To raise or not to raise - that is the question.

[triton2toro]

You get AJ unsuited in early position- say first 3 seats after the blinds. Do you raise or limp in? I've heard the argument made that the only hands that will call you are the ones that have you beaten or dominated. Add to the fact that you're out of position the whole hand makes for an awkward hand. Opionions? Does AJ being suited make that raise easier?

[BenA]

AJs: Raise 99% of the time from any position if no one has yet raised. Its a premium hand.

AJo drops a lot in value because it loses much of its multi-way potential. Its still a great hand, but easily dominated. I think your question depends mostly on the type of game you are in. If its really tight passive, I raise it to try to thin the field. If the table is super loose agressive, I often limp EP because its hard to thin the field and the chance of a 3-bet goes up. Taggy tables, even more dangerous but still playable. I usually raise it from early middle position on. This hand is one of those that can get you into trouble after the flop, but is still great against many opponents ranges. Just remember: domination is devastating. I only really worry about this in the first 2 seats though. With ATo, it is much worse.

Think of AJo in terms of its relative strength versus the possible ranges of your opponents. If they are so tight that they only play pairs, high suited connectors, and Big off-suit broadway, your hands relative strength goes down. If they are so loose that 63s looks good to them from any position, relative value goes way up. AJo is still a quintessential top pair hand, and still does much better against fewer opponents. Raising or limping must take all these things into consideration.

That being said, AJs gains a theoretical 6% of equity over AJo and can be raised from anywhere for value PF.

[Haupt_234]

Raise it ^.

Haupt_234

[raze]

I raise in a typical tight-ass WPX game - and yes, suited makes it easier. I raise AJs from UTG

[BigPoppa]

No one else folds AJo UTG?

I find it probably the hardest of the "premium" hands to play OOP, and so just don't do it very often.

From MP/LP, it's an easy raise; and I'll even 3bet loose LP raisers with it at times.

[JayKon]

[ QUOTE ]
No one else folds AJo UTG?

I find it probably the hardest of the "premium" hands to play OOP, and so just don't do it very often.

From MP/LP, it's an easy raise; and I'll even 3bet loose LP raisers with it at times.

[/ QUOTE ]

Fold? No. However, I just don't like the hand in a typical loose game. I limp, or raise depending on my table image and any tell I pick up.

[BenA]

[ QUOTE ]
No one else folds AJo UTG?


[/ QUOTE ]

In most of the games I play, this is a little too tight. But I'll definitely have to reconsider it when I move up in limits. I just checked my position stats in PT, and AJo is a winner in UTG over the 40,000 hands of that database.

[raze]

I do fold it UTG, but I'll probably raise it UTG+2

[bozlax]

[ QUOTE ]
No one else folds AJo UTG?

[/ QUOTE ]

Lee Jones, but he's not as LAGgy as I am preflop.

[invictus33]

I'll limp this from UTG, but any later than that it's getting raised, especially if I'm opening and in MP1 or MP2. With a few limpers in front of me I'm less inclined to raise though, that I leave to reads. If I have no reads then it depends on my mood. With only one limper in front then I call it an isolation raise. AJs is an autoraise no matter what position I'm in.