Ax and Kx suited

[winky51]

So what to the people that play think of these?

You have about a 14.5% chance to flop something REAL good or a draw to the flush. 1:5.9 odds

So I feel you need about 4 callers for the Axs and Kxs but for Kxs you need to be on the button or CO.

Now the real question is if you raise on the button or CO if you have Axs and 4+ callers?

I would figure no on Kxs since it is much more vulnerable.

opinions? experiences?

[Rah]

I basically never play Kxs. I would *maybe* play them with a lot of limpers and with me on the button.

Axs I'll gladly play from most positions - if the game is very loose/passive I even limp with them from early position.
Raising is a different story. You won't raise with only Axs, since you are drawing to a flush and the odds are not favourable yet. I would probably raise if the kicker was ten or larger though.

[sthief09]

Axs are good hands. you don't need that many people in. in loose games like PP 3/6 and down I used to limp with them UTG. Kxs is a lot worse, simply because a pair of aces beats a pair of kings. a lot of times with Axs you'll flop a couple of backdoor draws and have the overcard. with Kxs sometimes there will be an A on the board and you'll have no overcard.

[sthief09]

Axs is good for blind stealing. second or sometimes third in, A9s or A8s are usually raising hands

[private joker]

If the table is really loose and passive, I'll play Kxs from the SB if I just have to complete for half a small bet. I don't call raises from the BB with Kxs, and I'll only call a raise from the BB with Axs if the raise was EP and there were tons of cold-callers giving me good odds to call one more SB.

[DataMiner]

Kxs is rarely playable at 3/6. If you're in the SB and there are already five players in (four + BB), complete the bet. Similarly, I'd call a raise in the BB if I would make the hand at least six-handed.

I never played A2s - A7s from EP at 3/6. Too many players limp with Ax. I generally didn't play A8s or A9s from EP, but if the table is particularly passive (or particularly loose and not terribly aggressive), go ahead and put in three bucks. A8s/A9s in EP hates putting in six dollars PF.

In MP, I usually called with Axs if I felt the pot would be at least four-handed (including my hand).

In the CO or on the button, Axs is almost always playable. Limp if there are limpers. Raise if you're the first (or sometimes second) one in. Call a raise only if the pot is multiway.

Don't raise with Axs in the CO/button if there are a few limpers. You're likely to get check-called all the way by an ace with a better kicker. But if your suited rag is an 8 or a 9, raising is at least as reasonable as calling.

[sthief09]

I think you put that well. I don't agree with folding Axs in loose passive (preflop) 3/6 games up front, but I have no proof that it's correct to. I just pretty much follow what I've read here for that. In most games, they are pretty bad hands to play up front, but it felt pretty good at 3/6. maybe I'm wrong though.

[winky51]

I generally work the Axs as such

AKs, AK, AQs, AQ, AJs RAISE EP
AJ, ATs, A9s limp EP
A8s, A7s only played from MP 1st in I raise, otherwise call.
A6s-A2s play only in blinds, CO, BUT with 4 callers. Or if 1st in on BUT I raise with these. Maybe A5s, A6s on the CO.

Whatcha think?

BTW I don't like raising with ATs EP because I usually find some prick behind me cold calling with AJ or AQ.

[DataMiner]

AKs, AK, AQs, AQ, AJs RAISE EP

I totally agree. Re-Raise with the first two, cold-call with AQs and AJs, and fold AQ to a raise unless the raiser raises way too often (say...more than 15% PF), in which case you'd re-raise. Don't cold-call three bets with any of these. And cap only with AKs. (Other than "15%," this is verbatim from SSHE -- I haven't added anything new.)

AJ, ATs, A9s limp EP

I generally didn't like limping from EP with A9s. I doubt it matters much. Just don't cold-call with it. I tried limping with AJo and raising with it. I found little difference (similar story with KQo). I tended to raise most of the time with KQs and limp only rarely. (I would only limp if the table were filled with a handful of TA-N/TA-A who kept 3-betting me.)

A8s, A7s only played from MP 1st in I raise, otherwise call.

I disagree here. I'd limp A8s from MP no matter what. I'd only raise it from the CO/button. You desperately need position to play this hand correctly on the flop and turn and to a lesser degree on the river.

A7s is too weak to play if the pot isn't multiway. The biggest difference b/w A7s and A8s? Undercards.

Under 8: 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (six cards)
Over 8: 9, T, J, Q, K, A (six cards)

Under 7: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (five cards)
Over 7: 8, 9, T, J, Q, K, A (seven cards)

Given a random Ax that overcalls you, you're more likely to be dominated when holding A7s. And if you're dominating PF, then you may be reverse dominated if an ace and a rag under seven hits on the flop.

N.B.: Against a tight/aggressive player, you'll only get overcalled if he's holding Axs where x is 9 or lower. If he has ATs (or ATo in the CO/button) through AK, he'll raise you. Against a passive player, you'll only get raised by AK and maybe AQ. In either case, you're much better off with A8s than A7s.

A6s-A2s play only in blinds, CO, BUT with 4 callers. Or if 1st in on BUT I raise with these. Maybe A5s, A6s on the CO.

I'd only raise with A6s/A5s from the CO if I know the blinds and the button are too tight. But if that's true, I'll raise with much worse than these hands. Generally, I'd blind steal from the CO with no less than A8s. If someone cold-calls with Ax, I don't want to give them better than even money to have a higher rag than I.

[winky51]

[ QUOTE ]
I generally work the Axs as such

AKs, AK, AQs, AQ, AJs RAISE EP
AJ, ATs, A9s limp EP
A8s, A7s only played from MP 1st in I raise, otherwise call.
A6s-A2s play only in blinds, CO, BUT with 4 callers. Or if 1st in on BUT I raise with these. Maybe A5s, A6s on the CO.

Whatcha think?

BTW I don't like raising with ATs EP because I usually find some prick behind me cold calling with AJ or AQ.

[/ QUOTE ]



Wow this sounds like me exactly. I hate those pricks that cold call AJ and never raise when that ace flops. I agree with you Axsss and how to play with them.