Which one's better in SH? A3! KJ! A3! KJ! Tastes great! Less filling!

[creedofhubris]

One of my friends and I are having an argument about which hand is better to be holding on the button in a shorthanded game, A3o or KJo.

We are contemplating a situation where we're open-raising from the button with normal shorthanded opponents, a.k.a. loose action junkies, in the blinds.

He likes A3 because it "wins more showdowns". I like KJ because you can bet it with more confidence if you hit, you're more likely to hit top pair, and you're likely to win a kicker battle.

I suspect that in a very passive game, A3 might be better. I play higher stakes than he does, so he's probably used to very passive checking stations.

Thoughts?

[flawless_victory]

in a lower limit game against really weak players the KJ is waaay better.
in a bigger game w/ decent players and decebnt stcks A3 is better, but that is closer.

[creedofhubris]

[ QUOTE ]
in a lower limit game against really weak players the KJ is waaay better.
in a bigger game w/ decent players and decebnt stcks A3 is better, but that is closer.

[/ QUOTE ]

That is the opposite way I would've thought about it. Can you explain some of your reasoning?

[xorbie]

KJ is easily better than A3. A3 wins far less medium sized pots because its so often outkicked when a lot but not all the money goes in. KJ can also make straights twice as easily and can semibluff with much more ease. im not really convinced a3 is ever better than KJ because the difference in the times a pair Ks is good enough to showdown vs a pair of As is far less than the difference in the times a pair Js is good vs a pair of 3's.

[Jeff W]

In limit holdem, KJ is superior because aces are bluff outs and your pairs get more action. KJ unimproved wins almost the same number of unimproved showdowns that A3 does.

I am an NL novice, but I wonder if some of the same ideas hold.

[edge]

I take KJ. You can make twice as many good pairs with it!

By the way, what's high-stakes and what's medium? I missed the split.

[Yeti]

KJ

[durrrr]

[ QUOTE ]
in a lower limit game against really weak players the KJ is waaay better.
in a bigger game w/ decent players and decebnt stcks A3 is better, but that is closer.

[/ QUOTE ]


whoa... huh? please explain your reasoning.

[ansky451]

I'll take KJ.

A3o just makes no real hands. 2 pair i guess, disguised trips, but thats about it.

[edge]

Against weak players KJ can hit K-better-kicker and J-better-kicker and get lots of value. Even weak players may occasionally have a 3 kicker beaten. When you're deepstacked vs decent players, A3 is better because you can hit top trips and wheel (although KJ can hit Broadway, which is often great action). A3 can hit nut one-card-flush too. More strong hands than KJ.

I'm awesome. I just saw the labels on the forums. Looks pretty cool.