General question. Ax

[Womble]

I never play Ax unless x is a ten or above in the right position. But if you get a free play out the blinds or go for a steal from the cut off on a tight table with A2, A4 etc what should you do with an A flop.

Last night I got A3 in the BB with a flop of Axx (rainbow and totally uncoordinated). I got bet into from a mid player and folded becuase I had no kicker.

Any situations where you can play with a pair of Aces with no kicker?

[bozlax]

How big was the pot? Any reads on the bettor? How many players still in the pot?

As always, "It depends."

[BruceF]

[ QUOTE ]
I never play Ax unless x is a ten or above in the right position.

You should consider playing Axs from MP or LP - you have a positive EV with these plays. Even A2s is a positive EV play from MP or LP b/c of top pair and nut flush hands.

Don't be afraid to be aggressive to protect your Axs hand - even A2 from the blinds will win frequently. Depending on the board, I will often play Axs aggressively, even with a low kicker. Why not try for a raise on the flop with A rag rag? If you're in the blinds, why not bet out? This is a cheap, informational bet. You could also have TP, so you should protect your hand.

[Womble]

Lol, I knew an 'it depends' was coming. Ill make up a hand becuase I cant find it.

Hero in BB with A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]5 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
UTG+2 calls, MP2 calls, SB calls, Hero checks (typical 4 players on $1/2)

Flop A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
UTG+2 checks, MP2 bets, SB folds/calls, Hero ???

Something like that, I know people like to play Axs so would folding on flops like this when its not heads up GENERALLY be good? Heads up it may be a bluff so you could raise to see a response

[BruceF]

Womble - in your example, let's assume you don't have a read on MP2. He could be betting a pair of aces, jacks, threes, pocket pair, etc. He could be bluffing. The point is that you don't know for sure. Why not bet it out on the flop or raise if someone has bet in front of you. This does 2 things - protects your hand by chasing some other hands and lets you know whether the initial bettor really has aces. Even if he is representing aces, he might have a worse kicker. Your raise may buy you a free card on the turn. I'd then check/call on the river unless I was absolutely sure this guy had the goods.

[K C]

Yup it always depends [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

This is a tough call if you have no read on the guy. But in most cases you will, unless you or he just sat down. What you really want to go by here is his bet frequency on the flop. If he's betting quite a bit in this situation, I'd even raise him here. If he's tight, you're going to want to throw this away of course. It very often comes down to how the player plays though, as is the case here as well.

KC
http://kingcobrapoker.com