Playing AQ before the Flop

You have dealt with your pocket cards and looking at your hole cards you notice an unsuited Ace and Queen. How to proceed in this case? How to play these cards: fold, call or raise before the flop?

Unsuited AQ Pocket Cards: Consequences

Although, an unsuited Ace and Queen is not the best combination of hole cards, it is yet sufficiently strong. If it is not possible for you to get a pocket pair of Aces, Kings and Queens, an unsuited AQ is still good enough. Naturally, it is better than a pocket pair of 2s or an unsuited A and 2.

A-Q pocket cards still have a higher odd of winning than a weak pair of hands that require drawing before the possible win. Although if an AQ starting hand’s odds of winning generally decrease as the game advances ahead, an AQ is thus a preferable choice of pocket cards, but only if you are able properly play your cards.

Raising: Primary Pre-Flop Unsuited AQ Strategy

Well, with an unsuited AQ pocket cards, you have a sufficiently strong starting hand, but your chances of winning will lessen the longer you remain in the hand.

What does this imply regarding your pre-flop strategy?

With an unsuited AQ starting hand you should raise pre-flop, as if the odds of winning with these pocket cards reduces with each revealed community card, you have to try to win with your AQ cards the soon as possible and not waiting for the other players to draw, and therefore to defeat your hand. Your main goal is to steal the pot prior of the flop.

Raising will frighten off players with weak cards and determine them to drop out prior of the flop, which translates in bigger chances of winning for you as the game progresses. Even if you fail to scare off your opponents with your raise, you would still have the other players paying more in order for them to see the flop.

A Word of Caution

Keep in mind, that if your stack is short, it is preferable to keep out from this trouble hand. Numerous pocket cards can beat the AQ, so measure up things cautiously before you play it pre-flop. If you similarly play every trouble hand you get, you will quickly run out of chips and drop out of the game.