AA or KK reraises

Should AA or KK be reraised if someone else raises or just called? How much should your reraise be?
Just asking because I am trying to figure out how to make the most money off of these hands.

Press the "bet pot" button anytime you get the opportunity preflop.

I don't call or fold when I've got kings or aces pre-flop.

That only leaves raising, the question is how much?
Against 1 opponent I'll make a small raise, against two or three who've already called a good sized raise I've learned the hard way that you should just shove (otherwise if the first to act after you calls, the others get priced in and you find yourself in a 3-4 way pot with aces or kings).

With AA i would reraise about twice the raise.Actually i wouldn't mind going allin too..
With KK, i would always call the raise, and decide my action after seeing the flop.

With both of those hands I would always raise pre flop unless you have reason to believe the other player has AA when you have Kings, but those seem to be loses that you have to take.

I would always re-raise with KK pre flop the only hand that beats you is AA and there are plenty of people willing to push a re-raise with 10's, J's and Q's plus even AK and AQ. if you replayed over and over you would be a winner with KK

Don't ever think there is a standard way to play any certain hand....maybe a way you like to play most of the time....but it should depend on your opponent....most of the time you should be 3 betting it, unless you are heads up and playing with someone super aggro....but for the most part if you are open raising 3bb+1bb per limper is what you should be doing most of the time........

in my case with AA i always re- raise or go to all in if someone raise, about the KK if the raise is too much i just call, now in the flop if i dont have problems i raise or go to all in

Exactly.....


You want to build up the pot while not allowing too many players in.

big raise that 1 player calls > small raise that 3 players call.

If the others will continue to call the push the most you can. The aces and a guy raises. How can it get any better than that.

Yum, yum!

If it's a tournament and I'm in the BB and the button has a habit of stealing, I just call, as the button isn't likely to have a hand.

On the flip side, if a tight player opens under the gun I always raise (if he opens to $100 I bet about $300, unless I only have $700 or so in my stack in which case I shove). The tight player UTG is more likely to have a hand, so he's more likely to call.

I play 6-max rings, which are a bit more aggressive. I pretty much always 3-bet with K/K+.

I think it depends on the size of the raise, your position, etc. You should certainly bet enough to isolate, as once you go against more than 1 hand, the value of a big pocket pair decereases significantly.

Thanks for the tips everyone.

You certainly don't want a multiway pot. So a push or big re-raise is in order. Otherwise, as already mentioned, after the first call everyone is priced in to follow along. Most won't follow a large bet with just a draw against your made hand.

If someone has made a decent raise before me I will gladly put them all-in as most the time weaker players feel obliged to call anyway, usually with AK or JJ.
As for KK running into AA I think you should be a pro if you fold that!

No, anyone who does that should sit at my table, please.

This is generally the best advice imo.

Pretty much the same strategy while playing KK as AA. Agressive play and raise preflop. At the flop just watch carefully for somebody with 2 aces, cause they are gonna beat you!!

Some members here are providing answers for 'cash tables', others for tournament play.
Here's my advice.
If it's Tournament play you're referring to... you want to raise (rare occassion when you will just flatcall.... but for the most part >> 'RAISE').
Size of raise... if you're both deepstacked (and if table is generally deepstacked), you'd want to raise ~ 3.5x the size of villains bet (ie. blinds at 25/50, he's opened in MP1 for 150, you want to raise to 460-500). You'll see some players opting to "Min-Raise" when they're on AA, and often while in the blinds. This raise is just begging for a call and imo it's pretty transparent (but most of the time villain will have to call as they'll be priced in). I tend to 3-bet light occassionally (even stuff like 97s in LP) to mix it up and when doing so am usually making it 3.5x (same as if I were on AA, KK).
Later in a tournament you can change this '3-bet' sizing to 2.5x (2.5x villain's raise).

If there's a raise & a call and you're holding AA or KK... again I would fire out at least a 3.5x reraise (sometimes more... as a reraise in this situation will often look like a squeeze play and may get called down lighter than typical if it were just one opponent..... by raising more it'll even look more like a squeeze play... 'the art of deception'... << your opponent's will have to be 'thinking' players to bother with this stuff so again 'it depends').

This advice/suggestions here isn't etched in stone as all situations on the poker table are different. It's just a general guideline to go by.

It depends on position, how many people entered the pot before you, how many are left to act. I hate to get my big pocket pairs cracked, so I would rather take a small pot (steal the blinds) than lost a big pot! You have to protect these big starting hands by making big raises preflop. If you limp, you are asking for trouble. If I am early to act (under the gun for example) I will bet 3x the big blind, but later to act (cut off or dealer position), I will bet 4x big blind. If I catch these cards in one of the blinds, I will raise 5x big blind, generally speaking. If I am getting callers or reraisers, I shove all in when it comes back around to me. I have to try to isolate or take the pot down right there. Just depends on the table and players I am up against and this is very situational, and hard to lay down hard and fast rules to be played every time you get these hands.

As mentioned before, at reasonable stacks, it depends on a lot factors. At low stakes (especially tourneys), you'd be surprised how often you can just shove it all in and get called. It's uncanny... give it a try.

For the purpose of isolating which opponent you would want to engage with for the pot a re-raise of 3X of his raise is good enough. AA or KK decreases its dominance against 2 or more opponents.

OP - you are very fortunate to have so many varying, yet good views in answering your question. There can be an argument made for each of the above.

I suggest reading each one carefully and asking any questions if you don't fully understand one of these answers. They all are good answers!

if you are not willing to get it all in with KK preflop because the raise is "too much" then you are playing way too scared

There is no golden rule for AA or KK.
It always depends on many factors!
How has the table been playing? Tight or loose...
How did you play?
Which amount is raised normally and are reraises folded before?
Who many players are in the pot...
You see that it is not so easy....

AA or KK warrant raises or re-raises everytime. The amount of the raise or re-raise depends on the dynamics of the game. In an ideal world you would want 1 or possibly 2 opponents to stay in the hand but as always you have to remember that AA and KK can loose.

I think the best answer is to:

1) re-raise 2-4x when you are out of position
(for instance you are in the small blind and someone from middle position has raised). I think this is the best way to build a big pot.

2) a) flat call when you have position on the original raiser. This way they will often feel obligated to represent their hand by betting post-flop into you as they won't be interested in conceding the pot to you by acting first and checking. You can then continue to flat call, since they might have another overpair like QQ/JJ/KK to your aces and they may put all their chips in themself.
b) re-raise 2-4X, I'd re-raise even in position if I've noticed the player to be weak and to be willing to call off alot of chips preflop with a speculative hand like KQ.

The above changes depending on the exact situation but I think it's an okay guideline.

Just 3-bet / pot bet. You want to isolate. If too many people enter the pot, AA is a dog.

+1
I'm doing the same thing...
well unless it's the start of a MTT, haft my stack gos out, to see who will shove all-in... Tho that did not work the last game i played...