AQo mistakes o plenty

[ThingDo]

Hello all,


I posted my first hand in about 3 months earlier today and realised that I'm quite rusty and perhaps a little too agressive. I think the trend is continuing and the rust is still there so please help me iron out the kinks.


First hand of a 9 handed Pokerstars 10+1 SnG

I pick up AQo UTG and raise to 80 ( Blinds are 10/20 all stacks are the same). Folded around to the BB who calls.

Don't raise UTG w/ AQ? LImp Fold Raise? Which is the best and why this early in a SnG.

Flop is Kd Qs 8d.

I have the A of Diamonds. BB Bets out 80. I raise to 220.

Call? Raise? Fold? And why?

Turn is an A. He checks I bet the pot. He calls.

River is a blank non diamond, he checks I push. Please be brutally honest. Thank you

[parappa]

(disclaimer: I'm a newish 10+1 player.)

I think you're really overplaying this hand badly.

I don't want to say anything about the preflop raise. Different people have different opinions on the subject and a search will find them.

But I fold the flop here. This is round 1 of a 10+1. You can't put the BB on any hand at all. He could be betting with a K (any kicker), a Q (any kicker), an 8, a diamond draw. You've only got 80 chips in this pot and (imo) the flop has missed you. If he's got a K then you have 3 outs.

Once the A comes on the turn, your play is fine; you're basically committed here, and I probably push on the river as well.

But I would've folded the flop.

[Dominic]

AQ UTG...if I'm playing it at all...is an automatic limp...since it's the first hand and it's only $10...okay, I limp with it.

But I fold to ANY raise preflop unless it's a minimum bet raise (another $10). Why? Because what hands will someone raise with that yours is ahead of? Not many unless he's trying to steal or an idiot with something like KQ. Your call on that one.

If you reach the flop and someone bets...you fold. Period.

Unless...(again!) it's a minimum bet...I will sometimes take flyers on those minimum bettors because the implied odds are so good if you suck out...but that's the only time I'm calling. HU, I might raise him as well later in the tournament in this situation, but right now? I get out.

This is something I think a lot of poker players, especially in SNGs and MTTs, sometimes forget about: the size of the pot. Yeah, you COULD be ahead, you could win this hand, but if it's $80 an you're not sure, get out! Is it worth it? Hell no.

Stop chasing or speculating you have the best hand if someone bets into a small pot and you think it's a steal and you have a piece of it. Fold. Save those chips for a pot that's worth taking down.

A little off-topic, but it relates a little. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[ilya]

[ QUOTE ]
If he's got a K then you have 3 outs.

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5, unless he has KQ or AK specifically. In which case you have 3 and 2 outs respectively. Right?

[parappa]

Oh, sorry, yes of course.

[ilya]

Folding to the flop bet costs you 0.

For the sake of simplicity, let's imagine that whenever he calls your raise, you lose, but you don't lose any more chips. I think this is a reasonable approximation of your EV if he does call.

So, if he calls your raise, you lose 220.

If he folds to your raise, you win 250 (80+80+80+10).

In other words, he'd need to fold almost half the time to make the raise profitable.

But he has shown strength twice; once before the flop by calling a sizable UTG raise when everyone else had folded, and again by betting out into the preflop raiser on a scary-looking flop. I don't think he's folding here much more than 35% of the time.

So, easy fold on the flop in my opinion. But I wouldn't have raised this hand UTG preflop; in fact, I probably would have folded it.

edit: well, on Stars I probably limp. I fold on Party, though.

[jedi]

I'm going to disagree with some other posters here and state why. I'd appreciate comments on my feedback as I'm still trying to learn how to play AQ.

[ QUOTE ]
First hand of a 9 handed Pokerstars 10+1 SnG

I pick up AQo UTG and raise to 80 ( Blinds are 10/20 all stacks are the same). Folded around to the BB who calls.


[/ QUOTE ]

I'd probably do the same, though a limp might also be advocated here. Unless you've played with BB before, you obviously have no read on him, so it's going to be tougher to play.

[ QUOTE ]


Flop is Kd Qs 8d.

I have the A of Diamonds. BB Bets out 80. I raise to 220.

Call? Raise? Fold? And why?



[/ QUOTE ]

I look at the 80 flop bet as being weak. Maybe a Kxs trying to define the hand. Firing out a raise represents AK. If he actually has AK, then you're in trouble, but anything else he may lay down. If he re-raises you, you still have enough chips to fold and play in the tournament. If he calls, it's a bit dicey. You have position on him, so if he calls, I'd just shut it down on the turn.

[ QUOTE ]

Turn is an A. He checks I bet the pot. He calls.



[/ QUOTE ]

Wow. Well, this improves your hand UNLESS he had a set or AK specifically (or JT). At this point, I don't think I could get away from the hand. Unfortunately, I also want to see a showdown. What's the line here? The pot sized bet should now get a Kx hand to fold, but he doesn't. Anyone advocate checking behind here?

[ QUOTE ]

River is a blank non diamond, he checks I push. Please be brutally honest. Thank you

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At this point, I wouldn't have pushed. I probably would have checked behind. Who will call you that you beat? Kx won't call any more. The turn call either screams draw or slowplay. I think he folded his Kx here or his diamond draw, but is possible that he called your push with JT.

[MisterKing]

I'm with everyone else -- I'm either limping or folding PF with AQo. As TJ Cloutier is quoted as saying: "A-Q is toilet paper to a raise."

If you are playing (and raising) it PF, you have to *consider* a raise on the flop, IMO. The 80 bet by your opponent does seem to be "defining the hand" so to speak, and I think you take a one-time shot at the pot here. If he calls, and you don't catch one of your 5 outs on the turn, you pack it up and fold ot any subsequent bet.

When you do catch your 5-outer, you still cannot be sure you're ahead. I think at this point I'd want to see a showdown as cheaply as possible. The advantage to this, assuming you can get it, is a good read on your opponent, and perhaps some additional action later from other players who might perceive your flop raise as loose.

But checking behind on the turn might invite a large river bet by your opponent, so its not foolproof. That said, I think that's where I'd go with this. If given the chance to check behind on the river, I'd definitely do so.

With low blinds and an even stack, you have a lot of time left to catch better hands in more favorable positions. Save yourself the grief of having to make tough calls and fold this hand PF.

[ThingDo]

Thanks for all the help guys. Posting and reading replys is really helping me get my feel back for the SnG's. I push on the river and my opp calls w/ KQo. Go figure.

Thanks again guys.

Stephen ThingDo Mills

[Jason Strasser]

Raise AQo preflop if people are going to call wtih AJ, AT, and other AXs. In my game they don't, if they do then raise. That is the simple answer. Otherwise you want to limp in, and win a nice pot on a Axx flop to someone overplaying Ax with a worse kicker. This is certainly not a hand you want to play a big pot in though usually.

In your hand, I dont get the flop raise... unless you think you are ahead in the hand. When someone calls your raise then bets out, it usually does not mean good things. (like hey I hit the flop, or I have a great draw!). I wouldnt be surprised to see your opponent with a hand like JT or KQ.

If you think you are behind, but aren't sure, I don't mind a call to gain further information on the next street. There is no reason to play a big pot. If this opponent is the type to have a king, then fold. You are drawing rather slim.

On the turn, you've got to be thinking you are ahead... Unless this is the type of opponent to bet a draw like JT on the flop. But I like your turn pot value bet.

The river is tough. If he is a really really tricky type I might check behind in fear of being beat. But you are going to be ahead a ton of the time here, and I like your play.

-Jason