I see people play pocket Aces wrong everyday.
Some overplay them.
Some underplay them.
All seem to get their bullets cracked.
Today, I am going to tell the story of how some are too cold (underplay), too hot (overplay), and just right.
I am in a game and someone in middle position min raises.
The opponent on his immediate left min raises the min raise.
I call with K-10 diamonds knowing the original raiser will probably just call giving me roughly 3-to-1 with the dead money in the pot.
I was not sure what the first raiser had beyond possible suited connectors, but I could tell the re-raiser had a hand like A-A.
Everyone else folds and we see a relatively cheap flop.
Now, if I don’t hit my flop, I fold. What do I mean by hitting the flop?
Two pair or better.
King Ten is not a great hand, but I could flop two pair, a flush, trips, or a straight. All these hands crack Aces.
The flop comes K-10-10.
The first bettor checks.
Mr. Aces bets about a quarter the pot.
So far, he has underplayed his Aces because he is afraid they will get cracked. It is too big a starting hand for the experience level of this particular player. This I know.
I also know this guy is not experienced enough to fold A-A. So, I move all-in.
The first bettor folds and Mr. Bullets calls. And loses with his A-A.
There is a blonde young lady sitting my immediate right. We never played together before.
“That was kind of a donkey move with K-10,” Goldilocks says.
Before I could respond with a technical answer that would have borderlined on a speech, a player two seats to my left pipes up in my defense.
“Listen. I played with this guy before. He knew he could outplay both players after the flop. It is that simple.”
Wow. Very cool. I am always grateful when I manage to earn respect at the table. He summed it up and nailed it dead on.
That was the story of too cold.
This is the story of too hot.
A few hands later, the weakest player at the table raises way too much preflop. I put him on A-A.
Truth be told, I can’t outplay this guy after the flop. Why? He is a calling station.
I feel good about my hand. It is a shitty hand, but it feels like it will be good. So I call.
The flop comes 7-6-4 rainbow.
My opponent acts first and jams the pot - I mean really overbetting here.
There is a straight out there. Why play the Aces fast if someone already has a made straight?
What if someone played suited connectors and has top two pair?
Either check or bet half the pot with the Aces. If someone calls, then check or fold on Fourth Street.
Why lose all your money on a lousy pair?
I mean, if I someone has a made straight, it is a 989-to-1 longshot to go runner runner full house.
That translates into every dollar you bet, there has to be $989 in the pot to make it a profitable bet over the long run.
I call.
“Did you hit a straight?” he asks.
“Did you overplay pocket Aces?” I respond.
He is all-in and shows A-A.
I show 8-5 off for the nut straight.
I take it down. Oh, I got a speech too.
Now, here is the pocket Aces that are just right.
I get A-A in the big blind.
The player under the gun min raises and gets three callers.
The action is now on me.
I bet the pot. It is not too much or too little.
The only hands that can call me are big pocket pairs or A-X.
I am hoping for the A-K, A-Q, A-J type hands here heads-up.
Why?
This may seem counter-intuitive, but I want them to have a big Ace. Sure, it leaves me with a one-outer, but I don’t want to see any Aces on board.
An Ace on board, by definition, means there is at least two cards to a straight.
Instead, I want them to pair up and have only two outs to beat me with trips.
Two outs going to the turn means I am a 92% favorite to win and 95% ahead going to the river.
Back to the action: The player under the gun calls and everyone else folds.
Almost perfect. I am heads-up but out of position.
I put him on a hand like K-Q or possibly A-Q. In short, he has a nice hand but no pocket pair.
The flop comes Q-8-3 rainbow.
This flop is just right for my hand. It possibly gives my opponent top pair top kicker.
There is no way he put me on A-A by the way I played it.
He will have a hard time putting me on Q-Q if he has a Queen with one on board.
Now, If this flop was paired or had a straight or flush possibly, I am ready to fold with no more betting.
Why?
If my opponent had suited connectors and the flop was a possible straight and flush, he has at least 13 outs to beat me. This means he is a 52% favorite to win the hand even though I have the best hand on the flop. I don’t put my chips in on a coin flip.
So, I have a safe flop. The perfect flop for A-A.
I check.
My opponent bets big.
Ok. He has top pair and a really good kicker. It does not feel like two pair or a set.
I pause a while.
The pause makes all the difference here. An eager reaction tells everyone I have an over-pair to the board. I might as well expose my cards before acting.
A calm pause with slow, calculated hand movements disguises the strength of my hand.
Then I play back at him.
I raise by 150% of his bet.
It is not a min raise and it is not an overbet either.
The bet is enough to confuse my opponent.
“Do you really have a set of Queens?” he asks.
“Why would I bet you off the hand with top set?” I reply.
“That can’t be the case Queen. I am all-in,” he says.
He just told me had just a Queen.
I insta-call and show A-A.
He shows what I was hoping for: A-Q.
The way it played out, not a single player put me on A-A.
I did not overplay it. I did not underplay it.
Like any other hand, I was ready to fold on the flop if there was trouble out there.
I wonder if Goldilocks would have called me a donkey for the way I played the Aces.
