My thoughts on Ace-Queen and Two Jacks

Okay. In holdem the two toughest hands to play are probably Ace-Queen and Pocket Jacks. I consider them the two hardest hands to play. I'll post a couple pro's and cons at least from my experiance from each hand.

Ace Queen Pros.

1. It's a big starting hand dominating A-J, A-T, K-Q, All Hands some inexperianced players may go all in with.

2. Hitting an Ace or a Queen will give you the best hand most of the time.

3. Very Rarely will you be in terrible Shape. Only AA and AK puts you in absolutly Horrible Shape. KK and QQ give you one live card to work with. Since you hold an ace in your hand, it's harder for your opponent to carry such a package.

Ace Queen Cons.

1. Against major action it is almost never the best hand.

2. More often than not, you will run up against A-K.

3. It's a drawing hand, meaning in all likelyhood you will have to improve it to win. It's a hand that you will race with most of the time.



The other difficult hand is J-J. Another big overall hand with pros and cons.

Pros of J-J

1. It's a pair and a fair portion of the time you do not need to improve to win.

2. You are favored against all hands except for AA, KK, and QQ.

3. It is a large favorite against Smaller Pocket Pairs, Suited connectors, and hands with only one live card.

Cons of J-J.

1. Against major action it is almost never the best hand.

2. A fair portion of the time you will be racing. AK, AQ, KQ are all likely holdings of your opponents.

3. It becomes vulnerable to overcards, especially aces as players tend to cling to A-4 A-5 more often than you think.


While both hands are very nice sights, don't treat either one as if it's God's gift to Poker Players. It's tough to figure the exact perfect play with either hand, but here's some advice I can give to alleiviate the trouble.

1. Know your opponent. Be more apt to pop in a raise against looser players who might go with 8-8, J-T suited. Also be prepared to lay it down against big action and tighter players.

2. Play to see the flop. Don't go all in unless you are very large or short stacked in a tournament. Take a flop. Prepare to dump J-J when Aces come on the board. Same with A-Q. See what you hit, if you do continue the hand, if not dump it.

3. Remember the profit rule. It's much much better to win a very small pot with these hands than to lose a monster. If you don't connect AQ or J-J gets beat just toss them. Don't go nuts. Certainly if the board is favorable fire away, but don't go broke with these hands.

Just a few tips on the hardest 2 hands to play.