Full 9 person table, NL25/NL50, you have a 100BB stack, your AQ is offsuit. Although does SOOOOTEd change these answers?
AQ UTG
AQ 3rd position, first in the pot
AQ 3rd position, 1 limper
AQ 6th position, first in the pot
AQ 6th position, 1 limper
AQ 6th position, 2-3 limpers
AQ 6th position, EP made a 4xBB raise
AQ on the button, no limpers
AQ on the button, 3 limpers
AQ on the button, MP 4xBB raise no callers
AQ on the button, MP 4xbb raise, 3 callers
AQ in the SB with a 5 way pot
Okay any/all of these situations explained would help. Answers would be nice, but explanation is what I'm looking for.
Thanks
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Posted Tue Mar 06, 2007 8:16 pm GMT by fiezk
How to play AQ is an endless debate, but here are my views.
AQ UTG
fold or raise depending on your opponent tendencies and your table image.
AQ 3rd position, first in the pot
Raise, generally.
AQ 3rd position, 1 limper
Again, raise. A limp from EP generally doesn't mean much.
AQ 6th position, first in the pot
Raise
AQ 6th position, 1 limper
Raise and hope to isolate the limper or take down the pot.
AQ 6th position, 2-3 limpers
Raise. I recommend to always raise 3-4*bb +1bb per limper, it comes in handy in situations like these. You really wish to isolate or take down the pot right here.
AQ 6th position, EP made a 4xBB raise
Fold, unless the raisor is a lunatic.
AQ on the button, no limpers
Raise, obviously.
AQ on the button, 3 limpers
Raise
AQ on the button, MP 4xBB raise no callers
Very situational. Without any reads at all I might fold. It all depends on your opponent's hand range and post flop skill.
AQ on the button, MP 4xbb raise, 3 callers
AQo doesn't play very well in multiway pots. Also, the pot will be at least 21.5*bb when the flop comes, you won't be able to find out where you are at very cheaply and you are bound to find yourself in very tricky situations. If you feel you are a good post flop player though, you might want to see what the flop brings.
AQ in the SB with a 5 way pot
Raise if you think you can isolate or take down the pot.
Posted Tue Mar 06, 2007 8:40 pm GMT by exit music
| Quote: | AQ 6th position, 2-3 limpers
Raise. I recommend to always raise 3-4*bb +1bb per limper, it comes in handy in situations like these. You really wish to isolate or take down the pot right here. |
Okay, there are 3 limpers, you raise 3BB+3BB and get 2 callers, but you have position.
Flop comes A79 rainbow.
You bet 2/3rd pot and get min-raised.
Now you...?
Posted Wed Mar 07, 2007 10:06 am GMT by fiezk
Tough situation indeed, and totally situational. How liable are you to cbet if you missed the flop? How much have you been raising? How lose and aggressive is your opponent?
You are either way behind (two pair or a set) or way ahead (weaker ace). AK is very unlikely, so you are basically playing tptk here. There's always the possibility that you are up against a draw, but it's not very likely.
Let's look at your options:
1. You can call and re-evaluate the turn if: a) you can gain information from this, eg. villain will only continue betting if he has a great hand.
b) If you think your opponent would continue betting with just about any ace, calling down is certainly your best option. You can't lay your hand down against a player like this, and you don't want to give away the strength of your hand.
2. A three bet is not really a good option here, as it will most likely only get action from better hands, and at the same time commits you to the hand.
3. Folding here might be best against certain type of players, but it is kind of weak. First of all, I think many players will play like this with hands that you can beat (ATs AJs, to "see where they are at"), and you are getting great odds on your call. Second, I don't like folding against a min-raise if I can avoid it. If your other opponents see this they might try to exploit it.
Posted Wed Mar 07, 2007 6:24 pm GMT by xDiamond_CutteRx
Meh, I hate talking about hands preflop in NL, because in my opinion most of the focus should be on play after the flop. Nonetheless, AQ is a decent starting hand, and it plays best against a small field. There are no quick and dirty "correct" answers to this questionaire, but in general, my thinking in some situations is as follows:
| Quote: | AQ UTG
AQ 3rd position, first in the pot
AQ 3rd position, 1 limper
AQ 6th position, first in the pot
AQ 6th position, 1 limper
AQ 6th position, 2-3 limpers
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In most of these situations, a raise is usually correct to try and thin the field and potentially buy position. In all but the last example, a raise to 3 or 4x the BB is perfectly fine in my mind. With 2 or 3 in the pot, you might want to raise as much as 5x the BB to possibly shake one of them off and increase the chance that you will be last to act on the flop and later.
| Quote: | AQ 6th position, EP made a 4xBB raise
AQ on the button, MP 4xBB raise no callers
AQ on the button, MP 4xbb raise, 3 callers |
Usually just call. You will have position (usually), and there is no reason to reraise with AQ preflop here, even with 3 in the pot. In a large multiway pot, it just means you will have to hit the flop that much more strongly to continue in the hand. But the disadvantages of playing this hand multiway are largely negated by the advantages of position and high implied odds.
| Quote: | AQ on the button, no limpers
AQ on the button, 3 limpers |
Usually raise here in an effort to thin the field, but limping occasionally to disguise the value of your hand is usually alright as well. If you're first in the pot, 3x the BB is adaquate. Again, with 2-3 limpers, you might want to raise a little bit more and hope to shake one or two of them. Just beware bloating the pot preflop if three cards you don't like come down (but again, you have position, so it's not as bad).
| Quote: | | AQ in the SB with a 5 way pot |
Here I usually just complete and hope to see a good flop. Being out of position in such a multiway pot is such a disadvantage that I usually prefer not to invest a whole lot. However, if the players behind you are liable to fold if you make a sizable raise (6x the BB+), then raising in an effort to take it down here is not that bad. But that is so dependent on who the limpers are and where they limped from that I hesitate to discuss it further and give people the wrong idea.
*Edit: Being suited does change the VALUE of your hand, but not necessarily your actions as listed above, though I'd be a little more apt to raise AQs out of the blind than AQo. In general though, I'm not looking to play any bigger of a pot preflop with AQs than AQo, though against a tight raiser from EP I might consider folding AQo, whereas I would almost always play AQs.
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