Hi,
I'm playing at fulltilt ($33 SnG)
I've been many times into trouble with AQo in early position (UTG for example).
Blinds are still low (20/40). What should i Do ?
option 1 ) Raise
- Raise about 140 (blinds are 20/40)
- In my last 2 SnG, i got 2 callers, of course no A nor Q on the flop.
- With 2 callers i didn't make any Cbet (may be a mistake).
- One of the callers then made a bet on the flop, and i fold.
- it's not a terrible result, i only lost 140, but did i play it well ?
option 2 ) call
I tried this option too. I think it's a bad option. i always get several callers (or a raiser). i often get into trouble.
Option 3 ) Fold AQo in ealy position. And wait for a premium hand when blinds are still
low ?
May be the best option ? But it's not easy to fold AQo
What are you doing with AQo in this kind of situation?
And sorry for my average english, i'm also trying to pratice it 
yes pharreal87, it's 9max SnG.
I think you're right, with only 1 caller (and if the raise is the best option), i should try a C-bet and see what's happening.
also i'm sure the times you raise and don't win the hand you lose a little but when you do hit you will win more.
cr4eee,
I play the stt 9 mans as well on full tilt and although I haven't really had into many problems with raising with AQ utg, i think your raise size is to big. Make it 100 which is 2 and a half times the big blind and if you miss the flop, no big deal but folding early is definitely an okay play as well.
I meant to post about raising less when i first read this but forgot.
Ok thks for all your comments.
I will try to raise a little less next time
i fold or maybe call that early. problem utg is that is you get raised you are in a bad spot. you are a coin flip or behind and then if i did limp i would fold.
the problem with a raise in early position is that you ussually get 2 or three callers early on so a raise does no good. and if some one 3 bets you you have to fold.
I raise 100% of the time that early in a tourney. I dont mind releasing to a 3 bet especially if its off suit. I find not many people are willing to 3 bet early unless they're maniacs or have the goods. Call is never an option unless im in the sb with a few limpers out. Sometimes i'll fold there 2.
That WPT Poker boot camp says you fold AQ under the gun...I don't know if I fully agree but anyone who has won millions is worth a listen.
Early stage, UTG AQo? Fold.....
I sometimes raise sometimes fold. I'd never call.
It's not a problem folding to a 3-bet.
As for C betting definitely into 1 person as you've shown strength from UTG but slow down if you get more than one caller.
If you dont feel comfortable playing the hand when you miss then just fold pre it's fine.
Depends on how much confidence you have in your abilities post-flop. If you can idenitfy flops that are decent for c-betting into two players then imo a raise is ok; but a raise to 100ish as someone else stated is probably a better idea than 140.
Limping utg is ewwwww and will hardly ever work out. You can't seriously advocate limp/folding AQo as a good way of playing it? And if you're limp/calling then its the same scenario as where you raised only youre seeing the flop on the back foot. The alternative scenario occurs when your limp triggers a limp chain - small-mid pocket pairs will come along and late position players will come along with more speculative hands like connectors. You'll be seeing a flop multi-ways, out of position vs most, and unless you hit it really hard you can get into trouble far too easily.
I guess a fold is alright too. Table reads would be important imo, like if your table is fishier than average you may want to fold as the chances of getting multiple callers increases. But if there's one particular loose player who you feel you can isolate, or if the table as a whole is tight, then a raise becomes more attractive.
first 2 levels and UTG fold, unless its a passive table and u are suited.
yepp it is kind of a three-way-hand.
i sometimes folded it at aggressive tables, but i hated myself for doing so everytime.
i prefer to mix limp sometimes raise here.
limping obv. is a tough spot. it is extremely villain dependent how to act afterwards.
with several random limpers it´s mostly easy, u give up if u don´t hit. not very good, but u lost just one bb. if u hit u mostly win a small pot, u of course gotta be careful and judge the action. if i hit top pair on a dry flop i often play for my stack against a random villain. my hand is concealed and i frequently see second best hands here.
if i get raised by someone unknown i will definitely flat and see a flop. against a unknown raiser and a caller u still can call here imo, AQ is strong enough to do that given ur odds. There are situations i definitely consider 3betting since my early position limping range includes monsters.
if a player who knows me raises i mostly fold, he gives me an at least medium strength hand here but raises anyway. I give him credit here.
raising here is even tougher since u mostly give up when someone 3bets u, mostly are oop when called, and the only obv. benefit is that u might win the blinds uncontested and that ur opponent might have to fold on a c-bet. but u need to raise it sometimes to be less predictable. best scenario here is to be called by the bb only.
given a typical early position raising range u will hardly get a call from worse aces since they have to fear domination, it´ll be AK or medium pairs up to JJ in most cases. I personally flat with really strong hands against an early raiser sometimes, and i suspect a caller to maybe do the same.
no spot for hero moves and big pots, let it go if u dont hit it big.
both plays have some advantages, but they lose them if u don´t make both plays. u always have to mix it up and make sure ur opponents know u can be pretty strong when u limp. any hand i play from early positions in the early levels plays best when u mix raises and limps so that they never know exactly what ur early position play means.
so folks thats my thoughts and it took me quite some time to express them, since i am german and try to make it precisely understandable to someone from anywhere in the world. if someone has comments or disagrees: thats why i post my thoughts here. but please if u disagree: take some time to show me in which points u disagree for what reasons. I dont post here to get comments like "it´s just wrong u gotta raise it", there is nothing to learn for me from that. And that´s what it should be all about here, right?
gl at the tables, franxic
fold fold fold for the following reasons
2/3's of the time you won hit, hence a bluff is usually needed to win the pot, in this case its kinda hit and miss depending on your post flop skills and also flop texture,
1/3 of the time you hit but an Ace high flop can have reverse implied odds on your stack.. this is because you may be in a pot with big slick
so imo, it just such a waste of time play AQs/o in the early stages.. cause as we all should know SNG ARE NOT WON at the EARLY STAGES!! so just dont waste your time..
i just checked my tracker data concerning AQ in the early stages, and i win chips in every position except the blinds.
noone wants to win any tourney in the early stages, but "as we all should know" there are no reasons to give up edges by folding in any stage of any tournament.
gl at the tables
AQ UTG is a tough play. Anyone reraising you, shuts your hand down.
Most of the time if you raise with any card UTG, the table will fold to you, unless another player is holding a major hand.
If you do get called by a player after your UTG raise with your AQ, be very careful.
If someone replays at you when there's an Ace on the board, tread carefully: that person may have just made his set or two pair or even may have just limped in with AK and has you beat. Just be careful from anyone calling a UTG raise.
i'm raising pre flop you'd be surprised the shit people call with especially in the early rounds if you hit milk it and if you miss don't fall in love with it, i can fold it to a reraise. remember sng's are blind structured you don't get much time to wait for aa all day aq is a good raising hand even if you take the blinds it all counts, and remember if you fold to reraise people notice then hopefully down the line you get aa and some muppet reraises you all in cos he thinks you'l fold
9max i assume? this is a tough spot i think. I don't play 9max stts so i'm not exactly sure what to do exactly. raising doesn't seem bad and if you are raising and getting one caller you should be c-betting most of the time. If this was six max or a DON i could give you great advice, always sucked at 9max stt thogh.