Calling An Audible

"AQ!  Perfect!  I have been so card dead for the last hour, I really needed a hand to play!" 

For an online poker player this sentence may sound like a very familiar one.  But it is also something that can trap beginning players.  Essentially in the realm of poker there is one hand that you should be playing fast preflop no matter what the situation is, AA.  Even the mighty KK can fall victim to a poor situation, although in relatively fast moving online tournaments these situations are few and far between.  Hands like QQ, JJ, AK and AQ can seem like a godsend after folding for an hour. However, you have to remember that hand strength can vary greatly based on the action in front of you.  For instance, AQ doesn't seem nearly as strong facing an early position raiser and a reraise.  As players we fall into the trap of sometimes deciding our play before the action is to us preflop, which is where the title of this piece comes from. You must be able to call an audible and change your game plan with even the mightiest of hands when facing a situation which isn't profitable anymore for your now meager holding. 

This concept holds true with weak hands as well, even the dreaded 72o. In most cases this is always a fold and the earlier you are in a multi table tournament the more frequently it becomes an instant fold.  However, too many times players see ugly hands and click auto-fold without thinking of the almost innumerable scenarios that could unfold before it is their turn to act.  Perhaps you have someone at the table who has been raising an immense amount of hands and instantly folding when he faces a reraise. In this scenario your 72o becomes much stronger in positions such as the button and the cutoff as a reraising hand. 

By writing this article am I attempting to say that you should begin folding AQo preflop in all scenarios and raising 72o?  Of course not! However, taking a more patient approach to the game by analyzing the situation you are in before deciding what to do with your hand is possibly one of the most important concepts that beginners overlook, both in online and live play.