Problem with AQo

[avisco01]

I can't seem to get away from AQo. I truly believe its one of the main reasons for my overall losses. I'm honestly considering not even playing it. I always seem to run into AK or trips (sometimes made on the river which is always fun). It doesn't seem to matter if its a solid player, or a terrible player, this hand seems to cost me more than its worth. I suppose the easy answer is to fold the hand when it seems that I'm beat, but its tough to know exactly given the unpredictability of some of the good and bad players alike. Just wondering if anyone else has a problem with this hand, and looking for any advice to improve how I play it. Every time I get this hand I dread what's going to happen (I know, part of the problem...).

[Grease]

Post some hands and get some feedback from everyone.

[obisponator]

Read Sklansky's chapter on AQo in Hold'um for advanced players. You will find many answers there, young grasshopper [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img]

-Obi-

[imported_CaseClosed326]

Small sample size maybe? How many AQ hands do you have?

[crunchy1]

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I can't seem to get away from AQo. I truly believe its one of the main reasons for my overall losses.

[/ QUOTE ]
I really, REALLY have high doubts about this.

[hold_em]

I too have a problem with AQo. It is a small winner for me but, not at the level it seems that it should. I think it is a hand like AJo or KQo, it is good to come in raising with but, not good to call or reraise with(in general). The exception might be if you have a read that a player is extremely loose raiser it might be ok to reraise with a few of the hands. But, you wouldn't be giving up alot by folding AQo,KQo, and AJo to a raise IMHO.

[jskills]

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I can't seem to get away from AQo. I truly believe its one of the main reasons for my overall losses. I'm honestly considering not even playing it.

[/ QUOTE ]

You should seriously consider not even playing cards if you're not going to play AQ.

AQ is a great starting hand. You can almost always open raise with it.

However, if you are up against a preflop raiser, you have a decision to make. Depending on reads, you could fold to an ultra tight rock who almost never raises, or 3-bet some loose player who raises from middle or late position.

Post flop play is key with this hand. If you hit the ace and run into aggression, you could be against AK when you call down, but so be it if that's the case. That's poker. But in all likelihood, you will have top pair top kicker when hit hit the flop in an unraised (not counting your preflop raise) pot.

Yes, this hand can be tricky, but don't just discount it. I believe there is a section in SSHE entirely devoted to this hand ...

[coolhanded]

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Post flop play is key with this hand. If you hit the ace and run into aggression, you could be against AK when you call down, but so be it if that's the case. That's poker. But in all likelihood, you will have top pair top kicker when hit hit the flop in an unraised (not counting your preflop raise) pot.

[/ QUOTE ]

Great. Now what about post-flop play when you don't flop top pair (A or Q)? That's where AQ gets tricky. Reads and position are main considerations.

Need a couple of hands posted.

[avisco01]

Five things:

1) Thank you all for the quick feedback.

2) I will post some hands as soon as I get home, unfortunately I can't play online poker at work (notice I said online...), thus I can't retrieve any hand histories at the present time.

3) I don't recall a chapter on AQ in Hold em for Advanced Players, but I will check that out, thanks.

4) I was being facetious when I alluded to folding this hand preflop. I have folded it preflop to a raiser and a reraiser though, unless suited. I do recall a few occasions folding it to an UTG raiser whom I perceived to be rather tight. In fact, I usually will fold this hand to one preflop raiser, depending on position, for fear of domination. My thinking being, if I reraise and the original raiser caps, I almost certainly can't be good and have just cost myself a couple small bets. Thus I find folding to be the safer alternative most times. On the flop I'd rather hit a Q than an A, if the flop is Q high, if I was the sole preflop raiser, I must say.

5) I seem to recall losing big pots with this hand getting rivered mostly, or winning small pots. I of course have won a few big pots with it flopping straights or trips and the like. My main point was that this hand seems to me to cause me more trouble than its worth. Maybe its more bad luck than anything, but again, I'll check the hand histories and post a few shortly. Just needed to vent a bit and see if others were experiencing similar negative results with this hand. When it comes down to it, its all about decisions though, which I didn't provide via example hands, so I apologize for not waiting for a better time to post this, with some example hands.

[xxxxx]

If you are playing no fold em hold em. AQo isn't that good. No opportunity to make a big hand. You'd rather flop a flush draw than TPTK.

On a loose passive table I'll call a raise with it but not raise myself. Which is contradictory since you need a stronger hand to call a raise than to raise. I guess I should raise and charge the drawers.