It is the first round of a 10+1 SNG on pokerroom.com. Everyone starts with $1500 here. I am dealt AQ suited in MP, an EP player raises it to $125. I just call. (I don''t normally like to reraise with this type of hand or AK suited early in SNG, because many people will push back all in with all sorts of hands, and this is not what I'm looking for.) So two other people call and we see the flop 4 ways.

The flop is KQ4 rainbow. EP raiser bets out $150 small bet considering the size of the pot, so I raise it to $500 to see where I'm at, 2 folds and the raiser calls. Turn is a 7. EP checks and I check behind him. River is a blank, and EP moves all-in, I fold leaving me about $900. Is there a better way to play this?

yeah, I will probably fold this preflop. This might be weak tight, but I'm confident with my skill in later rounds when blinds are bigger and I have reads on players. Once you check the turn, almost any player is gonna bet all in on river no matter what because by checking, you showed you are willing to fold.

Agreed. Fold to the raiser. Let someone else "keep 'em honest" early on. You can't win the thing at the first level, but you sure can lose it.

To be honest, AQ just ain't all that great in NL, esp in a tournament. I've lost with that hand at least as much as I've won, if not more often.

Call me lag

C'mon, do it.

Oh yea, I like it like that.

But I would have raised it to about 400 preflop. :I don't mind going all in on this hand preflop. Chances are you're either a big favorite or a coinflip. The flop is a bit of a tricky situation. If you think he can be moved off of a weak king, go for the all in there. I just can't see him raising with a very weak king, and not reraising your bet.

I'm not very good at these sit and go's though, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

BUT, the main thing I wanna talk about here, is why do people think AQs is foldable preflop at this level? It's in the top hands, man. I'll play that baby every time. You really do have to raise with it preflop, though. You have to drive out those weak kings that wanna play with you. I think the only REAL mistake made here was merely calling preflop. If you had popped it up and got re-raised, then you can safely fold knowing you're probably beat. Calling gives you no information though. He could have something like K9s, or other hands you have dominated, don't let him draw to that in a tourney.

Why don't you all like AQs?

Raise it or fold it ... either would be a defensible play. But you definitely don't want to call with it -- it's not a hand where you're going to know any more with it after a flop. Call with a pair or a suited connector, because then either the flop hits you or it doesn't. But with AQ? Even a flop with two As isn't going to tell you if you've got best hand or not.

Calling with it is an OK move in LP. But not in EP or MP. Early in a tourney, I fold it in this situation. Late in a tourney, I raise with it. But I never call with it.

AQ looks better in the hole than when a flop hits.....

you have to put this guy on something big, AK, AQ, AJ, KQ or big PP.......Your hope is that he is holding AJ.....when you reraised and he smooth called i;d be worried that he was letting out enough rope for you to hang yourself (which explains the twin checks)

or he had a high PP 1010, JJ and took his shot at the pot, you came back, he should fold there if he's any good.....

Him going all in, he probably has it, figured he may get you to leap with all-in bet that smells of a steal.....if he had a strong king he'd value bet the river looking to squeeze something more out of you....

I think you bet the turn after his check, a value bet, something small that looks like you want a call.... if he's holding anything but a strong king, it will be a tough call considering you;ve smooth called a huge preflop bet, and repped the strong K/2pr with the reraise.......you look like you are hanging a trap with the value bet....it would smell.....

if he calls the value bet or comes over, you shut down, but you have to follow that reraise with the check because you could have him scared......

I think you shut down too early with the obvious steal attempt.......another 250-400 on the turn could have taken down that pot, or left no doubt....

I disagree. AQ offsuit might be the best good hand, but AQs is definately the worst great hand.

The thing is these are only 10$ sng's. Especially early in the sng when maniacs will raise with A 7, KJ, and trash like that, if I hit an A on the flop I feel reasonably sure that I'm ahead about 75% of the time, only AK, and AA are ahead, or if somebody fluked two pair or a set...but i mean you can't always be scared of AA and sets, much more often people are going to have a rag ace, or mid PP, and you'll be way ahead. That's why I think calling to see if I can hit top pair with either the A or the Q is not a bad move for $125, with a stack of $1500.

The key word there is "if" he's raising with top hands. You're playing at a 10 dollar SNG. That place is the fishiest online. I've seen people push all-in with monsters such as KQo, KJs, QJ, etc. The point is, if I've put a substantial ammount of money in the pot, I'm gonna raise all in against a random 10 dollar SNG player. From what I've seen at party and prima, this IS a winning play, and there is no disputing that. It's better than probably a 2/5s of the hands he might push here, A coinflip to 2/5s, and dominated by.... 4 hands. Add in the fold equity if you are the one pushing, and this isn't just a marginal play, it's a pretty good one. (At these levels only, of course)

Albeit, I wouldn't recommend doing this all the time. I would much rather see a flop here. But never under-estimate the power of "taking the lead" in a hand. That's the reason you raise every hand from the button in a heads up match (With lower blinds). That momentum can turn rags into the winner. See a flop, you hand plays well there.

Hey guys --

I don't fold here, that's for sure, especially with 1500 to start out with. I'll risk 1/10th of my stack to play with AQs against a random $10SNG opponent any day. I'll get pushed off of some winning hands on later streets because I'm worried about survival, but you are playing scared if you won't see a flop with a hand that is that good against someone who is likely to be a poor player, especially when you're only risking 1/10th of your stack and blinds are small.