AA in poker

[al_corona]

Never fold AA Pre flop.

If you fold it, what are you? crazy? The only circumstance I can think of is this: 4 players left, you are the short stack with say 30,000 chips, the rest have 35,000 , 40,000 , and 50,000 and your on the BB, they all go all in pre flop. The prize is say 10,000$ to first place, $1,000 for fourth.. you fold, because your chance of gaining say 4-5,000$ more from folding since 2 will almost guaranteed be out.. get it?

And now for this:

In poker, as we all know, you CANNOT always win. It is a game of bad beats sometimes. But the idea in poker, is to make money, and win more than you lose (duh). You have AA, move all in pre-flop. Whoever has KK or lower is already losing, and HAS to catch. Sure, sometimes you will be bad beat, but whatever, that's poker. The idea is OVER TIME, using odds and skill, is to MAKE MONEY. If you win 2/3 times with AA pre flop, your still ahead, and that, is that idea of poker. You can't be AFRAID to lose a bad beat, cuz it's always going to happen. The idea is simple, win more than you lose, and that will not happen by folding AA.

 

[WVU]

never say never as you provide a decent example of a good time to fold a,a. Play enough poker and those times will occur.

 

[Fishhead]

never say never as you provide a decent example of a good time to fold a,a. Play enough poker and those times will occur.

Precisely

 

[ConansHammer]

Congrats, you are easily one of the best players in all the world. If you are playing $30 sngs and up, and these are your results that is. With this kind of return you should be a millionaire within the year.

On a single table sng 50 % is a good rate of winning. Its not impossible to do this well . In fact I know several people that play at this level.

When he says 50 % he means that half the time he plays a single table 10 player tourni he finishes first second or third.

 

[peskypup]

I am not one of the best players in the world, just a competent beginner playing at a lowish level until I feel proficient enough to move up.

I don't think it is that hard to finish in the top 3 half of the time or so, but it does take a lot of discipline. A good example from yesterday.

I had KK and raised 3 times big blind, 2 callers. Flop is Q-5-3 rainbow, I am first to act and bet half the pot. I get raised and the third player goes all in (this was about the twentieth hand). I fold. raiser calls all-in.

Had to reckon someone had hit trips there or had AA. In fact the third player held JJ and the raiser AA, JJ is a hand which I would never been all-in with.

Went on to make 3rd. It is a very unusual sit and go where there is not a hand where I fold a better (but still second best hand) hand than one another player goes all the way with.

Of course there are times where I am all-in with AA or KK pre-flop. But the opening hands against a maniac I still think the EV for a good player is to fold, unless it is a turbo event.

 

[GoFlamesGo!]

IMO you played the KK too weak. Sure it was a very good fold, but you only raised 3 BB and then only bet half the pot with a Flop like that? I woulda put you on AK personally

 

[peskypup]

I woulda put you on AK personally.

Exactly. With no flush draw and only a very loose caller on a straight draw, who is going to call a big bet on this flop?

Unless the table is very loose, only someone with AQ or someone who has me beat will call a big bet. A small bet on this flop is about right to get someone calling me with a small pair - maybe 88 - just to see if I was on AK after all, but still I am not offering decent enough odds for that player to draw to the pair.

On the other hand, if I am beaten on this flop then a small bet stands a chance of flushing out the hands which have me beaten, which is exactly what happened in this case.

 

[GoFlamesGo!]

I guess maybe I'm a bit more agressive than you? I'd never raise only 3 BB with KK though preflop, but that's me. You're right though, it depends on the table, which you were obviously at.

 

[peskypup]

I'm not sure you are, depends how you handle other hands & situations. I would raise a minimum of 4-7 times BB with TT, JJ, AQ - the hands I don't really want too many callers with, as there are so many flops which leave you with a second best situation on those hands.

For me AA and KK are so strong post-flop that I want callers unless I am running short of chips in which case its a big pre-flop bet.

The way lots of folk seem to play these big hands is huge pre-flop bets, maybe all in, which mostly gets them no callers. I don't see why they do this unless the bllinds are well worth winning.