Playing AQ UTG early

[eastbay]

You hold AQo UTG. Say 1st hand of the tourney. Stacks T1000, blinds 10/15. What's your move?

eastbay

[Paul2432]

Assuming the game is NL, I fold. AQ is a trap hand.

Paul

[CrisBrown]

Hiya eastbay,

I'm going to muck here.

If I raise and get reraised, I'm almost certainly behind (to at least a pocket pair).

If I raise and get called, I'm not entirely sure where I am in the hand, and I'll be forced to tread lightly on any Ace-high flop except A-Q-x.

If I raise and everyone folds, I've won a measley 45 chips.

If I limp and am raised, I'm going to have to make some difficult decisions (see raise-call, above).

If I limp and several players limp in behind me, all I have is a high-card, one-gap, offsuit connector, not the sort of hand that plays well in multi-way pots.

It's the first hand of the tourney, and there's likely to be at least two or three strangers at the table. I'd like to have a read on them before I get into dicey decision-making situations with them.

It's the first hand of the tourney, so people are likely to play loose. Again, AQo is not a hand that plays well in a multi-way pot.

I'm out of position.

And finally ...

... if I'm one of the better players in the tournament, there's no reason to take a big risk on the first hand with a speculative holding like AQo from UTG. I'll get better opportunities later.

Cris

[mrbaseball]

I raise 3X big blind. If someone comes over the top I fold. If called on the flop I bet the pot if someone comes over the top I fold. Turn and beyond? Depends.

[casper]

i think the tourny buy in makes a bit of difference in how i play this hand. at the lower buy ins you can double through against alot of worse aces and queens, but as you move up in buy in amount this hand becomes more of a problem hand because you will not get paid off by the weaker aces and queens as much.

casper

[eastbay]

[ QUOTE ]
i think the tourny buy in makes a bit of difference in how i play this hand. at the lower buy ins you can double through against alot of worse aces and queens, but as you move up in buy in amount this hand becomes more of a problem hand because you will not get paid off by the weaker aces and queens as much.

casper

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you pretty much nailed it. I was just working the numbers here on when you're ahead and when you're behind on an A-high flop to refute Cris Brown's position that she can't bet confidently unless she flops two-pair.

And the result was: it totally depends on how many aces will call your raise. If only AJ will call, you're in serious danger of running into a trap. If AT and/or worse will call, you're way ahead to play an A-high flop as the best hand.

So, yeah, the presence or lack of Ax players is the key here, and that probably depends strongly on buy-in.

eastbay

[CrisBrown]

Hiya eastbay,

Yes, I agree that buy-in -- or more precisely, the average skill level of your opponents -- is the big issue here. If you are playing solid opponents, AQo is a dangerous hand to play UTG, and especially early. You can't win a tournament on the first hand ... but you can lose it.

Cris

[Tyler Durden]

I limp and fold to a raise depending on how many other players are in.

[La Brujita]

Until this week I limped with Aqo. I have begun to fold it in early position.

The problem I have is (i) any K on the flop without an A buries the hand, (ii) AQ will lose big pots to KK when a Q flops (this may seem unlikely but I have seen it many times) (iii) when a Q flops, you often will have drawing hands to compete with (especially if any 8-J flops) (iv) you have to worry about AK or Ax when an A flops.

Overly tight? Maybe, but I see AQ as a good hand to play for value from late position or to try to double up with if you are on the short stack and getting desperate.

I am doing my best to avoid putting a lot of chips in with top pair strong kicker, I would rather take my chances either waiting for a big hand or picking spots to semi bluff.

[NotMitch]

I asked this question a few weeks ago in regards to the 2+2 SnG. Against solid players I will fold this, in the low buy ins I play I will either raise 3x bb and play with extreme caution or fold.

[M.B.E.]

[ QUOTE ]
I asked this question a few weeks ago in regards to the 2+2 SnG. Against solid players I will fold this, in the low buy ins I play I will either raise 3x bb and play with extreme caution or fold.

[/ QUOTE ]
Makes sense to me. One of the advantages to raising 3xBB against weak players is that they will frequently call with dominated hands.