Is calling a raise with A2s bad?

[betgo]

I submitted a post to the 1-table Tournaments forum. It was about a Party SNG the first hand of the tournament where everyone has 800 chips and the blinds are 10/15. 3rd position raised to 45, 4th postion called, and I called on the CO with A2s.

My preflop play wasn't the point of my post, but everyone was attacking me for calling a raise with A2s. I was the only one defending my play and some people were getting really nasty about how I wouldn't listen that it was a bad play.

I have position with 3-way and maybe 4-way action with a speculative hand. I thought the call was fairly standard.

I realize an SNG is slightly different form a cash game, but what do people here think?

[voltron87b]

First off, calling raises with A2s at Level 1 is a bad play in an SNG.

Second, A2s is usually not playable for a large raise. It has practiaclly zero value aside from the wheel and flush draw in a raised pot. I will call raises with 78s but not A2s.

[betgo]

[ QUOTE ]
It has practiaclly zero value aside from the wheel and flush draw in a raised pot.

[/ QUOTE ]

In TJ's book on tournament proactice hands, he says you can call a raise in a tournament with Axs if someone else has already called. I don't take his advice as gospel, but he doesn't say much good about any hand except AA, so I figured there may be something here.

You can make aces up or trip deuces top kicker, both of which may be deceptive hands that could win a big pot. If you make a flush, you may double up against someone with a smaller flush. If you get a flush draw, you have atleast the ace and maybe a gutshot or pair, so you are likely to have a strong draw you can play aggressively. If you are in late position, you may be able to tell if your TPNK is good when an ace flops and win a small pot.

You really need deep money, multiway action, late position and weaker opponents to play this hand in a raised pot. In this case, I had all of those to some degree. Also, this was the first hand of the SNG, so I suspected that my opponents also might not have raising hands and might give loose action later in the hand.

Since no one will defend me in this forum either, I will accept that the call was bad. However, it can't be that EV-, since there are a lot of times the speculative hand will hit or I can pick up the pot with position.

[freemoney]

theres also alot of times you will overplay your flush draw and get called by a made hand and lose your stack, even if you make aces up other players will usuaully have alot of outs to pull ahead of a very vulnerable 2 pair, and the times you call another small bet with something crappy like a gutshot, backdoor flush. not to mentinon when flop comes a-7-9, are u on auto fold there? theres very little value to this hand

[voltron87b]

It's a +EV hand in an unraised pot. In a raised pot it's -EV 90%.

[partygirluk]

I think this is pretty bad unless you are playing really deep. Playing at least 3 ways v. a raise and a call, you are not going to be comfortable hitting an Ace. So you are looking to hit 2 pair, 345 or a flush. This won't happen often enough, and even when you do hit, the board will be pretty scary for your opps, so you might not make too much. This is a pretty bad call IMO