Can we discuss the KJ and AJ vs Axs and suited connectors. My logic in choosing one over the other is what I think is the common problem that players play Axs (or other drawing hands) and then forget why they got into the hand in the first place and end up pay the winner off just because they hit a pair with a crappy kicker. Or they overpay for their draw. But I'm happy to discuss the different pro's/cons of one vs the other.
Despite of "attack/defence" style and fiery criticism of both sides, this is one of the best discussions I saw on FTR. DaNutsInYoEye and Aokrongly...props to both of you guys.

ok, here's go my opinion:

Hands like KJ, AJ, AT (mainly offsuit "broadways") are known to have reasonable chance of preflop pot equity against given number of random hands. They win showdowns more often than not. But there is a problem in NL, because % of winning SD means little, especially if game resembles "aggressive". Offsuit broadways are good non-multiway LHE hands. But in "pressure oriented" game like NL or PL, thinking in terms of preflop percantage of winning showdowns and preflop "direct pot odds" (not implied/reverse implied) is actually useless.

Recently I got Sklansky's new book and there is simple preflop crashcourse for getting started, WITHOUT offsuit broadways in early and mid positions. AJos is default open fold from any position, KJ is crappy hand and worse than Q9s because it hardly takes any pressure. Flush-draw or OESD can played even for stacks as semibluff but something like TPGK in limped pot is not much better than TPNK or middle pair because if you get action on flop, it's most likely from something better than top pair - and if someone has worse hand, he will fold it on flop because of implied threat. You can beat only a draw, nothing more. Once in a while you will catch some sucker that overplays his TPNK and you will win small/moderate pot or lose moderate/big pot if he pairs his kicker or gets his flush. The only big pot you win if you and opponent pair both of cards, and he will still be reluctant to go broke in unraised pot with two pairs. But flush against flush or low end of straight against high end - he will gladly go AI drawing stone cold dead.

I liked one of Sklansky's basic concepts: "in deep-stack NL cash game you play hands that can extract lot of money POSTFLOP - big pot hands".


As you know I'm not a pure odds player, so what are the odds of flopping TP with AJ or KJ vs the odds of flopping a flush draw with Axs. We'll assume that both of these are limping hands that won't be played in a raised pot. (however, once we see what the true odds are, we may decide that Axs is worth playing in other situations. who knows.)
TP with AJ/KJ is about 30%, slightly worse than TPTK from Slick.
Flopping any flushdraw with Ax is about 10% (tainted paired boards included).

Axs is definitely worth playing against small raise, especially with good relative position and multiway pot. Flushes, Aces-up or better (and nail TPTK the same way as with set) , NFD+overcard draw, combo draws ets.