Should you call raises with AQ?

[internet]

Against raises from middle or late position, you should either reraise or call against most typical opponents.

From early position, you can also call a raise with AQ, but it is only slightly profitable against most opponents you find on the Internet. However, in tough games, calling raises with AQ is a borderline decision from early position. In the Advanced Concept chapter, I state that from early position you can sometimes reraise AQ against certain opponents, call in some situations, and fold in others.

But in most typical games on the Internet, calling raises with AQ from early position is a slightly profitable play. Note that I almost never call raises with AJ so it is a very close decision.

MCH

[Wenona]

Matthew, what about re-raises in late position?

Here is a recent situation where I found myself in the squeeze between the button and the player 2 off the button.

I called, with great reservation, then folded on the flop which was K77.

Any comments?

POKERSTARS GAME #264154230: HOLD'EM LIMIT ($2/$4) - 2004/01/28 - 20:54:01 (ET)
Table 'Sinon' Seat #10 is the button
Seat 1: TWyatt ($76 in chips)
Seat 3: orionstarr ($241.50 in chips)
Seat 4: spadeknight ($15 in chips)
Seat 5: OUnum1BOB ($148 in chips)
Seat 6: sammyace101 ($65 in chips)
Seat 7: SexualCongee ($36 in chips)
Seat 8: mfhodag ($38 in chips)
Seat 9: Wenona ($129 in chips)
Seat 10: sexifish ($72 in chips)
TWyatt: posts small blind $1
orionstarr: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Wenona [Qd As]
spadeknight: folds
OUnum1BOB: folds
sammyace101: folds
SexualCongee: folds
mfhodag: raises $2 to $4
Wenona: calls $4
sexifish: raises $2 to $6
TWyatt: folds
orionstarr: folds
mfhodag: calls $2

[mchilger]

This is the problem with calling, sometimes you get reraised behind you which is not a good situation. I would have to call the reraise for only one more bet but tread water very carefully after the flop. With this flop, an easy fold.

Sometimes it is better reraising. The closer you get to the button the more likely I would be to reraise. MCH

[Icall]

I think this relates, I recently posted it on the limit hand examples forum and I hated the way I played.

Party Poker 0.50/1 Hold'em (10 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with Ac, Qh.
UTG calls, 1 fold, UTG+2 raises, 2 folds, Hero calls, 4 folds, UTG 3-bets, UTG+2 calls, Hero calls.

Flop: (10.50 SB) Jh, 7c, Ad (3 players)
UTG bets, UTG+2 folds, Hero raises, UTG 3-bets, Hero calls.

Turn: (8.25 BB) 2s (2 players)
UTG bets, Hero...?

(I folded).

I now believe that I should have either re-raised or folded pre-f and then simply called it down and hope to be shown KK/QQ. There was no need for me to stick raises in because I did not want to fold and I'm just asking to be re-raised by a better hand or possibly inducing a hand with 2 outs to correctly fold and get out early.

[mchilger]

ICAll, this hand is an example of why some poker authors do not advocate calling raises with AQ. It is hard to know where you stand and you often are dominated. Still, so many players nowadays have weak raising standards that I believe calling raises with AQ in many situations is slightly profitable.

I agree with your assessment, if your raise on the flop will not gain you information then it would be better to just call your opponent down in this situation. Hope he has KK or let him keep bluffing. Against solid opponents, your raise on the flop might give you the information you need to fold, but against an unknown player at the low limits I would not fold with such a big pot in this situation.

Matthew

[WhooFleuryScores]

[Cubbiefan16]