Playing AQ from EP / blinds

[renegaderob1]

I've been finding AQ a frustrating hand to play from EP in particular. It feels too weak to fold AQs from UTG, but I feel like I'm getting myself into medium sized pots I don't particularly want to be in as I'm behind.

A typical hand I found to review:


PokerStars - $0.25 NL FAST - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4


BTN: 36.84 BB (VPIP: 19.48, PFR: 8.99, 3Bet Preflop: 3.06, Hands: 272)
SB: 207.84 BB (VPIP: 13.71, PFR: 9.86, 3Bet Preflop: 3.68, Hands: 711)
BB: 120.96 BB (VPIP: 15.29, PFR: 9.02, 3Bet Preflop: 4.95, Hands: 260)
Hero (UTG): 141.2 BB
UTG+1: 71.08 BB (VPIP: 19.44, PFR: 9.72, 3Bet Preflop: 2.78, Hands: 74)
MP: 101 BB (VPIP: 14.15, PFR: 8.49, 3Bet Preflop: 4.17, Hands: 221)
MP+1: 108.92 BB (VPIP: 13.86, PFR: 9.10, 3Bet Preflop: 2.81, Hands: 1,457)
MP+2: 183.16 BB (VPIP: 30.16, PFR: 20.63, 3Bet Preflop: 8.33, Hands: 64)
CO: 216.32 BB (VPIP: 17.29, PFR: 10.67, 3Bet Preflop: 6.20, Hands: 382)


SB posts SB 0.4 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB


Pre Flop: (pot: 1.4 BB) Hero has Q A


Hero raises to 3 BB, fold, fold, fold, MP+2 calls 3 BB, fold, fold, fold, fold


Flop: (7.4 BB, 2 players) 3 6 A
Hero bets 5 BB, MP+2 calls 5 BB


Turn: (17.4 BB, 2 players) K
Hero bets 12 BB, MP+2 raises to 53 BB


Hero... ? Here I felt like I was facing AT+, 33, 66, maybe something like 4h5h. Do I reraise here or just call and see river? If river blanks and he fires, c/f correct?

Generally speaking, the tables I'm finding myself at have anywhere between 1-3 players with VPIP of <12%, 1-3 unknowns and the occasional LAG / fish.

Is it too weak to fold AQs UTG? If not, what about AQo?

In regards to AQ from blinds - I'm inclined to 3b any late position raisers, occasionally 4b if I have solid reads. In multiway pots I may just call and see a flop, hoping for a Q high flop or flush/FD to play.

[OngBonga]

I think we only just have the implied odds to make this call on the turn. Don't raise, he has a set here nearly always, and when it's not a set it's aces up. He's calling. Just call this bet, and if the river is a heart (except the 3h), shove, he'll call. If it's not a heart, c/f. If it's the 3h, good luck. I'd want to fold but I probably don't.

As for pre flop, it's fine to raise AQ utg. Folding is really nitty, it's definitely going to be a +ev raise against the vast majority of villains.

[Savy]

I think check calling the turn is the best line, let's see what someone good thinks.

I have a feeling that AQs is a standard open UTG in FR and AQo is a bit more borderline. At 25nl zoom on stars though I don't think you should be asking questions like that unless FR is lol bad.

[renegaderob1]

I think we only just have the implied odds to make this call on the turn. Don't raise, he has a set here nearly always, and when it's not a set it's aces up. He's calling. Just call this bet, and if the river is a heart (except the 3h), shove, he'll call. If it's not a heart, c/f. If it's the 3h, good luck. I'd want to fold but I probably don't.

As for pre flop, it's fine to raise AQ utg. Folding is really nitty, it's definitely going to be a +ev raise against the vast majority of villains.

Given his VPIP, can we really put him on a set nearly always? AK, AQ, 4h5h may be realistic ranges on the turn no?

[OngBonga]

Well, 45hh is one combo so it's not gonna skew things in our favour all that much, AQ is very unlikely to raise the turn, and AK crushes us to just the hearts. If we have notes that this guy overvalues his top pair hands, then it's a much better spot, but I'm defaulting to this guy having at least some degree of competency based on his stats. He's loose but he's not crazy loose.

[renegaderob1]

Ok great, thanks. I took the turn call thinking I could probably stack him if a heart fell.

Here's another example of AQ hand from SB this time where I didn't much like my position but wasn't sure if a fold was correct.

PokerStars - $0.25 NL FAST - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4


BTN: 109.72 BB (VPIP: 15.97, PFR: 13.60, 3Bet Preflop: 4.40, Hands: 463)
Hero (SB): 120.72 BB
BB: 254.76 BB (VPIP: 11.36, PFR: 8.26, 3Bet Preflop: 0.81, Hands: 355)
UTG: 109.16 BB (VPIP: 16.90, PFR: 12.33, 3Bet Preflop: 4.23, Hands: 224)
UTG+1: 152.96 BB (VPIP: 36.11, PFR: 8.33, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 39)
MP: 110.96 BB (VPIP: 13.16, PFR: 7.89, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 38)
MP+1: 94.52 BB (VPIP: 7.51, PFR: 2.41, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 375)
MP+2: 208.2 BB (VPIP: 23.08, PFR: 14.42, 3Bet Preflop: 4.55, Hands: 110)
CO: 89.32 BB


Hero posts SB 0.4 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB


Pre Flop: (pot: 1.4 BB) Hero has A Q


fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, CO calls 1 BB, fold, Hero raises to 3 BB, fold, CO raises to 5 BB, Hero calls 2 BB


Flop: (11 BB, 2 players) 7 8 A
Hero checks, CO bets 5 BB, Hero calls 5 BB


Turn: (21 BB, 2 players) 6
Hero checks, CO bets 10 BB

[OngBonga]

Looks fine to me, call turn and call river. +ev for sure. Villain min 3bets, it's safe to assume he's a fish. Raising probably isn't bad at some point but I'd probably play it safe and call down so long as he's betting half the pot, I'm fine with the pot size with this hand.

[OngBonga]

Actually I think bet the river at half pot, don't let him check behind with QQ/KK.

[Sin Uggla]

First hand, I also think a set or at least 2p is likely.
Don't rely on stats too much, you only got 64 hands.

[renegaderob1]

Actually I think bet the river at half pot, don't let him check behind with QQ/KK.

I ended up going for the check raise on the turn which he called and pushed river when 8 fell. How does this change his range? Given he was unknown that limp/min raised, then played such a weak flop / turn only to push when a seeming blank fell, my range on the turn was AQ+, JJ+. On the river I was wondering if I was looking at some strangely played AA?

[renegaderob1]

I think check calling the turn is the best line, let's see what someone good thinks.

I have a feeling that AQs is a standard open UTG in FR and AQo is a bit more borderline. At 25nl zoom on stars though I don't think you should be asking questions like that unless FR is lol bad.

FR can be lol bad, but it seems only at certain times the games get fishy. My timezone, the games are filled with regs from about lunch time until night, and then it gets real nitty.

Check call turn, and then c/f river unless he bets small if a non heart hits?

[OngBonga]

Well, when he calls your turn raise you know he's not got QQ/KK any more. Looks a lot like Ax or better now and when he shoves river, it looks likely he's gonna have a better hand than us. This is one reason I prefer not to raise... we're not exactly thrilled when he continues. Seems better to keep his range wide and the pot under control. Fold to his river shove.

[daven]

AQ from ep is fine, just don't overplay it. Do you have check-call ranges post-flop?
hand 1 is a classic rep-a-set or aces up line from villain and obviously if you bet the turn then fold to a raise nh. calling is bad. I'm with savy on check-calling being a better line though vs a villain who will be floating here quite a bit. I don't like check-raising this turn.
hand 2 river check-call a small bet, check-fold a big one. He has KK here a lot, and some AK/AA plus some random stuff.

[The Bean Counter]

Pre is fine. Absolute no brainer fold on the turn since we beat nothing and I don't see many villains (if any) bluffing an ace-high board.

What are you hoping to get value from on the turn that calls pre and the flop? Seems like a check-call as standard.

[OngBonga]

Are you missing the nfd bean?

[The Bean Counter]

Are you missing the nfd bean?

Yep, but still a fold I think. We have 8 clean outs and will struggle to get paid on the river if we hit - what do we do, donk heart rivers and allow villain to fold, or check and let villain check a set/2pr behind? Sure, villain might pay off a heart donk, but it's marginal at best imo.