Playing Ace-Queen Pre-Flop: Hellmuth

Phil Hellmuth's book, Play Poker Like the Pros, doesn't have a great deal of detail on NLH but it does have some interesting things to say. He talks about playing A-Q pre-flop in some detail (Hellmuth, Play Poker Like the Pros, 141-143). Specifically, Phil lays out 3 ways of playing this hand.

First, Phil's basic approach is that A-Q is a good enough hand to take a flop with. He says you can call a small raise or raise with it about the size of the pot. Phil doesn't advise calling a reraise or even a large raise, however. The basic principle is that you want to win the pot outright or see the flop fairly cheaply. Although the advice for post-flop play is not specific, Phil seems to be looking for a set on the flop to continue with this hand. He implies that flopping another ace alone can get you into trouble, for reasons I've discussed elsewhere (Q kicker may give you second best hand).

Phil also discusses Frank Henderson's approach to playing A-Q. According to Phil, Henderson likes to limp with A-Q in the hope of flopping a set. As Phil points out, Henderson won't win any pots pre-flop this way but does build the pot in the event he hits a set. Presumably, Henderson folds if he doesn't hit a set.

The last approach Phil discusses to A-Q pre-flop is what he calls the megalomaniac theory. Simply put, a megalomaniac will raise and reraise pre-flop with A-Q in the hope of winning the pot before the flop. Hellmuth says this approach is effective in tourneys because it steals a lot of antes. Of course, when you play it and someone else is holding A-K or A-A, you can lose a lot of money.

Playing Ace-Queen from Middle Position Pre-Flop: Cloutier/McEvoy v. Harrington

What do Cloutier/McEvoy and Harrington say about playing Ace-Queen before the flop from middle position?

First, what is middle position? According to Harrington, it's seats three through six at a 10-seat table.

Cloutier/McEvoy advise folding A-Q in seats 3 through 5 before the flop in the early part of a tournament (C/M 128). There is no specific advice as to later levels of a tournament. As for seat six, Cloutier/McEvoy advise playing A-Q if there are no raises in front of you. If there is a raise(s), fold (132).

Ok. What about Harrington? Dan has you playing A-Q from middle position by raising 85% of the time and calling the other 15%. And what about if you get raised or called? Harrington provides some examples to guide you:

Harrington (190-191): You're in fifth position and the player in third position opens for 3 times the big blind. According to Dan, you call with A-Q suited and fold with A-Q unsuited.

Harrington (191-192) You're in fifth position and the player in third position calls. Raise with A-Q suited, call otherwise.

Playing Ace-Queen From Early Position Pre-Flop: Cloutier/McEvoy v. Harrington

Just to be perfectly clear, this analysis compares T.J. Cloutier and Tom McEvoy's Championship No-Limit and Pot-Limit Hold 'Em to Dan Harrington's, Harrington on Hold 'em, Vol. 1. Specifically, this entry refers to the part of Cloutier/McEvoy's book that applies to No-Limit tournaments. Harrington's book is soley devoted to N0-Limit tournaments, so no clarification needed for him.

Ace-Queen is a tricky starting hand because you can be in a bind if you flop an A or a Q. Why? If an A, then your Q kicker is beat by someone who started with A-A or A-K. If you flop a Q, you've still got to worry about overcards on the flop and later rounds. So what do these two sets of experts say to do when you're holding A-Q in early position (which Harrington defines as the first two seats at a 10-seat table--a definition I'll adopt here)?

Cloutier/McEvoy advise you to fold, or at best, limp in and fold if you get raised when you're holding A-Q in the first two seats (C/M, pp. 128-129).

Harrington, who is generally considered a conservative player, advises playing the A-Q in early position (Harrington, pp. 182-83). He advocates raising with the hand before the flop, 75% of the time and calling 25% of the time (calls are just to vary your play). As for amount of raise, Harrington says 3-5 times the big blind. Harrington' s advice is apparently based on his belief that A-Q is a pretty good hand when there aren't a lot of players in the pot but not so good otherwise. Thus, an early position raise is intended to narrow the field.

MISSION STATEMENT: NO LIMIT HOLD 'EM GREATNESS

This website will track what will hopefully be my successful career in No Limit Hold 'Em tournaments. I am relatively new to the game but have read a lot of the game's literature (i.e. Harrington, Sklansky, Cloutier, Hellmuth, etc.) and notice serious discrepancies in what some well known players have to say about the best way to play. Obviously, skilled players can differ on strategy but I want to explore whether, at any given time, there is an optimal way to play a hand, taking into account the many factors that can influence decisions. This site will examine the contradictory advice provided by the No Limit stars and try to determine what the best strategies are. The site will also detail my progress as I try to win No Limit tournaments using the knowledge that I gain and share here. If I don't make it to the top, hopefully some of you will.

A final note: my work here will be aimed at tournament play because this is the area of the No Limit universe that interests me most. If you play in regular games, you may have to adjust some of the conclusions reached here. With that said, let's start this trip.