AQ Offsuit

sammy22

sammy22

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Greetings everyone,

Early in the tournament and everyone is still deep stacked. No one knows much about the others at the table.

UTG+1 raises 3x the bb.....folds around to me in MP+1 with AQo.

Is it ever a reasonable play to fold in this situation?
 
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cgcook38

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I don’t think I’m folding - I’d have tempered enthusiasm about such a good, early starting hand. I’d call most times. Raise occasionally.
 
pirateglenn

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AQ off suit early in a tournament

Hi there,

its a easy a call as it is a fold. Remember what you can be up against..any small pocket pair..any conti bet floating with a high premium pair..there is every discipline in folding ..

regards

pirateglenn
 
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Smokewood

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Greetings everyone,

Early in the tournament and everyone is still deep stacked. No one knows much about the others at the table.

UTG+1 raises 3x the bb.....folds around to me in MP+1 with AQo.

Is it ever a reasonable play to fold in this situation?

3 bet
 
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BadluckBubba

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Calling gets me in more trouble because it looks weak. Im either 3 betting or folding.

That being said.........I get beat by weaker aces playing AQ that way as well. Seems to be a tough hand unless you hit the flop hard.
 
Misaki

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ye 3bet or fold. I prefer fold because ranges are so tight and its really hard to earn chips there in long run. Especially by calling. You can get more calls behind and equity of your hand will be very low. Fold without any informations is best option in my opinion.
 
terryk

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You will never win consistently if you play scared,,,,man up! :cool:
 
sammy22

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Seems like players are really mixed. 3betting, calling, and folding are all suggested so far.

Just goes to show how tough a hand it is to play after a raise.
 
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WarEagle1266

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I say to 3 bet to get a better idea of your opponent's holding. If he just calls, then you probably have him beat preflop; a raise, and you should fold. If he calls with a low pocket pair then you're making it much more expensive for him; if he raises, you avoid losing big to AK when an ace hits the flop. The key is to gather more info before proceeding further in the hand, imo.
 
radartodd69

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A 3x bet coming from such an early position usually means a strong hand. I could probably get away from a q in such a situation. I've called in the past only to see a pocket pair make a set while an ace or queen hit the board.
 
BnaD

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Make sure you are playing stakes appropriate for your bankroll. This is a 3bet sometimes a flat call.
 
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karl coakley

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If you call or raise, I think the main idea is to control the pot and not overplay your hand. Its a good idea to stay out of big pots with only top pair holding AQ.
 
sammy22

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I appreciate all the responses....very much.

Is it safe to say that there really isn’t a wrong way to act in this situation? Seems like it’s very divided as to how to play this.
 
sammy22

sammy22

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Hi there,

its a easy a call as it is a fold. Remember what you can be up against..any small pocket pair..any conti bet floating with a high premium pair..there is every discipline in folding ..

regards

pirateglenn



What do you mean when you say, “there is every discipline in folding?”
 
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cgcook38

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I appreciate all the responses....very much.

Is it safe to say that there really isn’t a wrong way to act in this situation? Seems like it’s very divided as to how to play this.


I would not advise ever folding AQ in this situation. It's early and low risk. You likely have the best hand until you see evidence otherwise. And by "ever" I mean maybe if you want to sit out to go grab a snack real quick, or if you just experienced a bad beat and you're too emotional to play well - get up and take a walk. Otherwise call or raise. Don't fold. I think most often it is the "wrong way to act" here.
 
Jon Poker

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The situation can be player dependant - if you know the player is a nit and his range is likely to be very tight and ahead of AQ off, its alright to fold, calling isnt too bad in that spot either just looking to slam dunk the flop.

Now if i know nothing of this player and my stack is between healthy and average and i decide i want to play the hand i am always 3betting in this spot. Say blinds are 20/40 and he goes to 60 then im always going to bump it between 150 and 200 - not only will this help me dial in his range by the action he takes when it gets back to him, but it should show strength from me and allow me to control the tempo and size of the pot.

So remember when 3 betting - you're not always doing it solely trying to protect a stronger holding or build the pot, but rather take control of the pot and get a better read on your opponent and how they play their hands. It can be very beneficial - I tend to like 3 betting alot in tournaments and cash games alike. Cheers :)
 
hugh blair

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A reasonable play in that position is to call any 2 darn cards hit flop then jam good luck.
 
mariale_1990

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depending if the blinds are not so high, maybe if you pay the bet, but on the contrary the blinds are high and you do not know anything about the other player just do not pay, there is no need to take an unnecessary risk with AQo when you can achieve something more
 
fiddlesticks123

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It's already been said but if you know the villain is a nit you can safely fold, but if they're loose you can 3bet easily. Without this prior knowledge, I'm not calling or folding in this situation, I'm 3betting. If they 4bet this gets you information and you know you're in trouble. If they call just see what the flop brings and play from there. Lastly they may even fold to your 3bet and you take the pot.
 
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cgcook38

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So remember when 3 betting - you're not always doing it solely trying to protect a stronger holding or build the pot, but rather take control of the pot and get a better read on your opponent and how they play their hands. It can be very beneficial


I think a call asserts control over the pot in a different way. By always bumping it up with a 3 bet, you're always building a larger pot with a high card. I don't think it's an assumption that you have the best hand, but you certainly have the better position on the raiser at the moment. Anyone behind you can immediately force you to fold with a 4 bet, especially early on when chipstacks are deeper. A simple call allows you to see what the stronger position players do before you throw a chunk in with just two high cards.

That being said, I tend to be on the ultra-conservative side in tournaments in general, and early in tournaments specifically. It has worked for me, but it comes at a cost of laying down some decent hands after the flop or turn. (Like when the board comes Q with 3 suits by the turn, for example.)
 
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eggtart

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3 bet is the better option, you find out your hand on that spot if its the best hand. Don't think you can fold, without prior information. What are the blinds? Stack size?
 
sammy22

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3 bet is the better option, you find out your hand on that spot if its the best hand. Don't think you can fold, without prior information. What are the blinds? Stack size?


It’s early in the tournament. Blinds are 100/200 and everyone at the table have at least 75-100bb.
 
Jon Poker

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Yeah with stacks that deep, if im sitting around 100bb and the original raiser makes it 3x, im making it 10x - 12x and if i lose the pot, i will be ok - but the 3bet in position against the opener - for me - is the right play in this spot. That being said, its not like a call is a terrible option....just for me if i flat there with AQ i risk going 5 way to the flop and lose a ton of equity where as if i 3bet and it folds around i may be playing heads up which is what i want :)

All that said, this is a tournament - remeber your goal early is to build a chip stack - im not saying you need to get super loose and call everything but dont let holdings like AQ go just because someone from early position raised. Some guys will raise KQs from this spot, or almost any suited ace so unless you know alot about your player, you could easily be ahead.
 
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Maikychan

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Easy fold, man! Always play tight when you don't have information!


The call is the worst of the options, without a doubt! You end up making room for a squeeze by some player who'll act after you and you'll have difficulty knowing where you're in the hand if you hit an Ace or a Queen in the flop.


Every time you 3bet, you need to be clear whether it will be a 3bet/call (value) or 3bet/fold (bluff)... Do you think an AQo (marginal hand) is value against a EP open raise? What if the 4bet villain you? What will you do?

Don't just think of your hand but your opponent's range!
AQo 3bet vs 4bet tight player EP (QQ+, AKs)
AQo 23,71% x 76,29% (QQ+, AKs)
>and the JJ? Ok, with JJ and the villain's range, you have 29,24%...


Early MTT = play tight, play small pots and don't take unnecessary risks, play for SURVIVAL...
 
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I find it a bit funny with all the different opinions on this hand, and here comes a another one :). The way I see it, a call is best in this spot. As op pointed out we are readless, and I need some kind of read (or a stronger hand, Im thinking AK or JJ+) before I start 3 betting an early position raiser this early in a turny. I am never folding, tho.

My 2 cents
 
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