I just wanted to write something about i like to play Ace-x hands preflop, since i feel i play well with them. Writing posts like this also helps me to actually think about why i am doing what i am doing. :)
I will be grouping the hands and then explain approaches i take with them in various preflop situations.
Assume 100BB stacks unless stated otherwise, the table is 6 handed, and without specific reads on your opponent(s). I also play a generally TAGGy style.
1). A-2o - A-9o
Weak offsuit Aces are a pretty crappy starting hand on the whole. I would reserve playing these hands for opening on the CO/BTN, as these hands do play reasonably well when in position and heads up. I would practically never 3bet with these hands, as they don't do well in reraised pots against typical 3bet calling ranges.
I would never call a raise, in or out of position, with a hand like A-6o. These hands don't really draw to many straight/flushes, and realistically flopping trips with your kicker is the only made hand that you will have almost no doubts about playing for stacks with.
2). A-10o, A-10s, A-Jo, A-Js
I generally avoid opening these hands in early positions as well. I do not value bet and lay down correctly frequently enough that these hands are +EV for me when i am out of position. However if the table is playing very tight, then i will open these hands in early positions (as well as other hands like K-Js). While these hands typicall don't play very well out of position, at a table where no one is contesting your raises you can steal the blinds/small pots safely. And, unlike at a regular table where you may have a tough time folding TPGK if raised on the flop, it would be very easy to do so at a tight table.
However, with these hands, folding is not your best and only option when faced with a raise. If i am faced with a UTG/MP raise from most players, i would often call against a loose opener and often fold versus a tight opener. If i am faced with a CO/BTN raise from most players, i would often 3bet a loose opener and call versus a tight opener. When i am in position against a late position opener (includes SB), i would 3bet more often. As a suited Ace of the same rank is stronger than an offsuit once, i would 3bet more often in the same situation if the Ace were suited.
As you might have noticed, overall, these hands are highly opponent dependent.
3). A-Qo, A-Qs
I would open A-Q, regardless of suit, from any position at just about any table. I would sometimes call a raise from an early position opener if the opener was loose and would likely be opening a hand like A-10/A-J. I would also consider calling a raise from the blinds if the opener were in late position. In both cases, i would be attempting to disguise the strength of my hand and get additional value from a weaker Ace, as well as induce an aggressive opponent to fire mulitple bets into me on what should be a scary board to my range. It's okay to fold to a very tight players' raise in early position.
I do usually 3bet when faced with a raise though. As A-Q does play reasonably well in a 3bet pot, so i will often call a 3bet as well and will almost always play for stacks if i flop top pair or better.
4betting A-Q is almost always worse than calling/folding to a reraise. I elaborate on that idea in the next section.
4). A-Ko, A-Ks
I will open this hand from any position at the table and i will 3bet an open raise from any position from nearly any player. You don't have to worry about someone having a better kicker than you, so you can value bet your top pair hands much harder on safe boards. I don't prefer to limp my strong hands, basically since i don't limp anything else. Even if i were going to try to slowplay a strong hand preflop (by just calling a raise if i knew someone behind me was addicted to squeezing, for example), i would prefer to wait for K-K+ to do so. The next paragraph does help to explain why.
While A-K is a very strong hand, it is one that actually has the most equity before the flop. This is because A-K is essentially a drawing hand and so, like a flush draw, it's equity is best the quicker the money gets into the middle. That's why 4betting A-K is often preferable to calling a reraise.
However, if your opponent will only continue past a 4bet with K-K+, you are better off calling a reraise as your hand has more value in a 3bet pot. By 4betting A-K against this type of opponent, you would be effectively turning your hand into a bluff (like 4betting A-Q in a typical aggressive game at 100/200NL). Another situation in which 4betting A-K is often not the optimal play is when the stacks become deeper. I would say if your stack is >125BB's, you are better off calling a reraise with A-K than 4betting. This is because your opponents range for calling/5betting a 4bet will be tighter and you will be less likely to get all the money in preflop with a positive expectation.
Fnord demonstrated (in the comments below) how A-K can also be used as a trapping hand against the right opponent. (It also made me realize how my whole post is a lot less valuable when i don't really mention how to deviate from it versus different types of opponents but anyway... lol)
When you are playing against an opponent who will c-bet 100% of the time on Ace/King high flops in reraised pots and often follow up with a turn bet, you can consider trapping with A-K by just calling a 3bet. Even on non Ace/King high flops, you can still occasionally go all in on flops where you have a backdoor straight/flush draw as well as overcards (25-30% equity). Ideally, you would semibluff all in when your opponent is known to c-bet into reraised pots with a very high frequency, or you have been very quiet at the table.
5). A-2s - A-9s
I like these hands almost as much as i like A-K, because you can do a lot of different things with a low suited Ace. I usually open these hands in late position, but at an aggressive table with a lot of reraising i would sometimes open these hands in early position to balance my 4betting range.
One concept i learned from FTR member sauce soon after i wrote this post was the idea of squeezing often being a better option than calling behind one or more players who have already called a preflop raise. Sometimes calling is going to be the best option though. For example, if you have been 3betting a lot at the table recently and your 3bet isn't likely to have as much fold equity, then calling is going to be a better play. Also, if the original raiser has a low PFR and you are unlikely to fold out much of his opening range, then just calling is going to be better. Overall, i would say that i 3bet/call with these hands with a similar frequency.
I would 3bet with these hands versus an opponent who is opening from a later position. Most players who raise from the CO/BTN are doing so with a pretty wide range, so you have a little more F.E. with your 3bet versus these raises than a raise UTG. But good players will know this, so just be careful that you haven't been too wild at the table to encourage them to call you too often. But even if you do get called, you usually have multiple ways to win the best hand (flop a big draw or top pair or bluff).
You can also sometimes 4bet with low suited Aces. When your opponent is 3betting a wide range, for example, but has only shown down K-K+ in all in preflop pots, 4betting low suited Aces on occasion is going to show a nice profit. Besides folding out a vast portion of nearly any players 3bet range, low suited Aces have pretty good equity against typical 4bet calling ranges. Also, because these hands are not good to call with in 3bet pots, you aren't losing any equity in a 3bet pot you might otherwise have by calling. A less quantifiable benefit to occasionally 4betting these hands is that you discourage your opponents from 3betting you so often.
I just revised nearly every section, so there is probably some new content. If you have a suggestion/criticism point it out and, if it's good, i will go back and change it.
