What is your general approach with all 48 combos, or 24 combos if you're only opening AT/AJs and all AQ combos, when you're the first one to enter the pot.

On average, I play in a game where if I open for 5x, it often creates a domino effect and we're playing AJs 4-5 ways and often just x/f non Ace or Q, J, T flop.

If we're playing on a tight/nitty table then I'm sure most of you will way go ahead and open most of the 48 combos.

What's your approach on an active table? And can you also touch on your possible plan for certain textures on flop?

I think I'm always opening AK/AQ from ep. Whether I open AJs depends on the table. At a 9-handed table, usually folding AT from ep without too much thought. If stacks are deep, and if I feel the table is weak enough, I guess I'll sometimes raise ATs from ep.

It's too complicated to go into what my plan will be for different flop textures.

AJs in a raised pot 4-5 ways is a great spot. The offsuit hands it's a lot less good but it's still far from horrible.

I always muck ATo UTG. I typically raise AJo, but will fold it under some circumstances. Virtually always raising ATs+ and AQo+. I will also limp, raise or maybe even limp reraise smaller suited aces depending on the game conditions. I'm always opening 5x, I'm not sure I'm a fan of huge raises from UTG for a couple reasons - firstly you have a positional disadvantage, so you don't really want to pump huge money into the pot. Secondly, your UTG raising range is strong, so you don't really want to blast everyone out of the pot.

In general it's possible to open a bit looser in LLSNL than in more serious games because the game plays so passively. Preflop, this means you don't get threebet much, which is a huge plus when opening light. Postflop, from early position, hands tend to be worth a bit more because people are not very aggressive, which means positional disadvantage is less severe.

There's nothing wrong with raises getting called 4-5 ways from UTG. It's not ideally what you want with AJo, but it should still be a profitable spot. You could try raising more, but you want to be sure the cure isn't worse than the disease.

If it goes 4-5 ways I'm typically check folding if I don't hit anything. There's nothing wrong with that. All else being equal, you only expect to win 20% of pots 5 ways. That you have a slightly better hand than anyone else doesn't entitle you to win much more than 20%.

Pretty much this for me. Raising all AQ combos from any position, and usually folding all A10 off combos from up front. The AJ combos fall under "it depends" for me. In soft games I'll raise AJ off from UTG, and in some tougher games I'll fold AJ off all the way through MP.

I've made peace with folding AJo in EP. It's tough to do when you're card dead, but it's just too ragged of a hand to do it with. I'll play AQ because there are still enough bad players that call EP raises with Ax. Suited hands you can play a bit more frequently, but at a very tough table I could see tightening up and folding AQo and AJs.

One thing that playing online poker taught me that was surprising was the value of position. The value of position in any one hand is usually obvious, but I was shocked to see that half my winnings came from the button, and I was barely breaking even UTG, and this was 6-max. Tightening up UTG is not a big mistake, but playing too loose can be. On the button, I think you can often make the opposite argument.

No limping in with ATs? Even on a crazy table, can't we at least limp it from early and not go crazy on an Ace or Ten high board.



I'm following majority of what you just said as a default strategy with ATs+, ATo has been an almost insta much, AJo is the in between hand. And, I've been mostly folding for reasons you outlined above. It creates a 4-5 ways pot and I've experimented opening 5-7x pre with AJo. On this note, I'm folding KQo from early, and KJs as well.


The game that I play in is so soft that I'm wondering if I should be in there with ATo/AJo when the game is tight enough.

- Develop a limping range with ATo/AJo?
- Open for 2x with ATo/AJo?

If the table is tight enough, I'm almost always limping suited Ax.


Any part of my range here from early I can clean up even more?

I don't have a limping rannge from EP.

I raise KQo from UTG. I think it's substantially better than AT at LLSNL for a couple reasons. The problem with AT is that if you hit a T it can easily not be top pair, and when you get called in like 3 spots preflop it's hard to realise your equity on those flops. Also, people fear ace flops quite a bit and KQ can just bluff at them anyway.