Hand for Hand: AQ (Part One)

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• Hand for Hand: AQ (Part Two)
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Hand for Hand is an article series where we break down a single hand and explore its strengths and weaknesses within the context of multi-table tournament play. In this installment we’re going to take an in-depth look at Ace Queen (AQ).

AQ has undergone a bit of a transformation over the last couple of years. For a long time, tournament players regarded AQ as a trap hand, due to the fact that if a significant amount of money went in with AQ, the hand was usually very far behind. Online tournament play has done a lot to revive the usefulness and the reputation of this hand, as aggressive players looking to chip up have started shipping in stacks with ranges that AQ fares just fine against.

For the sake of efficiency, we’re going to consider AQ off suit and AQ suited together. Obviously, AQ suited is a stronger hand, adding roughly 3% equity in most of your matchups. Practically speaking, however, this shouldn’t have a tremendous impact your decision making – think of it more as a tie breaker in marginal situations. If you’re on the fence and it’s suited, lean toward playing; if it’s off suit, lean toward passing.

Primary Strengths: AQ is a hand that plays very well against short stacks (12 BBs and under), and is useful for both raising short stacks and calling raises from short stacks. AQ also plays excellently when you’re on the short stack, as other players are likely to call your raises with a range that includes a lot of combinations (such as KQ, AT, etc) that AQ dominates.

Primary Weaknesses: AQ isn’t a hand that flops particularly well, so it’s difficult to play with deeper stacks, especially if you’re out of position. AQ also plays a little awkwardly when you have a medium to large stack and you’re playing against medium stacks (13-25BBs), as opening with the hand and then being three bet can create some very marginal situations for you.

Performance Against Generic Ranges
Let’s explore how AQ fares against a few generic opponent ranges, and then apply that information to some typical tournament scenarios. The numbers below are for AQ off suit; for AQ suited, add 3% to your side and subtract 3% from your opponent. Also, remember – these numbers are ‘hot and cold’, meaning they only reflect outcomes when all five cards are seen.

Super Tight Range: This is the range you’ll see players sticking to when they’re desperately trying to make the money, playing scared, or playing on autopilot. It’s entirely made up of premium cards – basically the top 3.5% of hands. Here we’re talking about TT+ and AKo+. Against that range, AQ is about a 70-30 underdog.

TAG Range: This range is what you’ll often see medium to large stacks playing before the bubble approaches and after it breaks. Shorter stacks will also lean toward this range as the bubble approaches. It’s wider than the range above, but not by a ton. Let’s call it 77+, KQs+, AJs+ and AQo+. That’s about 7% of hands. AQ is about a 60-40 dog facing that range.

Aggressive Range: This range is favored by large and medium-stacked opponents who aren’t too concerned about making the money and are looking to constantly chip up, especially if they feel like they can get an opponent to fold. However, these players still prefer to have some sort of hand in case they’re called or re-raised. You’ll also see this range played by shorter stacks after the bubble breaks. Here we’re talking 22+,A7o+, A5s+,KTs+,QJs and KJo+. That’s about 17% of hands, and AQ is about a 57-42 favorite against that range.

LAG Range: The loose-aggressive range is employed by larger stacks and aggressive opponents with medium stacks near or on the bubble, and shorter stacks who are a few shades away from desperate. The quality of the hand is a little bit of an afterthought for these players, but they’ll still favor holdings that have some showdown value, especially if the stacks are such that they’re likely to be raised or called. The less likely such resistance is, the wider their range will be. Let’s say 22+,A2s+,K8s+,Q8s+,J7s+,T7s+,97s+,86s+,75s+,65s,A2o+,K7o+,Q9o+,J9o+,T9o. Obviously, that range can vary a bit by player (some people might prefer rag Kings to lower connectors), but the outcome is about the same. This range represents about 35% of hands, and AQ is about a 63-36 favorite against the range. You’re more likely to see this sort of player on a site like Full Tilt Poker or PokerStars and less on sites like WSEX Poker.

ATC Range: The “Any Two Cards” range is played by hyper-aggressive players on or near the bubble, people on tilt, and short stacks who have little choice but to push the action when they get the opportunity. It’s usually not actually any two cards, but that doesn’t really matter – AQ plays just about the same against any two cards as it does against the top 70% or the top 80% – or, for that matter, the top 35%. Against all three, AQ is about a 65-35% favorite. However, the actual percentage for this range will become useful later, so let’s go ahead and set it at 80%, which includes all except the trashiest of hands.

At this point, a couple of things are worth noting. First, AQ plays increasingly better the more aggressive your opponents are. This isn’t all that surprising, but it’s a critical point that should always dictate your decision making when playing AQ. Second, AQ therefore should play better when you’re playing defense against a strong opponent than when you’re taking the initiative against a strong opponent. That point is a little more counter-intuitive, and we’ll discuss it further later on in the article, but to reiterate – you’d rather be responding to a strong opponent than leading the action when you have AQ.

With the range information in mind, let’s break down how AQ plays in a variety of common tournament situations. We’re going to stick to addressing full ring situations, as shorthanded play is a little less scripted ….

We’ll look at those scenarios in Part Two of this article, which you can read here

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