The challenge of playing with AQ

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Hey guys

Does anyone else also get stuck in that mental limbo when faced with a 3-bet pre-flop with AQ? šŸ˜‚

Because it seems like there's never a comfortable answer.

You callā€¦ and the flop comes low.
You foldā€¦ the guy shows KJ suited.
You 4-betā€¦ he wakes up with KK.
You hit an A on the flopā€¦ and you're still scared.

It's amazing how AQ can be both strong and bad at the same time.

Especially in tournaments, medium stack, tight blindsā€¦ it seems like every decision with AQ becomes a practical test of psychological suffering.

I wanted to know from you:
Do you usually treat AQ as a premium hand or have you learned to respect it more?šŸ¤”šŸ¤”šŸ¤”
 
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I think the problem you are describing

JhonnyThe357 said:
You callā€¦ and the flop comes low.
You foldā€¦ the guy shows KJ suited.
You 4-betā€¦ he wakes up with KK.
You hit an A on the flopā€¦ and you're still scared.
Click to expand...
has to do with not being aware of your opponent's range and not having a plan for the times when you do decide to see the flop. You should pay attention to your opponent's position (i.e. are they 3betting you from SB when you are on the BB? or are they 3betting you on CO when you opened from UTG? two very different examples of where this can happen).

AQ is also either AQo or AQs which makes a difference in how you will want to play these cards. They are premium but on the lower end as broadway connectors and ace flush draws and should be treated as such.

It's okay to not like the flop or be cautious. Most poker players are scared players that telegraph their hands by the way that they play.
 
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puzzlefish said:
I think the problem you are describing


has to do with not being aware of your opponent's range and not having a plan for the times when you do decide to see the flop. You should pay attention to your opponent's position (i.e. are they 3betting you from SB when you are on the BB? or are they 3betting you on CO when you opened from UTG? two very different examples of where this can happen).

AQ is also either AQo or AQs which makes a difference in how you will want to play these cards. They are premium but on the lower end as broadway connectors and ace flush draws and should be treated as such.

It's okay to not like the flop or be cautious. Most poker players are scared players that telegraph their hands by the way that they play.
Click to expand...
you have a point!šŸ¤“
 
AQ is a good hand, but its not premium. There is a pretty substantial difference between AQ and AK, because AK is only significantly behind to 6 combos (3 KK and 3 AA), while AQ is significantly behind to 24 combos (3 QQ, 6 KK, 3 AA, 12 AK). So preflop we are not mindlessly piling chips in with AQ. If we 4-bet the hand against a tight opponent, we are typically only getting action from those 24 combos, that have us in terrible shape, and maybe some TT-JJ, we are flipping with.
 
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Yeah AQ on an Ace high flop, you are either way ahead of your opponent or way behind, so it is a real tricky hand to navigate. Iā€™ve personally busted out of a lot of tournaments with AQ. All of which were my own fault, thinking this hand is a top premium and getting felted by AK lol.
I agree with what was said above, itā€™s just like any other hand, how you play it should depend on who you are playing against (the player type), your chip stack, where you are in the tournament, your opponentā€™s chip stack, all that that you would normally think about when you consider playing a hand or not.
Just play it carefully, maybe dont try to go three streets of value with it, maybe one or two streets.
If it early in a tournament and I have 100+ big blinds, if I three bet it and get four bet, depending on the player that does this, Iā€™m usually folding and not thinking twice about it.
 
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puzzlefish said:
I think the problem you are describing


has to do with not being aware of your opponent's range and not having a plan for the times when you do decide to see the flop. You should pay attention to your opponent's position (i.e. are they 3betting you from SB when you are on the BB? or are they 3betting you on CO when you opened from UTG? two very different examples of where this can happen).

AQ is also either AQo or AQs which makes a difference in how you will want to play these cards. They are premium but on the lower end as broadway connectors and ace flush draws and should be treated as such.

It's okay to not like the flop or be cautious. Most poker players are scared players that telegraph their hands by the way that they play.
Click to expand...
puzzlefish said:
I think the problem you are describing


has to do with not being aware of your opponent's range and not having a plan for the times when you do decide to see the flop. You should pay attention to your opponent's position (i.e. are they 3betting you from SB when you are on the BB? or are they 3betting you on CO when you opened from UTG? two very different examples of where this can happen).

AQ is also either AQo or AQs which makes a difference in how you will want to play these cards. They are premium but on the lower end as broadway connectors and ace flush draws and should be treated as such.

It's okay to not like the flop or be cautious. Most poker players are scared players that telegraph their hands by the way that they play.
Click to expand...
In the early game, people look for AA, KK, QQ, or JJ, so playing AQ like that is wrong, and I've done it. But in the late game, near the bubble, you can't criticize yourself because the stakes are already high and you have to play a hand. But logically, it's better to wait for any of those four hands already mentioned.
 
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Poison91 said:
In the early game, people look for AA, KK, QQ, or JJ, so playing AQ like that is wrong, and I've done it. But in the late game, near the bubble, you can't criticize yourself because the stakes are already high and you have to play a hand.
Click to expand...
Obviously stack sizes matter, and if you get AQ all-in preflop and run into AK or KK for 20BB, its usually just a cooler, and you did nothing wrong. I say "usually", because sometimes AQ can actually be a fold preflop even for 20BB, depending on the ICM situation, action and opponent reads.
 
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AQ has been called a trap hand. Not sure I agree but unless you flop at least a queen you may not be in front. Horrible to get to the river and face AK.
 
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fundiver199 said:
AQ is a good hand, but its not premium. There is a pretty substantial difference between AQ and AK, because AK is only significantly behind to 6 combos (3 KK and 3 AA), while AQ is significantly behind to 24 combos (3 QQ, 6 KK, 3 AA, 12 AK). So preflop we are not mindlessly piling chips in with AQ. If we 4-bet the hand against a tight opponent, we are typically only getting action from those 24 combos, that have us in terrible shape, and maybe some TT-JJ, we are flipping with.
Click to expand...
And it's premium! No doubt about it! But like every game, it has its pitfalls...
 
dannystanks said:
Yeah AQ on an Ace high flop, you are either way ahead of your opponent or way behind, so it is a real tricky hand to navigate. Iā€™ve personally busted out of a lot of tournaments with AQ. All of which were my own fault, thinking this hand is a top premium and getting felted by AK lol.
I agree with what was said above, itā€™s just like any other hand, how you play it should depend on who you are playing against (the player type), your chip stack, where you are in the tournament, your opponentā€™s chip stack, all that that you would normally think about when you consider playing a hand or not.
Just play it carefully, maybe dont try to go three streets of value with it, maybe one or two streets.
If it early in a tournament and I have 100+ big blinds, if I three bet it and get four bet, depending on the player that does this, Iā€™m usually folding and not thinking twice about it.
Click to expand...
AQ is that hand that looks great pre-flopā€¦ until the action startsā€¦.
 
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fundiver199 said:
Obviously stack sizes matter, and if you get AQ all-in preflop and run into AK or KK for 20BB, its usually just a cooler, and you did nothing wrong. I say "usually", because sometimes AQ can actually be a fold preflop even for 20BB, depending on the ICM situation, action and opponent reads.
Click to expand...
I've seen many folds to shove, but that's usually at higher buy-ins!
 
Playing this hand out of position is extremely difficult. You don't know what your opponent will do, risking burying your stack in pot control or outplaying a weak pair.
 
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More dependent on the table/players/flow and your table image, to determine how you should paly AQ.
 
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AQ is a difficult hand because itā€™s very strong, but not one of the absolute strongest hands. That can make us play it with some insecurity despite how good it actually is. Like you said, itā€™s often an uncomfortable hand to play, but we still have to play it like any other hand.

For me at least, preflop Iā€™d stick to what GTO suggests, and after the flop, just play it the way you feel is best šŸ™‚
 
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My AQ game depends on the size of my stack and who's making the 3-bet. If I have 20 big blinds, I'm likely to go all-in for a 3-bet. If my stack is medium and a very tight player raises, I can fold my cards. If my stack is equal to or greater than the starting stack, I always call.
 
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ItĀ“s a great hand for sure, but you can face AK or better hands in all ins.
 
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JhonnyThe357 said:
Hey guys

Does anyone else also get stuck in that mental limbo when faced with a 3-bet pre-flop with AQ? šŸ˜‚

Because it seems like there's never a comfortable answer.

You callā€¦ and the flop comes low.
You foldā€¦ the guy shows KJ suited.
You 4-betā€¦ he wakes up with KK.
You hit an A on the flopā€¦ and you're still scared.

It's amazing how AQ can be both strong and bad at the same time.

Especially in tournaments, medium stack, tight blindsā€¦ it seems like every decision with AQ becomes a practical test of psychological suffering.

I wanted to know from you:
Do you usually treat AQ as a premium hand or have you learned to respect it more?šŸ¤”šŸ¤”šŸ¤”
Click to expand...
Iā€™ve definitely learned to respect it more. AQ is strong enough to play aggressively, but not so strong that Iā€™m happy stacking off in every situation. A lot depends on positions, stack sizes, and who is doing the 3-betting šŸ˜…šŸ˜…
 
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leomarinho said:
Iā€™ve definitely learned to respect it more. AQ is strong enough to play aggressively, but not so strong that Iā€™m happy stacking off in every situation. A lot depends on positions, stack sizes, and who is doing the 3-betting šŸ˜…šŸ˜…
Click to expand...
Exactly!
It's a strong hand, but you should always play it cautiously.
 
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kaynbergo said:
My AQ game depends on the size of my stack and who's making the 3-bet. If I have 20 big blinds, I'm likely to go all-in for a 3-bet. If my stack is medium and a very tight player raises, I can fold my cards. If my stack is equal to or greater than the starting stack, I always call.
Click to expand...
I think more or less the same.
In my case, what will also determine if I go all-in is the amount I've already invested in the pot before my opponent's bet.
If I've already put a lot into the pot, I definitely won't fold it with my AQ.
 
JhonnyThe357 said:
Exactly!
It's a strong hand, but you should always play it cautiously.
Click to expand...
I agree! AQ looks great when you see it, but it can quickly get you into trouble if you get too attached to it. A little caution goes a long way with this hand.
 
JhonnyThe357 said:
Hey guys

Does anyone else also get stuck in that mental limbo when faced with a 3-bet pre-flop with AQ? šŸ˜‚

Because it seems like there's never a comfortable answer.

You callā€¦ and the flop comes low.
You foldā€¦ the guy shows KJ suited.
You 4-betā€¦ he wakes up with KK.
You hit an A on the flopā€¦ and you're still scared.

It's amazing how AQ can be both strong and bad at the same time.

Especially in tournaments, medium stack, tight blindsā€¦ it seems like every decision with AQ becomes a practical test of psychological suffering.

I wanted to know from you:
Do you usually treat AQ as a premium hand or have you learned to respect it more?šŸ¤”šŸ¤”šŸ¤”
Click to expand...
It's like standing at the top of a double diamond ski run...you're nervous because you can get tossed upside down by the moguls and get your skull crushed or you can have the most exhilarating run with your pulse racing out of your chest and suffer a heart attack...either way, you're screwed. I'm super cautious; I would probably fold, unless it was a freeroll...go all in.
 
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