With my 52BB, I open AJs UTG+1. A middle position guy shoves his 28BB and everyone else folds back to me. I don't have a lot of info on the guy but it's the first time he does this. So I fold the AJs. My questions: Would you call here? If not, what are the ranges of hands you would call this shove with? Remember, we don't know the player. TY

I would call the shove, especially with anything that has J or higher

I don't know much about odds, so could someone reply here about his odds to call or to fold. But his raise seems to be a tale that he does have a good hand since he has been limping or making small raises a lot. New players make this mistake way to often. They will run off all other players instead of trying to get all they can out of the hand by 3 or 4 betting. Therefore, they win very little. When I see this, I think "another good hand wasted for, say 100 chips, when they could have won a lot more" Anyway, I think I would have checked and seen what would happen. That way it would cost you nothing and you could get away from the hand after the all in. For me AJ is not a good enough hand to call that raise, and you didn't, so more power to you. This is just the way I play, but I know many will say that when you are first into the pot, you should raise. However, for me UTG is a hard position to play any hand, and I'm sure others will agree with that. For example, you catch AA UTG. What do you do? You go all in and may not get anything from your great hand because everyone folds. You limp to get the most out of the hand and you are hoping for a good raise so you can re-raise all in and take the pot. Most of the time that's what happens, or you may get called by one player, which is all the better. However, you get called by 4 players. That's not good at all because that's how AA gets cracked a lot. One last thing and I will shut up, For me, I've noticed that 3 or 4 betting UTG is the best play, because they say you have a good hand and will call a raise, and that's how I've been playing for a short time, but it does work. I'm just about to delete this damn reply because I'm not sure if I've answered your question or made any kind sense. Anyway GL to you

I wouldn't of played AJ utg + 1 to start with bad position and too many hands beat it and tough to play post flop in that position. However I do think you were correct to fold it , not much invested to start with no need to risk over half your chips on a coinflip at best , especially with no information on player.

I think you need QQ or better to call with 28BBs effective, I think the AJs is a better call vs a loose villan with 10BBs effective

You can shove AJs for more but calling... your range needs to be much stronger with no fold equity

No way I call in this situation. I just fold and forget the pretty looking poison cards. It is a monster amount and you can easily already be toast. It is a nice hand to see a flop with in position but none of that is true here. Fold and forget. Next hand.

I would not be surprised to see a better hand from the other guy if I called his shove. But, that's not to say that I wouldn't call him either. Depends on my read of his style. As you say, if this is the first time he's done it, and he's been at the table for a while, I'm likely not calling.

But if he's been generally aggressive, or if he's brand new to the table, and if this is the only playable hand I've gotten in an hour (which seems to happen a lot), and if I've got roughly twice his stack, I'm more likely to call. AJs isn't the best hand in the deck, but it's nothing to spit at either. It's actually in the top 5%, only a 2:1 dog to KK, and basically a coin flip w/ TT.

I HATE missed opportunities that lead to blinding out of a tournament. I also play tournaments to win, not just to place. Almost as bad as blinding out before the bubble, is just making my buy-in back after spending hours grinding away in a tournament.

And, I've seen pocket Aces lose a lot! The only thing that's for sure in poker is that you've spent some time playing cards. Everything else is subject to chance.

I just played a hand where I lost (all-in) with AK (to TT), but would have won with AJ.

I find this one an easy fold. For 28BB and about half my stack from TUG I'm only calling JJ+ AK against an unknown player. If he has been pulling moves like this regularly I might call, but AJ is just not really a good hand to run with preflop for a significant stack.

I don't see you being ahead in this situation. Not too many are going to risk their tourney life with less than AJ after a raise. I think you made a good fold.

thanks for the replies, but some of you guys need to tell me more about the hands you would call with in this spot. ty

I would shove 20 BB and less with AJo or suited, but I would never call off 20BB maybe only 12 or less BB effective stacks to call there. Calling means you actually will be risking the chips 100% of the time, while shoving depending on where you are will only be called less than half the time (probably less) depending on effective stack sizes and calling ranges.

I am calling very tight range here. TT+maybe. AK is usually a flip, and at best you dominate AQ which is so rare in comparison to the hands you flip with. 22 BB is a lot of chips. If near bubble, then call way tighter since they (should) be shoving a tight range. Obviously depends on player type/position/near bubble or ITM. Poker has so many factors you must consider.

Fold is good hare as you do not know opponents range ... most people do this with big pockt pairs..

you need to fold it PF, but def a fold for 28BB... I say JJ+ to call here, otherwise its a flip.

it depends on many factors.which hands he play, position and so on

I fold because we d'ont have info villain, and he had not done it before. I would call with AQ+ and JJ+

For me it's a fold. At best it's a coin flip

Originally Posted by J0nSn0

thanks for the replies, but some of you guys need to tell me more about the hands you would call with in this spot. ty

JJ+, AK

I thing is difficult to know the range the villian but the call is depend your cheaps I thing you call because you can obtain mor cheaps if you lose you continued playing.

28 blinds too much for this hand. In my opinion this is an easy fold pre flop

I will fold like you

If#1 op is playing tight for long period of time and than shoves a big enought stack of ~30bb+(althou I dont know how that ~30bb is correlated to "M") most likely he is ahead of AJs range (88+,AQs&o+); hands like smal pairs, some suited connectors give you a coin flip at best.
If#2 op is agroo he still might have a good hand, you dont know his range
The only way this is good for you is if#3 he is tryoing to bluff you out (with ~30bb - unlikely)

"thanks for the replies, but some of you guys need to tell me more about the hands you would call with in this spot. ty" - the LOWEST i would go is TT,AKs+(if I FEEL 'gambly' AND it's deep/near the bubble so you need to acumulate chips), realistically QQ-AA

IMHO: you can hustle... i wouldn't

Originally Posted by J0nSn0

With my 52BB, I open AJs UTG+1. A middle position guy shoves his 28BB and everyone else folds back to me. I don't have a lot of info on the guy but it's the first time he does this. So I fold the AJs. My questions: Would you call here? If not, what are the ranges of hands you would call this shove with? Remember, we don't know the player. TY

I would have fallen in this case, since AB is not a good hand that would going to all in, especially if you lose you will lose half of the stack, and so you have a good working stack, so I think that the fold in this case it is a good decision!

Don't do that with more than 12 BB's in question. You are deep. You'l get better opportunities to get half of your stack in. By the way, even if you range your opponents on a hand, you'd figure you are way behind to call that shove with AJs. Good luck !

Thats depend of your position. AJ in late is good but in utg 1 or 2 is risky . Anyway the timing is good for you? go go go

Its easy fold rofl. Maximum its coin if you doing call. In the another situation you will be in domination. Full idiots pushitg the UTG-raisers with AT, A9, < hands XD

AJ is dominated by way too many hands to call off half my stack. That is a reason you don't raise with AJ that far out of position. Maybe that is a great way to think of it. If you want to raise UTG or +1,2,3 are you going to call off your stack with the hand.

Raise then fold could be a big hole in your game.

Originally Posted by J0nSn0

With my 52BB, I open AJs UTG+1. A middle position guy shoves his 28BB and everyone else folds back to me. I don't have a lot of info on the guy but it's the first time he does this. So I fold the AJs. My questions: Would you call here? If not, what are the ranges of hands you would call this shove with? Remember, we don't know the player. TY

Youre fold was correct. 28bb shove is extremely tight... Infact I dont think I would call with anything less than AA because that's probably what he has.. He has AA KK or AKs

Good fold with AJ

exellent fold...he had middle pair or A10 and up ...even if you beat the lowest hand A10... do you want to risk half your stack?

in early stage, probably i would call him. later maybe i need AK+, TT+

I would call a shove in this case only if I had a good read on him as a LAG player, opening with a large range. In the given situation I would fold too.

With AJs has no place Colle at ICM will prsche calculate the odds of calling! But then we do not know your opponent so that the fold will not be wrong! My decision is!

Definitely a fold here, unless he is a maniac raising anything. I would call with QQ+, maybe AKx nothing less. I would expect facing AK at least.

Good fold, you are coin flipping at best.

aj is not the best idea lol. suited maybe....

Not a big fan of AJ UTG +1. I would expect with 28bb you are very likely behind. My general school of thought is if you are that early, don't open a hand you wouldn't call all your chips with at a full table. On the bubble or short handed may be different, but generally that is a very weak hand.

Easy fold.

Range what kind of hands a 28BB stack will shove with. All the hands in those range almost always beat AJs. Hence, it will never be a profitable call in the long run.

a guy you have no info about, but rarely shoves will almost always mean a monster or a very strong hand.
I say the range would be AA, KK, QQ, AK, AQ.
I doubt he would shove with less than that due to the fact he rarely shoves.

Originally Posted by J0nSn0

With my 52BB, I open AJs UTG+1. A middle position guy shoves his 28BB and everyone else folds back to me. I don't have a lot of info on the guy but it's the first time he does this. So I fold the AJs. My questions: Would you call here? If not, what are the ranges of hands you would call this shove with? Remember, we don't know the player. TY

I think it was nice and right fold. Especial if it was middle MTT stage.
What my range in this case? : AKs, KK+
What about JJ-QQ and AQs+ ? As for me this cards are easy dominated by K+ on the board.
So this situation show us that your chances to catch NUTS FLUSH, calling 1/2 your stack is quit small, and bank odds are very tight.

AJ is like AT, pretty much poor hand for all in.

it's an instant fold for me even with AQ or AK. too many times when i started out would i get donked out calling flips with these hands. unless i'm in the money, i take my lumps and move on.

AJs is pretty easily a fold when faced with a shove that requires half of stack to call unless we have a read on opp that convince us to call
you need minimum QQ + or atleast AKs to call

I donīt think you can call at this spot. Since you had 52BB against 28BB villain, you donīt have enough equity. You can put the villain in ranges like : AK, AQ, lower pairs.

Obviously fold anything worse than 88 here.

Considering the fact he shoved 28bb into an early pos raise from a stack that has him covered and the fact you have absolutely no reason to believe you are way ahead and you have no reason to want to flip for that many blinds if you are not totally crushed. It is a fold. I think his play with the shove of 28bb's is stupid regardless of what hand he has (nuts or garbage) and would keep that in mind when playing him.

I hate AJ as so many hands beat it. So no I wouldn't call in that situation. I would of folded if I were you as well. Easy fold at that. QQ+ to call imo

Definitely fold!

In a tourney i would call with JJ-AK and if that happens in the last table i would call with QQ and higher only

Well, if hes low stack, or a loco. But no, instafold. Suit or not.