Standard play with AQ?

[Sam T.]

Early in SnG's this is a standard play for me, so if I'm dorking it up, please let me know.

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t15 (10 handed) converter

saw flop|<font color="C00000">saw showdown</font>

MP1 (t770)
MP2 (t420)
<font color="C00000">Hero (t770)</font>
CO (t1240)
Button (t725)
<font color="C00000">SB (t770)</font>
BB (t1135)
UTG (t715)
UTG+1 (t720)
UTG+2 (t735)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
UTG calls t15, <font color="666666">3 folds</font>, MP2 calls t15, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises to t80</font>, <font color="666666">2 folds</font>, SB calls t70, <font color="666666">1 fold</font>, UTG calls t65, MP2 calls t65.

Flop: (t335) 9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(4 players)</font>
SB checks, UTG checks, MP2 checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets t300</font>, <font color="CC3333">SB raises to t600</font>, UTG folds, MP2 folds, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises to t690 (All-In)</font>, SB calls t90 (All-In).

Turn: (t1715) 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players, 2 all-in)</font>

River: (t1715) 2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players, 2 all-in)</font>

Final Pot: t1715
<font color="green">Main Pot: t1715 (t1715), between Hero and SB.</font>

[SayGN]

I'm no expert, but putting all your chips on the line with top pair and 2nd best kicker is risky after a reraise of half your chips. Ace queen is one of those hands that you can really lose alot of money on. I would say that with a flop like that, the guy is obviously representing trips. So, even if you connected on your 2 pair on the turn, I wouldn't call you the favorite to win the pot. You would need to hit trips with your aces which means you have a minimal number of outs. I know it is early in the tournament, but what do you know about this guy? Have you played with him before? What has his play been like up to that point in the SnG? I would say its a judgement call depending on what you know about the player but I would strongly lean towards folding simply because I wouldn't want to put all my chips on the line with top pair and high kicker so early in the tournament, especially if you don't have a good read on your opponent. It would be tough to let go of half your chips and walk away from the hand..but you have to do it I think.

[holeplug]

I think you played this hand too strong especially early in the tourney like this. Since its so early I would doubt you have a read on SB at this point so you have no idea if hes an idiot or a strong player. I wouldn't have raised so much preflop and wouldn't have bet 300 on the flop. You've risked half your stack with a pair of Aces and when you get raised hes telling you he can beat your Aces. I think you can find out where you are on this hand (but again since its early you still really don't know) by betting alot less on the flop.

[Jason Strasser]

This comes down to bet sizes. I think 80 preflop is too large, I'd make it 55-60. Then on the flop, I don't bet the pot, because a 1/2 pot bet will do the trick on a flop like this (no draws). If you are reraised, you have the chance to fold. I'm not sure what I do, it has a lot to do with my read, the texture of the play at the table, etc. It certainly looks like 99, but I have no idea. You will get shown AJ and AT occasionally here.

I can't tell you how to play the hand, but just that the way you played it gave you no chance to fold. You might as well go all in on the flop if you are going to pot commit yourself like that.

My advice: Keep the pot smaller, allow for the opportunity to get away from this hand *if* you want to.

[TJD]

I will fold AQs here pre flop. In fact I am probably in the kitchen making a cup of tea at this point. I will play AQs for a raise in LP with no limpers.

My thinking is "am I more likely to break someone or go broke with this hand".

Painful experience from loose ring games lets me know that TPTK rarely gets through a hand unscathed against many opponents. Now in a ring game ,that is OK, you just play the long term odds and accept the losses.

However, in a tournament you can't go to the cage for more chips. I want to preserve my chips for when it matters which is later. At a later stage AQs is a monster. For now, my thinking is that I will probably only break someone with a flush and that is not the most likely occurrence here; TPTK or overcards is more likely and will be almost impossible to judge what to do. If I get those, I could easily lose quite a few chips. I would rather not put myself in that position at this early stage.

Just my view. I would welcome comments.

Trevor

[Sam T.]

I posted this because I was afraid I'm too results-oriented. Virtually every time I'm in this situation, some clown shows me an ace with a lousy kicker. This guy was no different, betting the farm with A5s. (Stupidest check-raise semi-bluff ever? As Jason pointed out, I can't fold at this point.)

I'm still trying to find an opening bet I like in early rounds. The 3xBB doesn't work until 25/50, so in rounds 1 &amp; 2 I tend to go with 10% of my stack. (In this case the slide slipped, but I didn't bother fixing it.) Maybe 5xBB is better.

I also like the half-pot bet on the flop, even though I probably would have had to fold the winning hand to a large check-raise. This does raise the question of pot vs. 1/2 pot bets, but I'll start another thread on that one...

[BradleyT]

I think the fact that it was a check-raise AND a min-raise should have thrown off some major red flags. You showed strength pre-flop and strength on the flop but the SB is unconcerned about that and shows you even more strength.

I think you're ahead in this situation 5% of the time (after the min checkraise) unless you're up against total morons, although you do have outs vs. 92 and A2 and A9. I still don't like the call.

The way the hand ended I don't think there's any possible way you won this hand. You put too many chips in pre-flop and on the flop with an OK hand. Never lose all your chips (early) on an OK hand.

[Jason Strasser]

Please do not take offense, but you can not fold AQs here under any circumstances.

There really isnt much more to say. This is a raising spot for a raising hand. Folding preflop is abusrd. Saying you that you wont play it after a limper is absurd. The tone of voice that you use is timid and scared... With AQ you raise preflop, and if you hit TPKG you are going to be ahead a vast majority of the time. This is ABC, 123.

[ZeeJustin]

Your preflop raise is too big, and your flop bet is pretty big as well. You should try as hard as you can to find a line of play that has a good chance of winning you the pot, but at the same time, significantly decreases your chances of going broke. It's as if you were trying as hard as possible to get all of your money in the pot with a mediocre hand. The way you played it, you simply can't ever fold.

FWIW, I limp AQo in that spot preflop, although I agree, AQs is an easy raise (I would prolly raise to 45 or 60).

[Jason Strasser]

I raise AQo, if anyone cared, although it is close. AJs limp, AJo muck (sometimes limp), ATs limp (behind a limper)... Raising AQo works for me, and I'm sure limping AQo works for ZJ. I think you can really go either way.