At a table with a high skill level and high amounts of aggression, I think I can play AJ reasonably well -- at the very least, I'd have a thought process to follow.

But consider this 1-2 scenario: You're in the small blind with AJ. Six players limp to you.

-- You put in a raise to $30. If everybody folds you've made $15 prerake and pretip. But people limp with all kinds of very strong hands at a bad limpy 1-2 table. Throwing your $29 out there to make a $15 profit ... seems pretty marginal given that you'll be called or raised by strong hands that limped pretty often. Either you're dominated or, best-case scenario, you're in muddy and unclear waters.

-- You put in a raise to $15. Get two callers. Flop misses you. You check and fold to aggression, because you're not interested in going along for the ride with AJ once you miss the flop.

-- You complete the small blind. Flop hits you, like AT9. You look around at the 7(!) other people in the hand and realize you may very well be beat.

Any words of wisdom on the best way to play AJ at a bad limpy table?

BTW, I'd play AQ more like AK -- bet aggressively, be willing to c-bet or double barrel based on reads. With AT, I'd only play it aggressively if I thought the stars were aligning to take it down preflop. If I thought my image was too aggro or the table too sticky, I'd probably just limp and hope for a miracle flop.

I'd just complete AJ of all stripes from sb/bb on most 1/2 tables for reasons you give. Only on a table were I notice very weak-tight/ loose-weak that I think I can take down a pot post-flop w/ a cbet most of the time.

This isn't a problem with AJ its a problem with small blind.

This is why I don't do much raising at all from the blinds. Only top premium hands.

situation 1: Collecting 8bb uncontested is pretty high up there as far as outcomes of a poker hand go.

situation 2: 3 ways you should be able to bluff successfully some of the time. May have to barrel.

situation 3: Remember that you are trying to get value from worse hands and bet accordingly. If you go 3/4 pot 3 streets regardless of who calls you are going to value own yourself a lot. If you value bet sensibly this should be a very profitable flop.

Don't tip on preflop pots unless there's been a 4bet.

AJ is an easy raise from the blinds against bad players. Just gotta control your spew when you miss and be able to extract from worse aces.

This is a great action flop for AJ. Bet a decent amount and expect to get calls from Ax,QJ, 89,J8, sometimes worse.

prob just complete

With 7 people, that's not a good spot to be in out of the blinds with an already large pot. You're crushed by AK, AQ, AT, A9, T9 and you won't likely improve, as a J completes multiple straight draws. I'd be check calling, maybe even check folding.

This is a hand where I sometimes raise and sometimes limp in the SB.

If I flop one pair, my goal is usually to win a modest pot. I'm usually not planning on getting three streets of value, although I can change my mind as the hand develops. I will sometimes check after flopping top pair.

With my table image, some regs will fold weak aces if I bet out of the blinds into a wide field, so how you should play might be different.

I throw AJ in with KJ, KQ, QJ, as trouble hands. Not saying I fold these hands from the SB, but I'm certainly not bloating the pot. Sure I might fold out some of the weird limping hands in a 1-2 game, but raising usually leads to one of the following outcomes:

1. You take down the limpers and the blinds. I'd argue this is the best outcome. You pick up $2 x however many callers there were, win the pot, and play the next hand from the button.

2. You get one caller. Usually that caller has a wide enough range that any flop I'm going to hit with AJ is likely to hit some part of his hand. The problem is that I don't know what part. Oh yeah, he has position on me also. So no matter whether I lead out or check, I'm operating in the dark and he isn't.

3. You get multiple callers. Once a few people jump on the calling train, you're in a world of hurt. Unless you flop huge, you're going to be worried that one of the many callers flopped an odd two pair, or worse. This is a class spot where leading out usually only gets called by better hands and typically folds out the worse hands. Not to mention that leading into multiple callers on the flop is a recipe for inflating pots that you'll have to fold later when someone uses their position against you later in the hand.

All of that being said, there are no absolutes in poker, so I'd still raise with AJ occasionally from the SB. Just be prepared to win a relatively small to moderate pot unless you crush the flop. And be prepared to be in some awkward spots post flop when any (or all) of your opponents exercise their positional advantage.