$Freeroll NLHE MTT: AQ in UTG+1 and 3bet UTG+2

[atlantafalcons0]

Both of those charts are not useful to us in real life hand analysis and determining profitability because (if you bothered to read the fine print) these are no-foldem hand rankings. Which assumes all 9 players go to the river. When is the last time you were at a table when all 9 players went all in preflop? In fact these would be closest to accurate for freerolls but even in freerolls I sometimes see between 3-5 people go all in preflop but not all 9.

This is the danger of putting these kinds if tools in the hands if learning players; the potential for misinformation is huge. Same with Nash charts. The tool is there to help give you an idea of preflop race odds but since people don't actually play that way trying to build a strategy around this chart or a Nash chart is suicide.

For example in most real tourneys there might be 2 or 3 people all in, rarely more. If player A has JTs and player B has AJs and I have AQo I have the best hand Everytime for our situation. If AJs wants to believe their hand is stronger than mine because it's suited then they can go ahead and believe that but it's a delusional thought process error that would be a huge leak.

JTs 24% vs AJs. 19% Vs AQo 47% and the remainder is due to some small amount of ties.

By all means if you guys want to believe AQo is only a top 10% hand and fold it in early position be my guest. More pots for me, yay!

These are preflop rankings if everyone is in the hand. As you would see by raising in EP. This is not a vs chart. We're not ranking AJs is it's the only hand in the pot vs AQo. But in the grand scheme of things you were wrong about your opening hand range % from ep.

Anyways, about the question of early position hands AQo is definitely in my early position opening range. As well as AJs, KQs and pocket pairs down to 66. This is all table dependent and stack size dependent but in general I am playing the top 7% of hands from every position and it just widens from there. As your post flop skills increase you can justify playing more pots. It is probably wise to be pretty nitty while learning the game but even then, open folding AQo from any position is just too nitty for my liking.

If I'm at a soft table I may open wider than 7% in EP. If I'm on the bubble with a big stack or at a really nitty table I may open in EP as wide as 15%. But I'd never go lower than 5-6% except in extremely rare situations.

Opening 66 or KQ in ep is bad advice for people who are learning poker. It just is. I really believe that AJ/AQ can get inexperienced players into trouble by overvaluing the hand and believing that calling 3bets and feeling good about an ace on the flop in a 3bet pot. For me AQo isn't a great hand to raise utg or EP1/2. Define your starting hand range from UTG then EP1 then EP2.

 

[Jacki Burkhart]

These are preflop rankings if everyone is in the hand. As you would see by raising in EP. This is not a vs chart. We're not ranking AJs is it's the only hand in the pot vs AQo. But in the grand scheme of things you were wrong about your opening hand range % from ep.

Nope. Sorry, I'm very willing to admit when I'm wrong but I'm not wrong here. You need to read the fine print. All 9 players see the river. That's what this chart is for. If you are dead set on misusing it I cannot stop you. If you are dead set on proving me wrong and that is more important to you than improving your game then by all means enjoy your delusion.

Opening 66 or KQ in ep is bad advice for people who are learning poker. It just is. I really believe that AJ/AQ can get inexperienced players into trouble by overvaluing the hand and believing that calling 3bets and feeling good about an ace on the flop in a 3bet pot. For me AQo isn't a great hand to raise utg or EP1/2. Define your starting hand range from UTG then EP1 then EP2.

I gave my EP range. I'm not a beginning player. Fold AQ UTG all you want; I think it's super nitty but you're right, you can't get into trouble with it if you don't play it. But if you want to build an EP strategy around that chart then would you raise AQs from early pos? Would you raise KQs from early position? I'm still unsure what your trying to assert with that chart?

 

[atlantafalcons0]

Nope. Sorry, I'm very willing to admit when I'm wrong but I'm not wrong here. You need to read the fine print. All 9 players see the river. That's what this chart is for. If you are dead set on misusing it I cannot stop you. If you are dead set on proving me wrong and that is more important to you than improving your game then by all means enjoy your delusion.




I gave my EP range. I'm not a beginning player. Fold AQ UTG all you want; I think it's super nitty but you're right, you can't get into trouble with it if you don't play it. But if you want to build an EP strategy around that chart then would you raise AQs from early pos? Would you raise KQs from early position? I'm still unsure what your trying to assert with that chart?

TT+ AQs+

Yours is 66+ KQo+ ?

 

[Jacki Burkhart]

TT+ AQs+

Yours is 66+ KQo+ ?

I gave my EP range earlier. It's 66+, AQ+, AJs, KQs which is 7% of all hands. Sometimes I raise wider than that and sometimes I raise tighter than that depending on table and tourney factors but that's my range. I'm not asking you to like it.

If you want to continue only playing only the top 3-4% of hands from EP be my guest.

But you should discontinue thinking that JTs is a better hand than AQo as soon as possible if you want to improve your game. Don't just listen to me, figure it out for yourself. start playing with some equity calculators, it will really open your eyes and improve your game a lot.

 

[WiZZiM]

what i'd really like to know here atlanta is what is your button opening range?

 

[atlantafalcons0]

I gave my EP range earlier. It's 66+, AQ+, AJs, KQs which is 7% of all hands. Sometimes I raise wider than that and sometimes I raise tighter than that depending on table and tourney factors but that's my range. I'm not asking you to like it.

If you want to continue only playing only the top 3-4% of hands from EP be my guest.

But you should discontinue thinking that JTs is a better hand than AQo as soon as possible if you want to improve your game. Don't just listen to me, figure it out for yourself. start playing with some equity calculators, it will really open your eyes and improve your game a lot.

But it's not 7% of all hands.

what i'd really like to know here atlanta is what is your button opening range?

Any pair, any suited ace, A9o+, any broadway cards, any suited connectors, as well as K8s+, Q8s+, J8s+, T8s+.

 

[lilu80]

Very thanks for accurate analysis.

 

[bremensha]

You can play AQ oop in an unraised hand. So being involved vs AJ or KQ or QJ you are a big favourite. But you are a big underdog vs AK. So you have to take the right decisions afterwards. To get these informations a raise is fine. Getting a 3-bet you have to go out even if you suspect a bluff.

 

[AviCKter]

Which stage of the game was this? Middle stages, near the bubble, late stages or the final table?

This becomes the most crucial factor in a freeroll (or even micro-stakes mtts).