Live 20/40 -- AQo in small blind

[Mr Rick]

[ QUOTE ]
Bet the flop: You've got 2 overs a great draw and a chance to take it down UI

[/ QUOTE ]
I like this.

Also, if you had raised pre-flop and gotten the BB to fold, with only two other opponents the Q of hearts looks a lot better on this flop.

[jfk]

[ QUOTE ]


In this spot here, with loose passive calling players I usually go 50% call, 50% raise. My thinking is I can see a flop cheaper and let them make mistakes. Is this a huge mistake for me? Should AQo mostly be auto-raise in this situation?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll be the contrarian and say a 50/50 approach to raising and calling is a reasonable way to play.

You figure to have the best hand but you have bad position and a hand which suffers from reverse implied odds.

By not raising you get a better chance to manipulate the field and punish a weaker ace, who may seem tied on after your lack of a preflop raise. Not raising gives you a better chance to come alive on the turn.

Not raising AQs here is a significant mistake, but limping from the SB half the time with AQo is a fair way to balance your play.

[bakku]

[ QUOTE ]
a hand which suffers from reverse implied odds.

[/ QUOTE ]

AQo after 2 limpers suffers from reverse implied odds? are you serious?

[ QUOTE ]
limping from the SB half the time with AQo is a fair way to balance your play.

[/ QUOTE ]

yea, after 2 loose people have limped just calling is a good way to balance your weak-tight to weak-weak-tight image

[jfk]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
a hand which suffers from reverse implied odds.

[/ QUOTE ]

AQo after 2 limpers suffers from reverse implied odds? are you serious?

[ QUOTE ]
limping from the SB half the time with AQo is a fair way to balance your play.

[/ QUOTE ]

yea, after 2 loose people have limped just calling is a good way to balance your weak-tight to weak-weak-tight image

[/ QUOTE ]

...or its a way to add deception to your play. The table is going to have seen you raise AT+ on several occasions. A thinking player with Ax in this situation is going to have a hard time putting you on a big ace because he/she is accustomed to seeing you raise.

In my experience the likelihood of getting paid off on the big streets goes up when playing A/big this way. I'm not saying to play it like this every time. The OP wonders if a 50/50 call/raise mix is reasonable. I believe from the small blind it is reasonable. Were he on the button in this spot, the OP is going to raise close to 100%.

If others want to raise with this hand in this spot 100%, knock yourself out. I'm not saying that's a bad play. The OP is ahead here. I'm suggesting that balancing play with the occasional softer line while out of position in a four handed field with offsuit big cards is reasonable.

[chesspain]

[ QUOTE ]
A thinking player with Ax in this situation is going to have a hard time putting you on a big ace because he/she is accustomed to seeing you raise.



[/ QUOTE ]

Haha...you did read the OP's descriptions of his opponents, didn't you?

[Yodaman]

I somewhat agree with OP's 50/50 approach but I think its closer to 75/25 with 75 being the raise. Not raising disguises our hand and is useful to mix it up for balanced play, but you should still raise more often than just call for not just the extra money in when you're ahead, but also making the hand much MUCH easier to play on a majority of flops.

[Mr Rick]

[ QUOTE ]
I somewhat agree with OP's 50/50 approach but I think its closer to 75/25 with 75 being the raise. Not raising disguises our hand and is useful to mix it up for balanced play, but you should still raise more often than just call for not just the extra money in when you're ahead, but also making the hand much MUCH easier to play on a majority of flops.

[/ QUOTE ]

I also think its closer to 75% to 80% to raise from SB with AQo overall. But with only two other players limping in - especially with your description, I will raise closer to 100% of the time. The pot is still relatively small and a rag flop continuation bet can take down the pot because it looks like you may have a pair/set. Even in this case with a single suited flop, I have taken down pots on the flop - people even turn over their pair to show how good they are.

When it hits 4+ limpers then I will vary my play more. It also allows me to get away from a bad flop cheaply with 4 or more opponents and when I do, they aren't clued into my deception.