Pocket Aces - All in or slow play ?

Question

Hold Em of course and to be quite honest I don't worry to much about the order beyond the player to the left and right of me.

I have seen Pocket aces get cracked by some ridiculous hands in the past so I ten to be agressive with them Pre-Flop.

Make them pay to see the cards and don't give some dude with a 2-7 off suite the cant to do a victory dance.

Some excellent advice so far in the answers, personally I still like to go with Raising 3x the Big Blind as a standard approach. But from what I have been seeing lately at the tournaments is that if you get this hand on a decent pre-flop betting round might as well go for it.

I have seen Pocket Rockets get blasted out of the sky way too many times to accept alot of action against them.

Answer 1

Anyone who's telling you to slow play Aces as a regular thing is someone you should ignore because they're giving you bad advice.

Yes - occasionally - you should slow play pocket Aces & just limp in before the flop. You're only doing that to mix up your play. If you ALWAYS raise with aces - then your observant opponents would know that whenever you limped in - they know that at least you don't have aces. However - if you mix it up every once in awhile, then your play becomes more unpredictable.

However - limping with pocket aces should be something you do RARELY - the exception NOT the rule.

The size of the raise depends on where you are in the tournament.

If I had to give you a general rule of thumb - I'd say to put in a standard raise of 3 times the big blind. Of course, if you're short-stacked - and you have less than 10 times the size of the big blind in your stack - then I'd say push all-in right away.

If someone ahead of you has already raised - then I'd say to push all-in right there.

Slow-playing aces as a matter of routine will lead to a lot more players sticking around who can outdraw you. Remember - a pair of aces is just a pair....and if you have 5 people all hanging around - there's a VERY good chance that one of those 5 people is going to draw out on you. You might be a favorite against each individual player - but - collectively - those 5 people are a favorite over YOU.

You want to raise to protect your hand and get people with drawing hands (like a suited ace or suited connectors) out of the hand. Those who call you will probably have a good pair (but not as good as yours) or AK. If a suited ace or suited connectors DO call you - then fine - sometimes they'll hit - but most of the time they want....even if they hit it - their call is a mistake and you will win more money than you lose - which is the whole point.

Even heads-up - your aces aren't a guarantee. Heads-up against a random hand, your aces will win around 80% of the time. That means that 20% of the time, you'll lose.

Suckouts are a part of the game....you have to deal with that fact - and also understand that when you get sucked-out - what that means is that you had your chips in with the best hand - which is what you WANT.

Bottom line: In general - DON'T slowplay aces. BUT - if you only raise when you have Aces - then your play is more predictable than if you MOSTLY raise - but SOMETIMES limp in.

Good luck.

Answer 2

ill give u a simple rule of thumb to think about. U should always raise with aces. U dont really want to raise all in though thats just silly. Give it the standard raise of three to 4 times the bb.
Big tip here is always raise the same amount with junk or with good cards. youll never give away a betting tell if u use this strategy.
Now back onto the subject at hand, u do want some action with pocket aces, the thing u want to do with your raise is thin the field.
now if u get one or two callers you have a good shot at taking their chips after the flop. Just be cautious if the flop pairs. Now someone could be playing a pocket pair and flopped a set which isbad for u but a nice raise or reraise should tell you where u stand in this hand. But really u do want action with this hand. The only time i would justify the move is if u have less than ten times the bb late in the tournament and u need to make a stand at this point.

Answer 3

I don't think it is as simple as that.

It really depends on the game. Is the game loose or tight? Are your opponents fish or shark? What position are you in? What is your table image? Are you playing in a casino, a home game, or online? What are the stakes? Are you playing cash or tournament poker? How big is your stack in relation to everyone else? What action has gone before? Who is left to act?

Generally it is a mistake to slow place aces. Aces do well against a smaller field. Limping to build a large pot with numerous opponents is liable to get you in a lot of trouble. A great player once said that aces often win you a small pot or lose you a big pot. This is very true.

I would almost always raise to narrow the field. I would only move all in under unusual or special circumstances. Generally an all in play with aces is just a weak way to play them and does not maximize the return on them. You are likely to only catch pocket aces every 220 hands. So don't squander them when you get them. Equally, don't expect them to magic away an hour of losses.

Answer 4

If i'm all the way down to three or 4 gamers (very last table) and that i'm first to act pre-flop, i will basically call with them. yet be careful with that though: the great blind would verify and hit 3 of a form off the flop or comes to a decision to chase a flush or open-ended immediately. If i'm on the button there, i will play it more desirable aggressively. If that's basically interior the initiating (and, lower back, first to act pre-flop), i will play them very aggressively, basically because i do not opt for all and sundry to get fortunate and/or chase. Brunson describes it otherwise interior the great/device, yet it truly is basically me. i have been burned taking section in pocket aces or kings through experimenting. I opt to easily take down the pot, no be counted how small it will be interior the early stages of a tournie. yet when i'm getting them on the button in any degree of a tournie, i will play them aggressively regardless.

Answer 5

Depends on the type of table your playing at. If everyone is on Tilt and the blinds somewhere around 200/400 or higher. I would raise to 2k-3k or try your all-in.

On a tight table I wouldn't bet anymore then the pot. Say there's $250 in the pot from the ante's & blinds. I wouldn't bet anymore then 250.

Answer 6

Be aggressive if the cards that are all in play are good. Chances are someone will get 3 of a kind, if there is already 2 of the same number out there... ETC... if there is nothing on the table from the 1st 3 cards, play it slow. If something comes up on the flop, BE AGGRESSIVE

Answer 7

What game? Hold 'Em? 7 Card? Caribbean?

Where are you in the betting order? What did those who went before you bet? How many chips do you have compared to others?

Answer 8

Push the first bid. What are you playing? hold 'em? Next time low/moderate bid. 3rd time push. then long drawn out decision in silence (let them think you may have pair 4s or something) then go all in or high bet. Make sure no flushes on the table.

Answer 9

depends if it's online or not...online yes, you're bound to get an idiot who wants to play. If it's real, I'd slow play it b/c mostly people are more conservative. It depends on where you are too...if you're under the gun, it'd slow play, but if you're last to bet and others have thrown in, an all in could rake you a cheap pot, or catch the guy slow playing KK.

Answer 10

both, you should slow play before the flop to get some callers but if you get whupped by the big blind look around the table and figure out who the sucker is. if you don't know it is probably you