AJo from UTG, first in — fold, call or raise?
The answer
Raise
open-raise
The math: Under the gun the six-max chart opens ATo+. AJo is one rung above the floor.
Why
Ace-jack offsuit makes strong top pairs, dominates weaker aces that call, and can flop broadway draws. This chart already opens ATo at the boundary, so AJo is a comfortable raise rather than a close one. Open 2.5bb and take the initiative.
The spot
- Your seat
- UTG
- Stakes and stacks
- $1 / $2 · 100bb
- Your hand
- A♥ J♣
- Board
- Preflop — no board yet
- Pot
- POT · $3
- Action on you
- You’re first to act
Every option
Foldgive up the hand
Why not: Folding here leaves value on the table. AJo makes strong top pairs, dominates weaker aces and sits comfortably above this chart’s ATo floor.
Calllimp in
Why not: Limping surrenders the initiative and caps your range at a hand that wants to bet. You let both blinds see a cheap flop and give up the chance to win the pot right now. Ace-jack offsuit opens for a raise — it does not tiptoe in.
Raiseopen-raiseCorrect
2bb · $4 · 2.5bb · $5 · 3bb · $6
The idea behind it
Every seat has an offsuit-ace boundary. In this six-max UTG baseline the line sits at ATo, and stronger aces such as AJo open comfortably.
Concept: Starting hands
Terms in this spot
Play it instead of reading it
The trainer deals this hand with hints, grading and spaced repetition — and randomized variations of it once you have seen it.