I have noticed that I have really been struggling with AK and AQ when playing them OOP whether I am the raiser and especially when I am calling from the blinds with them. Would it be horrible if I were to just start folding them in the blinds if it is raised already? (When we are 150 to 200 BB deep)

Maybe I am not just check folding enough if I miss and trying to get to creative by calling and leading turns when I have air, but I am definitely loosing with them when OOP, unless the stacks are small and I can just shove on the villain.

I think some specific hands might help us give you more useful feedback. I usually play online, but when I do play live, I find that if I write up some notes about my most memorable hands soon after I play, I can generally get all the salient details right.

Absent a read, I personally would generally just call an early or middle position raiser with AK oop and give up if I missed the flop. I generally fold AQ (even AQs) to early or middle raises oop, because it is so easily dominated. Certainly, a better player (than me, at least) could play them differently oop and win.

With a raise from the co or btn, I'm happy to 3bet with AK, AQ, KQ, AJ and other hands (again, absent a read to the contrary), because people are often raising light from those positions.

Hope some of this helps!

No, they aren't. A donk's raising range is STRONGER UTG than OTB. Donks are usually less likely to raise if there's already 5 limpers in the pot than if they are the first into the pot and since they aren't positionally aware this leads to them raising more garbage UTG than OTB.

This is also exacerbated by the fact that most live donks would rather let the SB and BB chop than be the dick that steals blinds. If a loose passive player starts raising OTB when there's already limpers in the pot then he has a good hand. He's also never folding to your 3bet and will probably float 90% of flops so there's little point in 3betting from the blinds ever.

I suggest reading the COTWs on AK and cbetting.

AK is a good hand. The problem with it is that it is the default hand every donk puts you on if you raise pf, even if your range is a lot wider than that. Therefore, a bet on the flop with the villain folding is going to happen a lot if you have TP. Trapping isn't often a good play because of either draws or the villain just assumes you're trapping and will fold unimproved on the turn. Don't go to the mat with TP when you have 200BB.

Calling with AK in the blinds should be for a specific reason. Either fold or raise normally.

Realize when cbetting that if you make a 1/2 PSB and it works only 40% of the time, it is still a profitable play. When you go through the cbet COTW, you'll see there are some flops against some villains where c/f is the best play.

well if your OOP and you open raise and get 3bet, my standard play in live games is to fold AQ, and with AK its player dependant but most likely ill fold it to a 3bet from the blinds. if hes 3betting from the button though, you could prolly 4bet/get it in with AK if you think hes loose.

from the blinds facing a raise, i usually just flat with AK unless theres alot of dead money out there i try to raise and pick it up pre, although that rarely works live lol. so most of the time i just flat with AQ and AK from the blinds

OK, so we flat...now do we c/f missed flops? Do we lead Kxx and Axx flops?

Like anything else in poker, it depends.

Your image, villain's tendencies, and table dynamics always come into play. There is no blanket "right" answer to your questions.

I'd follow the advice in Venice's post and start with the COTWs.

OK, thanks

I got an example for you

Hero in SB with AQo

EP raises to $12
3 callers
Hero in SB CALLS $12

Flop xxx

Hero checks
EP bets $30
1 caller
Hero folds


With AK I may 3ball depending on villain. If he is tight then I flat, if it is someone just opening and limping every hand then I 3ball. AQ I almost always flatting for two reasons. 1) We are OOP with a hand that is vulnerable, why do you think the pro's hate it.. and 2) When we do hit our hand turns into a monster that no one ever sees (we can get some serious value).

AK is 90% 3 balling (10% for the nits that are opening)
AQ is 75-80% flatting (20-25% for a 3ball when we have an idiot opening that we can outplay post and/or we do not have to go multiway)

Thats my strat on those hands. My play differs a little bit though from some other live regs on the board. I am the type that likes to see a lot of flops, check raise tons and lead when OOP almost always. I am probably like 25-30vpip from EP-MP and 35-40 vpip lp. Some on here may tell you to always 3bet those hands and I am fine with that, but this is the way I would do it. Also when I do 3bet (open pots, raise, bet, etc) I tend to size mine a bit larger than others. It works at these stakes and I get good value out of my hands. I do a crap ton of cbetting and can usually take it down or at least get a good idea of someones range moving forward. Take the above example but this time give us AK. Open has a wide range and the limpers are just fish I would 3ball it to $85-$100. I like to pick up the dead money and if I do get called I still like my hand.

(most of these guys play short stack poker anyways, so if they do get it in it was poda happen regardless and really you wont lose as much as you would if it was deep. so when they do call your big bet with those short stacks it doesnt matter as the money was more than likely being shipped)

Oftentimes in EP first in I'll just limp AK and AQ. You can limp-rr or take a flop and just fold if you miss or valuebet/let others valuebet themselves if you hit. Or you can raise them as well. Both have their pros and cons depending on the aggressiveness of the table and how deep stacks are.

Against a EP raise against an unknown, I'm happy to fold AQo in the blinds. You're only going to win a small amount or have to spend a fortune to learn you have second best hand.

FWIW, I'll play it the same way live or on-line.

I only really play £1/£2 so i dont have much experiences playing against good players apart from a few shots iv taken at higher. Im rarely folding ak or aq OOP pre b/c of how poorly my opponents tend to play post flop. A lot of the time they are playing dominated hands and for some reason never put me on it. I almost always 3bet ak aswell because i have a high 3b frequency live

It's Halloween so I decided to go grave digging

not much to add ITT

+1

Im never folding ak or aq in the blinds...

Im usually not flatting either....obv that is dependent...but flatting ak or aq in the blinds is significantly passive and reduces or hand strength a ton.

When i 3bet here...im cbetting most boards with 1 or 2 face cards...with 3 face cards its read dependent as it will be with most coordinated boards.

I can almost guarantee the 1/2 games and 2/5 games arent tough enough where you need to start thinking like that...im willing to bet your being result orientated.

Also someone stated peoples raising ranges in early position is alot stronger than lp....show me a 2/5 or 1/2 table where people are playing correctly.

Side note as well...if your playing in a typical 1/2 table with a bunch of calling stations obv cbetting isnt going to be profitable...i assume this is where your frustration comes from.