Minimum Limpers for Axs

[mannika]

Looking through my PT stats, I noticed that my Axs stats for A2-A9 were less than impressive. I'm fairly sure that I'm playing them way too often.

So the question is: assuming mid-late position, what is the minimum number of limpers that you need in order to turn profits on A2-A9s?

Any thoughts appreciated

[fimbulwinter]

6max i only play em on button/co with two limpers in front.

folded to me i raise Axs every time in those positions.

fim

[mannika]

sorry, should have specified, was looking for 10 max advice

[BobboFitos]

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sorry, should have specified, was looking for 10 max advice

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They generally are trouble hands, becase online it's tough to have the discipline/stack size soley for flush draws/nut flushes and ignore the ace when youpair it.

Party 50bb stacks really dont offer enough to play Axs, but if you want to, try to only play from button/CO/Co-1. And dont play them to raises.

[kuro]

Axs have great implied odds. You want to play them like you would a small pocket pair. You're looking to play them for cheap (less than say 4% of your stack size) and ideally against multiple people. So you're looking to play them from late position usually. If your table is really passive or if you have multiple LAG players that always limp and will usually play even if someone in late position raises then you can get away with playing them from early position.

You're looking to hit two pair on the flop and have someone with AceBig bet into you or you are looking for a flush draw where you are given the pot odds to chase. You can also make money off of them when you hit trips on the flop. Sometimes with AceLittle you can win with a small straight, but you have to remember that you have the sucker end of the straight (this is especially true if you're playing A2s).

When you're looking to win by making your flush draw, you have to take into account the likely hood there will be another bet on the turn when you're evaluating if you really have pot odds to chase all the way to the river. So you'll often need multiple players to stay in the pot for the turn/river in order to justify chasing if a player is betting at the pot. You also have to be careful when the board is paired, because you may be drawing dead.

Semi-bluffing on the flop with this kind of hand can sometimes win the pot outright or allow you to see the river card for free. It can also disguise that you're on a flush draw when you make your hand. This has worked well for me in pots against say 2 people with LAGs that think they might be out kicked or with tight players that like to slow play and misinterpret your move. You have to have a good feel for how likely your opponent is to come over the top of you in order to consider semi-bluffing with this kind of hand.

I love Axs because you can win so many different ways with them and you often get paid off big with them if you hit the flop hard. You just have to be careful that you don't chase without pot odds and that you can throw them away when you just pair an ace. You also have to make sure that you are playing them for relatively cheap compared to your stack size or you'll lose money on them.

[BobboFitos]

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I love Axs because you can win so many different ways with them and you often get paid off big with them if you hit the flop hard. You just have to be careful that you don't chase without pot odds and that you can throw them away when you just pair an ace. You also have to make sure that you are playing them for relatively cheap compared to your stack size or you'll lose money on them.

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... Which is not the case on a site like Party where the structure is not condusive towards playing speculative hands.

The rest of Kuro' post is solid, but one excerpt...

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You're looking to hit two pair on the flop and have someone with AceBig bet into you

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A general NL strat is to not knowingly commit money preflop with a dominated hand with the hopes that you flop 2 pair, so they are reverse dominated - and really, you could do this with any hand, such as K4o, Q8s, etc etc.

So don't play AXs hoping to hit an ace and your kicker and toast someone with top pair. (Although this happens)

[Chris Daddy Cool]

having limpers is much more important in limit than no limit. but position is way more important in no limit.

when looking at your Axs hands you should focus more on your position.

[kuro]

I guess I should have clarified that. I meant that if you can play them for cheap one of the benefits is that if you are fortunate enough to hit 2 pair that you can often extract money from people that were limping with Acebig. Which is nice for example against people that try to trap others by limping with AK.

If you know that you're dominated by someone that is playing AceBig then of course don't play it unless your stack is huge compared to the cost of playing it.