$5 NLHE: Three AQ Preflop Spots

[Melkor]

$5 NL HE: Three AQ Preflop Spots

Ok, so here are three preflop spots I got put in today with AQ that were all pretty tricky. They stood out mainly because they were all at a similar time, with one being in the same game against the same villain, but also because of the lack of tricky preflop spots in SnGs. Usually, it is pretty clear cut how to proceed preflop barring 3 main hands - AQ, AJ and JJ. All my AQ spots seemed to come at once.

Hand 1 is early with no reads and note CO's stack size.

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HAND #1
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poker stars, $5.50 Buy-in (15/30 blinds) NL Hold'em Tourney, 8 Players
Hand History Converter by Stoxpoker
MP1: 3,420 (114 bb)
MP2: 1,190 (39.7 bb)
MP3: 1,500 (50 bb)
CO: 945 (31.5 bb)
Hero (BTN): 1,300 (43.3 bb)
SB: 1,105 (36.8 bb)
BB: 1,960 (65.3 bb)
UTG+1: 2,080 (69.3 bb)
Pre-Flop: Hero is BTN with A♥ Q♦
UTG+1 folds, MP1 calls 30, MP2 folds, MP3 calls 30, CO raises to 150, Hero ???




Hand 2, different table, again no reads.

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HAND #2
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Poker Stars, $5.50 Buy-in (10/20 blinds) NL Hold'em Tourney, 9 Players
Hand History Converter by Stoxpoker
MP1: 1,570 (78.5 bb)
Hero (MP2): 1,490 (74.5 bb)
MP3: 900 (45 bb)
CO: 2,050 (102.5 bb)
BTN: 1,590 (79.5 bb)
SB: 1,420 (71 bb)
BB: 1,500 (75 bb)
UTG: 1,480 (74 bb)
UTG+1: 1,500 (75 bb)
Pre-Flop: Hero is MP2 with A♦ Q♠
3 folds, Hero raises to 60, 2 folds, BTN calls 60, SB folds, BB raises to 140, Hero ???





Hand 3 is the same table as the first one, later on. Villain CO is 28/19 over about 40 hands, villain MP1 is 47/22 over same amount of hands.

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HAND #3
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Poker Stars, $5.50 Buy-in (25/50 blinds) NL Hold'em Tourney, 8 Players
Hand History Converter by Stoxpoker
MP1: 880 (17.6 bb)
MP2: 2,335 (46.7 bb)
MP3: 2,915 (58.3 bb)
CO: 1,265 (25.3 bb)
Hero (BTN): 1,075 (21.5 bb)
SB: 870 (17.4 bb)
BB: 2,170 (43.4 bb)
UTG+1: 1,990 (39.8 bb)
Pre-Flop: Hero is BTN with A♣ Q♣
UTG+1 folds, MP1 raises to 150, 2 folds, CO raises to 350, Hero ???

 

[WSOPDC League Host]

AQ pre

Hand #1: Fold.
With a raise and re-raise ahead of you, AQ does not play well at the 15/30 level.

Hand #2: Call and proceed with caution. You have to call 80 in a pot of 270 (and likely 350 because the button will call and you aren't concerned with what he has).

Hand #3: 50/50. This one is very close and you arent concerned about MP1. The small raise by the CO typically represents strength here. Based on MP#1's stack size and stats, he will likely play any pair and any broadway. I see the CO is raising 19%, but his re-raising is likely considerably tighter and more like TT+, ATs+, KQs, AQo+ (6%). If this ends up being a three-way all-in, you have just over 30% equity. Folding may seem to be the conersvative route, but I think its a toss-up

 

[Jillychemung]

Hand 1 - Shorter stack makes a 3xBB+limpers raise over 2 early limpers. IMHO AQo is too weak to play here. If you flat call you allow big stack MP1 to squeeze and w/o a read I'd put CO range on the high end (AJ+,TT+)

Hand 2 - I tend to flat call these donk raises as I will have position on the donk and can pretty well set the BTN's range to smaller Ax hands, low PP and suited connectors.

Hand 3 - I prefer a stop-n-go here versus a 4-bet shove AI. Either way my stack is going all in here.

 

[ChuckTs]

These are all clear folds. AQ does not fare well in 3bet pots, especially out of position. Basically you either get your money in on an Axx flop vs AK, on a Qxx flop vs QQ+, or you win nothing on those same flops when his TT/JJ gives up. Hand 2 is probably the closest, but it's still a clear fold.

Calling 3bets with the intention of playing fit or fold (that includes flopping big draws) is a MASSIVE leak that I see in most small stakes players, rings and tourneys. I used to do the same thing; just fold.

edit: there's a case for 3betting and stacking hand 1) but it's thin. Also please only one hand per HA thread, it clutters things up.

 

[dresturn2]

i would call the first two because of position and fold the third based on same reason......u really didnt say how the players were playing, will they check if they miss and give u a chance to pick up and do they always follow up on the flop

 

[Melkor]

Hand #2: Call and proceed with caution. You have to call 80 in a pot of 270 (and likely 350 because the button will call and you aren't concerned with what he has).

Yeah, the odds are good but the BTN will call behind us if we call and we will be OOP to them with the original raiser acting first so unless we hit we have to make a donk bet that will likely get called.

Hand 1 - Shorter stack makes a 3xBB+limpers raise over 2 early limpers. IMHO AQo is too weak to play here. If you flat call you allow big stack MP1 to squeeze and w/o a read I'd put CO range on the high end (AJ+,TT+)

Hand 2 - I tend to flat call these donk raises as I will have position on the donk and can pretty well set the BTN's range to smaller Ax hands, low PP and suited connectors.

Hand 3 - I prefer a stop-n-go here versus a 4-bet shove AI. Either way my stack is going all in here.

Hand 1 - My problem is that CO's stack is too small so I agree he has a strong range for raising and would not get involved often. I was just wondering whether going all-in was an option.

Hand 2 - The problem is the donk will bet a lot of flops and we can't fight back really unless we hit which isn't often.

Hand 3 - Against two villains, one of whom has a short stack, will a stop-n-go work? Its certainly something I didn't think of at the time.

These are all clear folds. AQ does not fare well in 3bet pots, especially out of position. Basically you either get your money in on an Axx flop vs AK, on a Qxx flop vs QQ+, or you win nothing on those same flops when his TT/JJ gives up. Hand 2 is probably the closest, but it's still a clear fold.

Calling 3bets with the intention of playing fit or fold (that includes flopping big draws) is a MASSIVE leak that I see in most small stakes players, rings and tourneys. I used to do the same thing; just fold.

edit: there's a case for 3betting and stacking hand 1) but it's thin. Also please only one hand per HA thread, it clutters things up.

Certainly if we call the 3-bet that is what happens but I was thinking whether we could get it in preflop with the AQ. I think we would certainly be called by a wider range preflop than postflop when we hit.

Yeah, it is a bit crowded but I didn't want three threads all 'AQ preflop, tricky spot', 'AQ preflop, help a donk', 'AQ preflop, I should really just fold'.