AJx - Pre-flop question

[ghettorat]

Party $100 NL

I'm in the CO, 3 limpers to me, I have A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. What would you do? Call, Raise or Fold. If Raise, how much? Table is typical for Party, only real reads are LAG to my right and the guy he just busted two seats over have both limped. I called, which I think was a mistake. Looking back, I probably should have folded.

[wrongpond]

This is a simple answer, I wish I could say I follow it every time, but I'm working on it. You raise. If someone is hoping to limp re-raise, it's up to you to call, but if the flop doesn't hit and hit hard, you've gotta get out. On the other hand if you are not limp re-raised, you could pick up the pot right there, or on the flop, just make sure you come out betting all nonthreatening flops (no str8 poss. no flush poss.). Now with the same two cards but an early position raise pre-flop, I switch into autofold.

[luqui]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm in the CO, 3 limpers to me, I have A J . What would you do? Call, Raise or Fold. If Raise, how much? Table is typical for Party, only real reads are LAG to my right and the guy he just busted two seats over have both limped. I called, which I think was a mistake. Looking back, I probably should have folded.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ummm, I'm missing something? Why would you fold with AJo in late position unraised? Yeah there are limpers, but I don't see that as a reason to fold. Raise it to improve your chances of being best if an ace or jack hits. Did you leave out some important detail?

Luke

[CrisBrown]

Hi ghettorat,

Either raise or fold, and my preference is the latter.

AJo is an ugly hand to play in a multi-way pot, even with position. A J-high flop gives you TPTK, but that's a small pot hand, making it difficult to price drawing hands out of the pot. Hitting the Ace gives you kicker trouble. Hitting the Jack for 2nd or 3rd pair gives you a bluff-catcher ... at best. Even if you hit for two pair, you're likely to be facing at least one opponent who's drawing at a Broadway straight.

If you can get the pot heads-up with a smallish (say, 5xBB) raise, then you might play this hand. But if you'd have to raise more than that to get it heads-up, just fold. Anyone who calls a larger raise is likely to be ahead of you, and may well have you dominated.

Cris -- who has come to loathe AJ (the hand, not the 2+2 poster)

[muzungu]

ghettorat-

I think AJo after limpers in LP is one of those preflop situations (like AQo UTG) where raise, limp, and fold are all reasonable choices. If people are folding to your raises when you have stronger hands, or calling and folding to your flop bets, I'd raise it. At Party 100NL (where I play as well), there are still enough "limp with any ace" types that limping is probably ok too (I probably limp a little more often than I raise). But you have to be disciplined about your post-flop play. And, if you're still squeamish about playing the hand, folding it isn't giving up much EV. So it's more a matter of what you are comfortable with- just make sure not to limp and then go broke when an A hits.

-muz

[ghettorat]

Thanks for the input. I think I'm leaning toward folding if 3 or more limpers, raise if less then 3. Obviously, that will sway a little based on the current table I'm at.

[MS Sunshine]

"I think AJo after limpers in LP is one of those preflop situations (like AQo UTG) where raise, limp, and fold are all reasonable choices."

Even thoguh after two LAG limpers I would lean towards raising, I agree with this statement completely. There is very little EV difference between any decision here.

MS Sunshine

[Earthy Tones]

i would play this aggresively. you will pick up the pot enough for this to be correct. also, this is party poker so you may get called by a number of weaker hands like A10 or Ax suited.

ET

[ALL1N]

I would limp it.