AQ to a raise

[Lexicon Devil]

You're holding AQ in mid/late position and a standard pre-flop raise is thrown out before it gets to you. How do you deal with this? Why?

You're holding AQ in the blinds and a standard pre-flop raise is thrown out by the time it gets to you. How do you deal with this? Why?


Obviously it depends on your opponent. Against certain rocks, a fold is in order. Against maniacs, go for a reraise. What about the middle-of-the-road player? Is a call ever a good move, or is it reraise or fold?

[Fnord]

Obviously it depends on your opponent and how comfortable you are playing him post-flop

[Irisheyes]

Fold both situations. Because if he has AK and I hit the A I might loose my stack. AQ is too easily by a lot of raising hands - AA, KK, AK, QQ.

[Fnord]

Because if he has AK and I hit the A I might loose my stack.

You so silly.

[Irisheyes]

Because if he has AK and I hit the A I might loose my stack.

You so silly.

I like to push TPGK

[xX zorrito Xx]

i would call to hit my Q rather than the A with everything else lower on the board...

of course of the A hits i'd like my Q to hit on the same board too...

other than that i'd fold if i hit the A to a large bet unless i have a good read on my opponent...

[Irisheyes]

If you call to hit the Q you are calling a raise on the basis of 3 outs. Thoughts?

This AQ thing is something I've been going over in my head for the last while so please tell me if I'm wrong.

[Fnord]

...I haven't been impressed with any of his posts yet either...

[Miffed22001]

full ring i havent really a clue.
but in the blinds id call hoping for a queen rather than an ace. if i see an ace and he bets i reraise anyway to find out where i am. Cold calls are scary, rerasies are making me fold more often than not, although those reads....!
if the queen hits i call and so long as the river isnt scary i check raise here most often. This should look scary to the opp, i could cold call and then raise the turn with anything. It also gives me a chance to rep scare cards. Again, carefull if opp decides to push.
In mp i think if i can see a flop i will. If im acting last then basically the same sort of strategy applies, i reraise for the aggression and to find out where i am. If i have people in behind me then it really does depend upon who they are. I dont like having taggy players call behind me with position, but i can often deal with looser or laggy players.
have i made a better effort at this post fnord?

[thirteen]

I'm going to toss this out there, and I'd like to hear some thoughts from someone more experienced on this.

I guess it depends on the read, but In scenario 1 where we have postion, I think I may call a standard 3xbb raise with AQ or possibly reraise with it. If an A hits and opponent checks, I may assume he has JJ or lower and is afraid of the flop. Obviously a reraise or a smooth call from him sends up an alert...

Is this a good play when we have postion? Depending on what we know of the person in front of us, he could be raising AJ or mid to high pocket pair, where we could take a good sized pot from him if we hit our Ace.

[bunthorne]

AQ is a tricky hand in a full game.

If you raise and are called and an A flops, it is bloody bad news. You're unlikely to get any action to your bet from anyone with A and weaker kicker (unless they are a weak player) although AJ and AT might call a not-too-big bet. If you're up against AK you could lose your stack if you are not careful. Anyone with a lesser pair will be scared off by the A.

It is much better if a Q flops as you have TPTK and someone with KQ will give you action - you might even get QJ suited to call. A Q is also more likely to give someone a drawing hand who might chase this, so you can bet TPTK with impunity.

Of course if AQ flops, well, .......that's different.

[xX zorrito Xx]

If you call to hit the Q you are calling a raise on the basis of 3 outs. Thoughts?

This AQ thing is something I've been going over in my head for the last while so please tell me if I'm wrong.

primarily that's what you'd like to see if A Q is off suit... maybe a straight draw.. suited A Q would be a much easier calls becuase you also have that nut flush possibility and the royal slim chance...

everything depends on the read you have by your opponent... if you're really concerned he has AA, KK, or QQ and you hit the Q then i'd make a pot sized bet and see if he raises if you don't have a good read on him...

[harmisajedi]

AQ is a tricky hand in a full game.

If you raise and are called and an A flops, it is bloody bad news. You're unlikely to get any action to your bet from anyone with A and weaker kicker (unless they are a weak player) although AJ and AT might call a not-too-big bet.

can i please qualify the last statement? aq is a tricky hand in a full game if you're sitting @ a tight/solid table. i play 100-nl & i've seen fools "protect" their top pair aces, t/9 kicker w/ a 3xpot re-raise...

i'll agree w/ you that aqo is a difficult hand to play from mid-position to a raise... partly b/c you can get trapped against ak but also b/c you can't isolate small pps w/ a reraise, & if you land tptk or 2-pair vs their set, you'll get broken like a cheap toy.

i've just seen somebody call a 9xbb raise w/ kqo in middle position @ one o the tables im playing, so unless i'm making very careful notes on a player & he seems somebody worth paying attention to, i don't give people any goddamn respect.

[Lukie]

I keep on reading these posts about AQ going up against AK and losing your stack if your A hits. Assuming full stacks, you should not be getting all your money in the middle with a 1-pair hand..

If you are losing stacks when you flop top pair, even if you are holding AQ or AK on an A flop, you need to seriously reevaluate your play..

[Rondavu]

Gain a postflop read once in your life for the love of christ. I almost NEVER re-raise with AQ preflop unless it's a steal attempt against a weak player, or I want to isolate a VERY loose player. Re-raising AQ preflop does nothing. I rely on postflop information.

You want to know if your AQ is beat postflop when an ace flops? It's pretty easy. Play it fast. If your opponent plays it faster consider the lay down short of a tight read otherwise. What hand is going to come against your large representation on an ace high flop when you hold AQ? The answer is only AK or another AQ in most cases. Sometimes a lower set or two pair, but usually not. I have folded to a duplicate AQ before in a moderately fat pot, but rarely does my AQ get douched by AK.

If you're able to rep a flop with AQ and value bet through 4th and 5th without getting raised, then you're probably ahead short of a heavily coordinating board.

You get in trouble with AQ when you slowplay it postflop, or you get married to it in the wake of large representation on both sides like an amateur.