Sometimes Limit Poker Can Be So Limiting: Another $15-$30 Hand

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Sometimes Limit Poker Can Be So Limiting: Another $15-$30 Hand

I was playing in a $15-$30 limit hold'em game at the Oaks. Here is one of those hands that is very frustrating.

I am in the big blind. 6 players limp in pre-flop. I look down and find two black Aces.

I can raise here, which would probably be the book play. But my raise is not going to get anyone to fold. My thinking is that I want to eliminate opponents, not build the pot.

The flop is 2s-3s-9h.

The small blind bets. I raise.

Two opponents call. The small blind folds.

On the turn is the 3 hearts.

I figured that was a good card for me. Now, if anyone had two pair, trips or a set, they would raise me here.

But, I bet the turn and one opponent just called.

Before the river card, I figured my opponent had top pair or a flush draw.

What would be the worse card on the river?

That is the card that hit the board...the 9s. Making a player with a flush draw to make his hand and giving a player with top pair, a boat.

I check-called. My opponent showed the 9c-10h.

If it was no limit, I would have re-raised big pre-flop and took down a nice pot. Instead my pocket Aces and I were doomed to lose.

Sponsored Post: Limit Hold'em Myth About Pocket Aces

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Sponsored Post: Limit Hold'em Myth About Pocket Aces

Another post from Rakemeback.com. This one reviews the myth about pocket aces in limit poker. Frankly, if you get pocket aces in a limit game, you should raise and re-raise pre-flop in any position. Yes, even in the big blind.

Fixed Limit Poker (FL)

Fixed Limit poker is the ancestor of all other poker betting structures, and as such it should be respected. These days, with NL Holdem firmly ruling the roost, Limit Holdem is more and more marginalized. With most rookies going into business at the NL Holdem tables, the list of Limit Holdem haters grows longer each day.

The truth about these haters is though that their attitude reflects nothing but ignorance. Ask any good poker player whether he/she hates limit Holdem or not. You’ll probably be told that while Limit Holdem does have its peculiarities, there’s absolutely nothing to make it less attractive then NL, or PL for that matter.

Most haters base their attitudes towards the game on myths. There are countless myths surrounding the game, mostly spread by those who have never spent enough time at the FL tables to really get to know the game.

Pocket Rockets: A Myth

One such myth is the one about pocket rockets losing value dramatically in FL. Some people will tell you that because a player has his hands tied when it comes to protecting a starting hand, all solid starting hands lose value. Some will even go as far as to tell you that you should not commit anything on pocket rockets because they’re guaranteed to be cracked.

I’m here to tell you though that pocket rockets represent the best starting hand in Holdem, regardless of whether it’s FL, PL or NL we’re taking about, and that they’re equally valuable in all three betting structures. The way that value manifests itself is different though.

With that in mind, my advice to you is to stuff that FL pot the best you can when you pick up pocket rockets, and I’ll prove to you why that’s indeed the reasonable thing to do.

The Value of Aces

I’ll start from the premise that everyone calls everyone in FL poker all the time: the very reason why haters say there’s no value left in the game. This is obviously a theoretical premise only, it won’t happen in real life, but I’ll start from a worst-case scenario just to make my point easier to comprehend.

At a 10-handed table, (going up against 9 other players) your aces will win about 28% of the time against non-random hands like K,K, Q,Q, A,K and some suited connectors and suited one-­gappers. If we are to consider 9 random hands, that percentage climbs to around 30%. What that means is that your pocket rockets will win 1 out of 3 confrontations against 9 other players, on average.

There’s your explanation to why it looks like your rockets lose often: because that is the case indeed. The only thing is, stuffing the pot on pocket rockets still remains profitable and here’s why:

Suppose you invest 10 units on every pocket-rocket hand that you play. That means after 3 hands, you have 30 units invested of which you lose 20. You win the 3rd hand so that’s not a loss for you. Considering that your opponents call you all the way, that means the third time you book a clean profit of 90 units. 90-20 = 70: that’s a very handsome profit over those 3 hands of play indeed. As the number of players goes down, your odds go up, so you’ll always be able to book a nice profit on your pocket rockets.

The conclusion: pocket rockets are just as profitable in FL Holdem as they are in NL. It just takes longer for your edge to yield palpable results. On top of that, you do not risk dropping your entire stack on a cracked pair of aces like you do in NL.

The bottom line: playing well pays just as well in FL as it does in NL. Make sure that you stuff the pot on those rockets every time and sign up for a rakeback deal or for a poker prop deal for cryin’ out loud. Because of the peculiarities of the betting structure, your stack is going to last longer, and you’ll have to eke out your profit over more hands than in NL Holdem. More hands mean more poker rake though and you need to compensate for that somehow.

Sponsored Post: Limit Hold'em Myths

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Sponsored Post: Limit Hold'em Myths

The claims and opinions expressed in the following post are those of the sponsor and not necessarily the views or opinions of How to Win a Poker Tournament blog, its staff or its advertisers. LOL.

Limit Hold'em Myths

With online poker’s popularity explosion, NL Holdem became the king of the virtual green felt, relegating the good old fixed limit version of the game to sidekick status. Still, one must not forget that Limit Holdem is the original starting point in the game’s evolution and that there used to be very solid reasons behind its popularity. It is still the preferred betting structure of most casinos, because it allows beginners to amass some short-term winnings and it keeps them from busting out within a couple of hands, which means they’ll stick around and generate more poker rake for the house.

Online though, there are apparently countless haters of this battle-tested betting structure. I’d dare assume though that most of these haters are NL Holdem players who may have tried FL at one point or another, but who never took the time to study and to really get to know the game. Most of the haters’ arguments are therefore based on false beliefs and myths.

Poker Myth About Pocket Aces

One such myth is the one surrounding pocket rockets. All FL haters, quite probably without exception, will tell you that pocket rockets are no good in FL games because of the inability of the player to protect them. I’ll be frank. A few years ago I used to subscribe to the same theory myself, but I’m not the kind of pig-headed NL junkie who cannot be convinced through math and reason, and nowadays I know better. I also came to understand why NL players feel like their rockets are not good at the FL tables.

If you play at an 8-handed table, and you pick up pocket rockets, your hand will be a 28.4% favorite to win, provided you go up against the worst possible (the worst from your perspective of course) selection of non-random hands like K,K, Q,Q, A,K, a small pocket pair, a suited connector and a suited one-gapper. In reality, you’ll seldom have your rockets staring down such fierce competition, so your odds for winning will be around 31%.

What that means in layman’s terms is that on average, when you pick up pocket rockets, you win once in every 3 tries. That’s right, you lose more times than you win, and that there is the very source of the myth.

There are two sides to every coin though, and in poker one cannot afford to be near sighted. While you will lose once on every 3 tries, the one time you win, you’ll get 8-1 for your money.

Please remember that the original complaint was about how one couldn’t protect his rockets because all the opponents would call him anyway. That’s the reason why you get 8-1 on your money. Suppose you invest 1 unit of money on every one of your rockets. That’s a 3 unit investment. You lose 2 units, and you pick up 8. That leaves you with a pretty handsome investment.

If there are fewer players at your table, your money return rate takes a hit, but your odds grow. If you go up against 3 players holding random hands, your odds will grow from 31% to around 64%, so the value remains. Therefore, my recommendation is that you should do your best to stuff that pot when you pick up rockets. You may not win each and every showdown, but in the end you will walk away with a handsome profit.

In addition to all that, pocket rockets do not carry the risk of felting you in case of a loss in limit Holdem. You will live to stuff another pot and you will get you money eventually.

What about the poker rake that you pay? You pay more of that in Limit Poker, right? Because you stay in the game longer, you pay more rake too. Just sign up for a rakeback deal, or better still: a poker prop deal, and the poker rake will lose its bite before you know it.

My viewpoint: In low limit hold'em games, you will often get multiple opponents wanting to see a flop. With pocket Aces you should be raising and re-raising pre-flop. I believe it is clearly the best strategy. FYI: In my last $6-$12 session at the club, I was dealt pocket Aces three times in three hours. I lost every time--and one time I was heads-up going into the flop. So what do I know :-)

Guest Post: Don’t Get Married to a Hand

Don’t Get Married to a Hand

Image by char1iej via Flickr

The following is a post from Mark who runs the Poker Bankroll Blog and the PokerBRB.com freeroll and tournament league. It was written and submitted to his blog by Vic Porcelli, who hosts the All In Radio Poker Show.

Pocket Aces

How many times have you folded pocket Aces after the flop? Sounds absurd I know, but what if the flop is K K J? Or if the flop came 10 J Q? Depending on the post flop betting you may be a big underdog. So can you lay them down?

Dennis Phillips finished third in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event. Dennis is from my hometown of St. Louis. He won a $200 double shootout satellite at Harrah’s Casino in St. Louis and parlayed that into a $4.3 Million payoff for his third place finish. During that main event, Dennis folded pockets Aces, twice!

Pockets Aces are at worst a 4-1 favorite pre-flop, however I’ve mentioned in previous columns that hand strengths can change with every street. If you are holding pocket Aces and the flop is K K J. You make a bet on the flop and your opponent comes over the top of your bet, you can be assured he is holding a K and a strong one at that. Guess what? You have to throw away your Aces.

I can speak from personal experience on this one. I was in the big blind, with A A. By the time the action comes to me, there are four limpers including the small blind. The blinds were still low relative to stacksize, just 25/50. There was $250 in the pot including my big blind. I raised it up to $300. Everyone folded but the cutoff seat called. I put him a range of A K to A J. I did not put him on KK because he would have surely re-raised me with K K. The flop came J 6 3. (suits didn’t factor into this hand) I bet the pot. The cutoff called. Now I knew he had A J. The turn was another Jack. He pushed all in. I did not want to let go of those Aces. But facts were facts. I was beat. I laid down the Aces and showed the hand before I threw them into the muck. He showed me A J and took down the pot.

By the way, I cashed in that tournament, finishing 4th. If I got married to that hand and called his all in bet, I would have busted out and gone home very mad that I couldn’t lay down Aces. Instead I threw the Aces away, played my normal game, made a few well timed bluffs and ended going deep in the tournament and walking away with some decent money.

Getting married to a hand is one of the biggest mistake poker players make. It can be a fatal mistake. If you are ever fortunate enough to play in a World Series of Poker tournament you will have to play 12 to 16 hours a day for at least 3 days, maybe even a week. You can play flawless poker but that one time you have been dealt a monster and you get married to it, you may be on the rail.

The Nut Straight

Flopping a nut straight is a moment of glory. As Vince Van Patten overstates on the World Poker Tour telecasts; “…show tunes are going off your head.” But wait! There are two suited cards on the flop. You raise your opponent’s bet and he calls. You have a gut feeling that he is on a flush draw. The turn brings a third card of the same of the same suit. Your opponent doesn’t call your raise this time. This time he re-raises all in. Now what?

Your nut straight is a losing hand.

There is of course a chance he is bluffing. But there also a chance he has you beat and your tournament may be over, if you make the call.

Poker is a game of variables, wildly aggressive opponents and decision making. If you make that one mistake, you’re on the rail and threw your buy-in away. If you were bluffed then so be it. Making a bad fold can’t knock you out of a tournament. A bad call can send you to the rail, which is the topic of my next column; “A Bad Call is Not a Bad Mistake.”

Thanks again for submitting this post, Mark! It reminds me of two expressions: A good fold is a good thing and Sometimes you have to fold the winning hand. Phillips may have folded the winning hand both times--but he ended up with a nice result.

Poker Quiz and Answer: You've got pocket Aces and your opponent has what?

Poker Quiz: You've got pocket Aces and your opponent has what?

You are in a MTT tournament with $25,000 buy-in. You won the money playing at Fu

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ll Rush poker...lol. And you decided to come to Vegas play in this event at the Bellagio.

Poker Quiz

It's in the early rounds. The blinds are $50-$100. You have about $23,000 in chips.

You are in seat 3. The player under the gun limps and you find pocket Aces. You want to get paid off with pocket Aces, and raise only $300. I would raise bigger myself, since everyone is deep stacked, but you play your way.

A player in late position calls as does the big blind and the limper. There are 4 players in the hand and the pot is $1,250. Pocket Aces against four players is not an ideal situation...but....

The flop is Ks-6d-5h. Excellent flop for Aces, I think.

There are two checks to you and you bet $800.

Everyone folds but the big blind calls. There is now $2,850 in the pot.

It is heads-up.

You should be thinking: What does your opponent have in this situation? What range of hands do you put him on?

My thinking: There are no flush draws. He may have top pair. He probably would have raised with two pair--but I don't see anyone calling a pre-flop raise with K-6 or K-5. 6-5 suited maybe, but no check raise so I don't see two pair. What about a set? A set is always possible, but I don't like assuming the worse.

Most likely hands to my thinking is probably K-10, K-Q, or K-J. I could be wrong.

The turn is a 9c. I like that card, unless my opponent has K-9 or 8-7.

He checks. You bet $1,800. A good bet. It controls the size of the pot. Oops. Your opponent check raises to $4,000.

Let's think this through...Let's start with the pot. It is $8,650. It will cost you only $2,200 to call.

What do you know about your opponent? Nothing, except he is in a $25,000 buy-in event, so he must know how to play the game.

Maybe he has K-10, K-Q, or K-J...or maybe he just hit two pair with K-9. You do have outs against two pair. You call.

The pot is now $10,850.

The river is an 8s. I don't see that changing anything. Either he had you on the turn or not.

Your opponent bets $7,500. Is that a value bet? A continuation bet? A pure bluff?

What should you do?

Poker Answer

This was an actual hand at the WPT Championship.

The player with pocket Aces went into the tank. He finally called.

His opponent showed K-10 and lost the pot.

Some players think it was a bad call since there were so many ways that his opponent could have two pair. In general, it is tough to get any player to fold with pocket Aces.

Some Limit Cash Games

Last night, I decided to play some limit poker. It's been a long time.

I was watching this one hand and was quite surprised by this play. It was heads-up and the board was Kh-5h-9s-9c-2h. The player in position kept betting and being called. On the river, the player in position bet again, but this time he was check-raised.

He went into the tank, and folded, showing his 9. His opponent took down the pot and laughed as he showed pocket Aces. That is a bad play, because his opponent had shown a few bluffs already and it is only going to cost you one big bet.

Here are two hands that I were in last night. The learning for you is don't muck your hand, no matter what your opponent says he is holding.

#1. I had a set on the flop and was betting to protect my hand against two opponents. On the river one of these guys, check raises me. The board looked like he had a straight on the river. Still, I had to call. My opponent doesn't turn his cards over. Instead, he says, "I've got the straight." I kept waiting for him to show his hand. Finally, the dealer asks the player to show his cards. He has top pair, that's all. What a jerk.

#2. Here I am up against a different opponent. We are heads-up all the way to the river. I have A-2, and the board is A-A-4-J-4. On the river after I bet, my opponent raises me, I re-raise, he re-raises, and I call. He says "I've got a bigger full house." I'm thinking A-J and I get ready to muck. What does he show? A-4. Another jerk.

My warning to you, especially if you have been playing mostly online, is that when you go to the card room and someone tells you what they have on the river. Don't muck. Wait till you see the hand.

Reminder:

Full Rush poker Freeroll
Wednesday October 28 at 9pm ET
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Poker Quiz: You've got pocket Aces and your opponent has what?

Poker Quiz: You've got pocket Aces and your opponent has what?

You are in a MTT tournament with $25,000 buy-in. You won the money playing at Fu

Image via Wikipedia

ll Rush poker...lol. And you decided to come to Vegas play in this event at the Bellagio.

Poker Quiz

It's in the early rounds. The blinds are $50-$100. You have about $23,000 in chips.

You are in seat 3. The player under the gun limps and you find pocket Aces. You want to get paid off with pocket Aces, and raise only $300. I would raise bigger myself, since everyone is deep stacked, but you play your way.

A player in late position calls as does the big blind and the limper. There are 4 players in the hand and the pot is $1,250. Pocket Aces against four players is not an ideal situation...but....

The flop is Ks-6d-5h. Excellent flop for Aces, I think.

There are two checks to you and you bet $800.

Everyone folds but the big blind calls. There is now $2,850 in the pot.

It is heads-up.

You should be thinking: What does your opponent have in this situation? What range of hands do you put him on?

My thinking: There are no flush draws. He may have top pair. He probably would have raised with two pair--but I don't see anyone calling a pre-flop raise with K-6 or K-5. 6-5 suited maybe, but no check raise so I don't see two pair. What about a set? A set is always possible, but I don't like assuming the worse.

Most likely hands to my thinking is probably K-10, K-Q, or K-J. I could be wrong.

The turn is a 9c. I like that card, unless my opponent has K-9 or 8-7.

He checks. You bet $1,800. A good bet. It controls the size of the pot. Oops. Your opponent check raises to $4,000.

Let's think this through...Let's start with the pot. It is $8,650. It will cost you only $2,200 to call.

What do you know about your opponent? Nothing, except he is in a $25,000 buy-in event, so he must know how to play the game.

Maybe he has K-10, K-Q, or K-J...or maybe he just hit two pair with K-9. You do have outs against two pair. You call.

The pot is now $10,850.

The river is an 8s. I don't see that changing anything. Either he had you on the turn or not.

Your opponent bets $7,500. Is that a value bet? A continuation bet? A pure bluff?

What should you do?

Answer on Monday....And a Reminder....

I am hosting a "Trick or Treat" Tournament on Full Rush poker on Wednesday October 28 at 9pm ET (so as not to compete against the Twitter Poker Tournaments).

It is a $50 Freeroll + you win another $10 Bounty if you knock me out. But, you won't knock me out since I plan on winning. :) My name is: Myway1969

There is no password needed since only qualified players will see the event listed.

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Answer to "What Would You Do With Pocket Aces Here?"

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Tournament Poker--Playing Pocket Aces

It is the WPT $25,000 buy-in event at the Bellagio. Everyone has $50,000. The blinds are $50-$100.

Only a few hands have been dealt at your table, when this hand is dealt:

A player in early position limps. You are sitting next to this player and you find pocket Aces--Ad-Ac (an Ace of diamonds and an Ace of clubs).

You raise to $300. The button, the big blind call, and the limper calls.

There is now $1,250 in the pot.

The flop is Ks-6d-5h.

The big blind and the limper check. That looks like a safe flop so you bet $800. Only the big calls.

There is now $2,850 in the pot.

The turn is a 9c.

You like your hand but you want to keep the pot small. You bet $1,800.

Your opponent raises to $5,800.

What should you do?

The pot is $10,450 and it will cost you $4,000 to call the raise. Can this guy have hit a set or two pair? Can he be trying to muscle you out of the pot, especially since your turn bet was small?

You decide to call. There is now $14,450 in the pot.

The river is the 8h.

You check and your opponent bets $7,500. What should you do?

Answer--Call. Your opponent has Kh-10h. However, here is the actual thinking of your opponent in this hand:

Pre-flop, he is thinking you have a big hand like pocket Aces because the raise is to only $300.

On the flop, with an $800 bet, he is thinking you an have aces, kings or queens. He does not raise you since he doesn't want a big pot.

On the turn, the $1,800 bet signals that you either have three kings or two aces. However, he is thinking that his check raise with the 9c on the flop, will make it look like he has a straight or two pair. He feels it is a good bluffing situation. (My comment: If you think your opponent has a set, do not try to bluff him off his hand because it's not going to happen!!!) When his opponent called, he knew his opponent only had aces. (My comment: What was he going to do if he got re-raised? Fold, of course. Good grief...sometimes I don't get what these pros are thinking.)

On the river, with an 8s, he feels that the board looks dangerous and that the $7,500 would look like he wanted to get paid off with a value bet.

But to this player's dismay, his opponent called and he lost the pot. He comments that against a weaker player you need to make a bigger bet so they get the message.

Did you call the river bet or did you fold? I would have made my decision on the turn. That is, if I called on the turn I really have to call on the river...especially with a bet that could be a value bet or a bluff....and that big of a pot. In fact, one of the mistakes I try not to make in these situations, is to always consider the size of the pot at the river. If I fold on the river with a big pot and I get bluffed out, it is a disaster.

What Would You Do With Pocket Aces here?

Image by mrdelayer via Flickr

Tournament Poker--Playing Pocket Aces

It is the WPT $25,000 buy-in event at the Bellagio. Everyone has $50,000. The blinds are $50-$100.

Only a few hands have been dealt at your table, when this hand is dealt:

A player in early position limps. You are sitting next to this player and you find pocket Aces--Ad-Ac (an Ace of diamonds and an Ace of clubs).

You raise to $300. The button, the big blind call, and the limper calls.

There is now $1,250 in the pot.

The flop is Ks-6d-5h.

The big blind and the limper check. That looks like a safe flop so you bet $800. Only the big calls.

There is now $2,850 in the pot.

The turn is a 9c.

You like your hand but you want to keep the pot small. You bet $1,800.

Your opponent raises to $5,800.

What should you do?

The pot is $10,450 and it will cost you $4,000 to call the raise. Can this guy have hit a set or two pair? Can he be trying to muscle you out of the pot, especially since your turn bet was small?

You decide to call. There is now $14,450 in the pot.

The river is the 8h.

You check and your opponent bets $7,500. What should you do?

Analyze the situation and make your decision. What do you think?

Answer on Monday.

Did Hellmuth Play His Pocket Aces Poorly at the WSOP?

Phil Hellmuth busts out from the Main Event with Pocket Aces

First, Phil Hellmuth is a great tournament poker player. The fact is that he has cashed more than any other player at the WSOP and he has won the Main Event. You may not like his antics, but he has created himself into a brand as the Poker Brat. It works for him very well.

Second, it is easy to second guess players based on outcomes rather than the decision itself. I think we need to evaluate the decision that was made and not the outcome.

Third, I only know what happened based on what I've read on Cardplayer.com. If you know specifics, please let me know.

Finally, the key in reviewing his play is not to criticize but to see if you can learn from his play.

A Few Hands Before The Pocket Aces

Abraham Mourshaki raises to 20,000 and Phil re-raises to 36,000. His opponent calls. Phil can re-raise with a range of hands, but it looks like a min re-raise. A min re-raise usually signals pocket Aces. Phil knows he will be called.

Note: I don't know the levels, but it looks around 2000-4000 blinds.

The flop is Jh-Jc-3d.

Phil bets 40,000 and his opponent calls.

The turn is the 7s. Both players check. This is a good play by Phil. If you are beat, you don't want to lose more chips. What if you get check-raised? Why give yourself a tough decision?

The river is a 5h. Mourshaki bets 120,000. Hellmuth calls. His opponent has As-Jd.

“I’m gonna vomit on the floor,” Phil said. “You had to find jack-jack for him. You couldn’t find just one jack so he could sail off? Phil's speech means he had pocket AA, KK or QQ, or he is just bs'ing.

Phil is down to 100,000.

Pocket Aces and He Is Out

A few hands go by and Mourshaki raises to 22,000 preflop. Hellmuth calls with pocket Aces.

Is that a good play?

My opinion is that Phil made the right play since he was so low on chips compared to average chip level and the leaders at the time. He wants to take the risk that he will be heads-up again and be able to double-up plus. He is playing to win. I don't believe Phil is targeting his opponent because he beat him a few hands earlier.

Unlike the last hand, though, three players call the raise. This is a problem. My estimate is that you lose about 8% per player when it comes to the probability of winning the hand with AA. With 4 callers, I think my Aces will hold up only about 2 out of 3 times. (I'm sure there is a more accurate formula but this is what I use when I have AA and get callers.)

The flop is Jc-10d-5c.

One early player moves all in for 83000. Hellmuth moves all-in for his last 110,000 (I guess he won a hand since his previous loss.) And another caller, also calls the all-ins.

Now, before we reveal the hands, I want to make one point here. This flop is dangerous since it is so coordinated with straight and flush draws, especially with cards 10 and over. I can't stress enough that a coordinated board with two cards 10 and higher are action flops--and a potential problem against many callers (like here).

Phil knows that as well. Even if he is up against two pair, he has a backdoor nut flush, can make a better two pair, and may even be ahead on the flop.

Hellmuth: Ac-As
Early player all-in 9h-8h (a straight draw all-in move)
Late player caller Jh-10c (calls with two pair)

The 7 hit on the turn and the early player gets his straight. Hellmuth is out.

What do you think?

Do you agree or disagree with Hellmuth's play?
Do you agree or disagree with my comments?
Anything to add on the probabilities of the hand match-ups?

Thanks for your input!

Answer to Play Pocket Aces Against Me On This One Hand

Here is an actual hand of online poker that puts you to the test with pocket Aces.

Thanks to everyone for all the great answers I received on my blog and on Twitter.

Let's get back to your hand with pocket Aces. While this hand is from Cardplayer's March 2009 issue, I changed it just a little so you could learn more about how you play and how a Pro thinks about the game.

Let's set the stage again:

You are dealt pocket Aces. Your opponent is me. You have never played poker against me, so you don't have any clue about how I play the game.

Full Tilt Poker
$150 Buy-in no limit tournament
400 players

It is the second level. The blinds are $20-$40. You have $5,000. You are in the small blind. (In this hand, you are the poker player Bryan Devonshire.)

I am under the gun with $3,500. The cards are dealt and I limp. A player in the middle position limps. It is folded to you in the small blind. You find Ad-Ah.

You raise to $210. I call and the other player folds. It is heads-up. The pot is $500.

Bryan: When a player limps and calls a raise, it often means a small pair. But, when the raise is from the blinds and the early limper has position post-flop, the range widens considerably.

My takeaway: I think the pre-flop raise should have been greater. There is $140 in the pot, and the raise builds it to $350. The limper is getting a little more than 2-1 on the call. Online players make loose calls, especially when in position.

The flop is Qc-10d-10s. You bet $223, and I call. The pot is $946.

Bryan: The flop is favorable. The range of hands is: 2's to J's, and suited connectors like J-10 to A-10, K-J, Q-J, and K-Q.

My takeaway: This is either a very good flop or a very bad flop. Most likely, it is a very good flop. I think the bet size is good to keep the pot small.

The turn is 8c. You bet $500.

I raise to $1,200.

This is where I changed the situation. In the actual hand his opponent called the bet. I thought it would be more instructive to put in this raise.

What should you do with your pocket Aces?

Bryan: We'll be raised by any hand that beats us on the turn, and we can safely fold.

With my raise, I got some of you to fold and others put me on a bluff. Brian's stack would have gone from $5000 to about $4,100. If he moved all-in, and was wrong he would have been down to $1,500.

In actuality, I have Kd-Qh.

What did we learn from this hand?

1. A Pro is looking to manage pot size since he believe he can outplay his opponents in a tournament. Since he had no read on his opponent, he decided to fold a winning hand. The expression is "a good fold is a good thing."

2. This hand may reveal your style of play more than anything else. Your decision to fold, call or re-raise reflects the kind of player you are in a no limit event.

Did you fold because you tend to believe a raise on the turn or were you thinking you would have a better opportunity to accumulate chips? Did you re-raise because you knew it was me you were playing against, or is your style to embrace more risk. If you decided to call, what were you hoping to accomplish since your opponent will fire again on the river.

3. I was playing the player by raising on the turn.

First, I would never call a raise pre-flop with K-Q offsuit in this situation. I would only call that small a pre-flop raise with all pairs, and a range of no-gap suited connectors.

Second, that flop with K-Q offsuit is trouble since I could be up against A's, K's or A-K. But, with such a small bet on the flop, I would have called.

Finally, on the turn when my opponent bets half the pot it either means a monster or fear. I would raise since it is not likely to be a monster and I want to put my opponent to the test if I sense fear or weakness.

I hope you enjoyed this quiz. Hey, I did you give pocket Aces! Let me know if you found this exercise useful. If it is I well do it again. Thanks!

If you want to read the actual hand from Cardplayer go to:
http://snipurl.com/g4jfq

Play Pocket Aces Against Me On This One Hand: How Good Are You?

Here is an actual hand of online poker that puts you to the test with pocket Aces.

You are going to be dealt pocket Aces. Your opponent is me. You have never played poker against me, so you don't have any clue about how I play the game.

You will be asked one question. This is an actual hand of poker.

Full Tilt Poker
$150 Buy-in no limit tournament
400 players

It is the second level. The blinds are $20-$40. You have $5,000. You are in the small blind.

I am under the gun with $3,500. The cards are dealt and I limp. A player in the middle position limps. It is folded to you in the small blind. You find Ad-Ah.

You raise to $210. I call and the other player folds. It is heads-up. The pot is $500.

(You should be thinking about the different hands I need to call your raise.)

The flop is Qc-10d-10s. You bet $223, and I call. The pot is $946.

(You should be thinking about the hands I might have to call your bet.)

The turn is 8c. You bet $500.

I raise to $1,200. What should you do with your pocket Aces?

Should You Slowplay Pocket Aces?

The Countdown to the WSOP continues....

"I lose all the time with pocket Aces. I should just muck them!"
-the whine of many poker players

When I hear players saying they lose all the time with pocket Aces, I know that these players are doing something wrong.

Maybe they are playing too tentative and giving free cards.

Maybe they don't know how to lay down Aces when they have four opponents, the flop is 9-10-J suited, and they get raised on the turn when the 8 hits.

Maybe they have been spooked by the the expression that you will either win a small pot with Aces, or lose a big pot.

I don't know what it is, but let's see if we can improve the value of pocket Aces when you get them.

Pocket Aces Pre-flop
You are not going to get this hand too often in a tournament. When you do get them you want to maximize their value.

If it is early in the event, you need to determine how opponents are dealing with limps and raises. If everyone folds to a raise, then you may want to limp. But, if there are a lot of players limping pre-flop, you want to raise to narrow the number of opponents. You also need to assess your chip stack compared to the blinds and your opponents.

Examples:
If it is the start of the WSOP where everyone gets $4,500, you want to raise. Why? Because you know players are going to be getting the right implied odds to call your raise. You may as well try to limit the competition.

If it is online and the start of an event, you may have only $1,500 and the levels may be $25-$50. You can raise if players are calling raises. Or, you can limp and hope to get only one or two callers. The one thing you will find online is that players are getting more aggressive, which would make me lean towards raising.

If it is online and the middle of the event, let's say with $200-$400 blinds and you have only $3,000 in chips, while most of your opponents have 20 times the big blind. Here, consider a call. Why? You need chips to win. You may as well take a chance and try to double up. Sure you may be knocked out, but take the risk. A raise should be all-in, and you may not get any callers. And, a raise to $1,200 looks fishy. Play weak and hope to get lucky.

Aces on the Flop

Let's say you limp and get four callers. If the flop is coordinated you want to keep the pot size small. If you get a lot of raising and re-raising, consider a fold. Your trap didn't work.

If you raise pre-flop and get one or two callers, you need to make a continuation bet. If you get resistance, you will need to assess the situation and decide the best play. Pros sometimes fold the winning hand. So don't be afraid to fold if you know or suspect your beat.

Again, you need to evaluate your opponents and how they play, their chips stacks, the betting action, and your own table image.

Conclusion

There is no right or wrong answer to whether you should slowplay pocket Aces. Sometimes I slowplay Aces and win a big pot, when a player calls with K-Q and the flop comes Queen high.

If you don't feel comfortable limping with Aces, don't do it. Just make sure you recognize the flop texture, the number of your opponents, and their and your own table images.

I love pocket Aces. I wish I was dealt pocket Aces every hand! I once was at the card club and was dealt pocket Aces five times in the space of 4 hours! That was huge. Four times I raised pre-flop and got no callers. The fifth time I re-raised an early position raise pre-flop--but my opponent folded. Oh well. I did end up taking down 2nd place at that event.

What Would You Do?

Poker Stars NL event
Too many players

Early on the software gave me pocket Aces which turned into 4 Aces. How many times have I had 4 Aces in a card room--I think maybe once, probably never. But this is online poker, which is not really all that random.

I also knew from playing online that usually when the software gives a big hand like that early on, it will punish you later.

I was the chip leader at my table early on with $7,000.

With $30-$60 blinds. I raised under the gun with Q-J to $150.

Another player re-raised to $370.

The BB called, as did I.

There was $1,040 in the pot.

The flop was A-K-10 with 2 spades. I didn't have a spade.

I checked my straight, the re-raiser bet $700.

The BB called.

What would you do?

Question 1: What did my opponents have?

The re-raiser either had two pair A-K, or a set of Aces or Kings.

The quick call from the BB probably meant he had a flush draw.

The pot was about $2,440.

Question #2: Do you want to see the turn?

I wanted to get at least the flush draw out of the hand.

I moved all-in--which was a huge over-sized bet.

Two quick calls....

The raiser had A-A.

The BB spade flush draw.

The turn was another spade, and he won with the flush.

Question 3: Would you do anything different?

I would not change a thing except for the outcome. I don't mind getting all-in with the best hand on the flop.

Oh--the player with the pocket Aces, he called me an idiot for calling his pre-flop re-raise.