AJ how to?

I find AJ is costing me money recently,

preflop
i've been raising in late
sometimes raising from mid
and limping from early

i'll call small raises from all positions, slightly bigger raises from late(but not a reraise of my initial raise if i'm first to make the bet)

flop
betting out on top pair, more so if its the J pair.. as the A is often dominated, so i'll slow down if i get more than one caller on the aces

is this strategically sound or am i going to gradually lose my bankroll?

one other question.. if i'm on Ax suited, should i limp from late for flush value

What stakes are you playing? Limit, NL, what?

ah yes, sorry.. .1/.2 NL

I limp it in 25NL, ill raise if its folded to me in LP, i camp

I usually dump this hand in every position. Even at the stakes I play (NL25), there's still the chance that some a-hole limped in EP with AK/AQ. I've been burned time and time again.

With that said....I am a camper. I play tighter than tight, so I may not be a good one to ask.

I think it would be a good play to limp MP and dump if raised......or to raise in LP with no raisers and very few callers in front of you too.

thanks guys

Originally Posted by BIGandRICH

one other question.. if i'm on Ax suited, should i limp from late for flush value

with a bunch of limpers ahead of you: yes, but be careful if you pair the ace

I fold AJ in ep. I need better position for that hand to work.

My shiny new Poker Tracker indicated to me (after, I should add, only 3,000 or so hands, so not enough to make a firm conclusion) that AJs and KQs are the "good" hands I lose by far the most money on. Implied odds, I tell you, that's what it's all about.

Originally Posted by biondino

My shiny new Poker Tracker indicated to me (after, I should add, only 3,000 or so hands, so not enough to make a firm conclusion) that AJs and KQs are the "good" hands I lose by far the most money on. Implied odds, I tell you, that's what it's all about.

K-Q is my least favorite hand in holdem.

I'll limp in with A-J in early and early middle position, consider raising with it in middle position, and raise with it in late position. I fold it to almost any raise preflop.

KQ isnt too bad for me at micro stakes(2/4, 5/10), i can raise with it.. get called by 10Q, 10K, KJ.. AQ, AK will re-raise me most times so i can then get out and avoid difficult decisions, but at 10/20 and up i'm limping, rarely raising from LP, and folding to anything more than a min raise.. i can usually out play a min raise with any 2 cards if theres isnt too many people in the pot.

If your losing on AJ it's most likely the way your playing. To help I really would need to know how the people at the table are playing... so I'll give my suggestions like this:

If people are bullying pots~ I would call possibly depending on bet or check if in position to. If top pair you should bet a decent amount i'd say a bet you feel shows you meen business but aren't ready to risk it all ( meaning "Leave yourself Outs!" ) If you had a pair on Js and a higher card appears and the one calling/checking bets he obviously hit a higher pair (so fold). If not check or slow bet the rest of the way through.

If people are playing relatively tite~ You have to bet a little over the Blinds, by doing so many of the players hoping for flop options will fold out leaving thoughs who might call. If called and flop shows and it doesn't hit, check and see what oponents do. If a bet is placed you need to fold as you are now hoping for a catch. If checked through either the player has pockets or high pair and is fooling you or they really don't have anything yet. In these casses if unsure check all through and/or bet small call small, if ever re-raised and you don't have anything or top pair I would generally suggest folding.

These are just a few new things you could try, maybe it's not your style but it's sometimes good to try new things.

Best Of Luck