How do you play with "A8" and "A9" on UTG?

john_entony

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  • #1
Let's talk about how you play with “A9” and “A8” (not one-suit) on UTG in tournaments with a $1000 guarantee. Your stack is 25-30 big blinds, the tournament is at 7-8 blind level. Or maybe you are a tight player and don't play with this cards in this position? :unsure:
 
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  • #2
Fold. I don't like A9, A8, A7, A6 in any position. As far as I am concerned they are leaks that will drain your stack. Other than a late position move for the antes I give them to the muck pile.
 
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  • #3
john_entony said:
Let's talk about how you play with “A9” and “A8” (not one-suit) on UTG in tournaments with a $1000 guarantee. Your stack is 25-30 big blinds, the tournament is at 7-8 blind level. Or maybe you are a tight player and don't play with this cards in this position? :unsure:
Suited you can mix open/fold if the table doing a high 3 bets and have many stacks bigger than you. No suited, easy fold

A6/7/8/9 gonna make you loose more money than win
 
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  • #4
Okay, it's true that few people play such hands on UTG (I don't either). And if the same conditions, same tournament, and you have “A10” and “AJ”. How would you play them? :unsure:
 
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  • #5
Kinalha said:
Suited you can mix open/fold if the table doing a high 3 bets and have many stacks bigger than you. No suited, easy fold

A6/7/8/9 gonna make you loose more money than win
If you quit thinking about suited or unsuited and just the ranks of the cards you will have better results. If a flush draw is the only reason you are playing a hand you are gonna bust a lot.
 
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  • #6
john_entony said:
Okay, it's true that few people play such hands on UTG (I don't either). And if the same conditions, same tournament, and you have “A10” and “AJ”. How would you play them? :unsure:
UTG, UTG1, UTG2, MP Fold
HJ, CO, Button, SB, BB Raise
Fold to a reraise.
So according to position it's either fold or raise,
 
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  • #7
I'd generally fold them (offsuit) UTG or on a perceivably 'weak' table min/fold or min/call depending...
 
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Sunz of Beaches

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  • #8
Gutshot Gus said:
If you quit thinking about suited or unsuited and just the ranks of the cards you will have better results. If a flush draw is the only reason you are playing a hand you are gonna bust a lot.
Its definitely a difference if we have suited or unsuited cards of the same rank equity wise.

I remember reading this advice long time ago too but i think by now the game has advanced.

Regarding ur second Post, i would open A10, AJ from mp. With Aj i would even open from utg. AJ is an open fold only on very rare occasions in satellites for example or in certain situations on the bubble.
 
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  • #9
Suns of Beaches said:
Its definitely a difference if we have suited or unsuited cards of the same rank equity wise.

I remember reading this advice long time ago too but i think by now the game has advanced.

Regarding ur second Post, i would open A10, AJ from mp. With Aj i would even open from utg. AJ is an open fold only on very rare occasions in satellites for example or in certain situations on the bubble.
AJ is a tough one. I have played it a lot of ways. Now if it is a one-eyed Jack :js4::jh4: I play it aggressively. If it is two -eyed :jc4::jd4: I take it easy.
The one-eyed jacks have always been aggressive. They carry mischief every time they get up with an Ace.
 
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Sunz of Beaches

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  • #10
Gutshot Gus said:
AJ is a tough one. I have played it a lot of ways. Now if it is a one-eyed Jack :js4::jh4: I play it aggressively. If it is two -eyed :jc4::jd4: I take it easy.
The one-eyed jacks have always been aggressive. They carry mischief every time they get up with an Ace.
Aj is a very tough hand to play in general yes but not when it comes to open raise pre.

That Jack comment I don't get. U are probably joking but I don't get the humor 😅
 
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  • #11
john_entony said:
Let's talk about how you play with “A9” and “A8” (not one-suit) on UTG in tournaments with a $1000 guarantee. Your stack is 25-30 big blinds, the tournament is at 7-8 blind level. Or maybe you are a tight player and don't play with this cards in this position? :unsure:
Generally, I wont be opening A9o A8o from UTG.

Gutshot Gus said:
If you quit thinking about suited or unsuited and just the ranks of the cards you will have better results. If a flush draw is the only reason you are playing a hand you are gonna bust a lot.
Suns of Beaches said:
Its definitely a difference if we have suited or unsuited cards of the same rank equity wise.
I agree with @Suns of Beaches, I'm not an expert, but according to GTO solvers, there's a lot more of suited combinations than you can play than off-suited
 
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  • #12
Gutshot Gus said:
Fold. I don't like A9, A8, A7, A6 in any position. As far as I am concerned they are leaks that will drain your stack. Other than a late position move for the antes I give them to the muck pile.
Agreed
 
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  • #13
How about 89s from utg, is it a good hand to open with?
 
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  • #14
maronza1 said:
How about 89s from utg, is it a good hand to open with?
If there are only limpers at my table and I see a pre-flop raise once in 5 cycles and my stack is 40 big blinds or more (and tournament with no more than $150 guarantee and no more than 3-4 blind level), then sometimes I can play with this hand. In general, playing from UTG with such hand has a double meaning: to see the board (and catch a straight/flush/2 pairs) and to show the table that I am a fish and play from UTG with such not the strongest hand (in the future in a similar situation I will play the same way, but already with a monster hand and will wait for a raise/all-in when the stacks will be in the range of 8-20 big blinds). :unsure:
 
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  • #15
john_entony said:
If there are only limpers at my table and I see a pre-flop raise once in 5 cycles and my stack is 40 big blinds or more (and tournament with no more than $150 guarantee and no more than 3-4 blind level), then sometimes I can play with this hand. In general, playing from UTG with such hand has a double meaning: to see the board (and catch a straight/flush/2 pairs) and to show the table that I am a fish and play from UTG with such not the strongest hand (in the future in a similar situation I will play the same way, but already with a monster hand and will wait for a raise/all-in when the stacks will be in the range of 8-20 big blinds). :unsure:
Yeah its a tricky hand because most of the time it will get dominated by overcards on the board, its one of the hands i like, but with how its weak postflop i usually fold it. Like you say it depends on the table dynamics
 
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  • #16
Fold. If you wanna play them, only play from position.
Different story if they are suited. You can mix up play in that scenario, but still, I err toward the side of caution. Against preflop aggression, imma calling one bet at most even with a suited ace 6 to 9. (very low str possibility)
 
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  • #17
Marshmalo1994 said:
Generally, I wont be opening A9o A8o from UTG.



I agree with @Suns of Beaches, I'm not an expert, but according to GTO solvers, there's a lot more of suited combinations than you can play than off-suited
I tend to play a 15% VPIP and the A2 through A9 suited are in the 20% VPIP range. It just depends on how tight you are playing, The 22 thru 66 pairs fall in that range also. If the game is slow without a lot of action I will try a flop with A9 thru A2 suited and 22 thru 66 but I don't do it regularly. I will try the small pairs more than suited Aces.
 
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  • #18
Depends on the stack. If I'm in a gambling mood, I'll play the marginal aces. Same goes if I'm chipped up. Otherwise, I throw away the junk aces, becUTG, your opponents are stacked sufficiently to call anything. But an ace is still the high straight and FLUSH card. Often get killed by the four card flush on the board. Play the junky ace with due discretion, but UTG sometimes you have to take a chance.Good luck
 
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  • #19
Suns of Beaches said:
Aj is a very tough hand to play in general yes but not when it comes to open raise pre.

That Jack comment I don't get. U are probably joking but I don't get the humor 😅
Not joking. AJ is on the bubble for me. Generally in early position I will let it go to the muck and raise from late position. For me personally if the Jack is one eyed I like to get aggressive. If an opponent is taking notes on me it makes it harder on him. People don't think about one eyed cards. I will get aggressive with a one eved king also in raise or fold situations. It mixes it up a bit.
 
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  • #20
It all depends on the situation at hand.
This is a hand that rarely has a good outcome.
 
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  • #21
A8o-A9o UTG I fold, I like suited or pocket face cards from UTG.
 
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  • #22
john_entony said:
Let's talk about how you play with “A9” and “A8” (not one-suit) on UTG in tournaments with a $1000 guarantee. Your stack is 25-30 big blinds, the tournament is at 7-8 blind level. Or maybe you are a tight player and don't play with this cards in this position? :unsure:
I don't understand the relevance of '$1,000 gtd.' I mean it could be a $100 buyin with 10-15 players or it could be $0.25 buyin that had 5,000 entrants.

Same goes with the 7-8 blind level. It depends on the structure, I mean blinds could be going up in larger increments & at faster intervals. One 7th level could be the same as another tournaments 25th level

fwiw, 25bb is a Fold
 
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  • #23
john_entony said:
Let's talk about how you play with “A9” and “A8” (not one-suit) on UTG in tournaments with a $1000 guarantee. Your stack is 25-30 big blinds, the tournament is at 7-8 blind level. Or maybe you are a tight player and don't play with this cards in this position? :unsure:
free GTO Wizard is a great starting point for learning ranges for preflop play you can even do basic exploit theory. You can also look at what your equity vs tighter or loser ranges is in 3 bet pots it is a fountain of data which we can then use to play exploit poker on the tables by thinking thru each solver spot and mentally adjusting for Non solver play.

:unsure::geek:
 
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