Aren't pocket aces overrated?

Everywhere I go, I see people post how hard it is to fold pocket aces, and how they think sites are rigged because they end up losing 5 or more times holding pocket aces..

Why is it that they are so overly rated? Isn't it more how you play.. Plus at a 9 player table pocket aces wins 31% of the time, so whats up with people saying it should be pretty much impossible to lose 5+ times in a row... blamming the site for being "rigged"..

If its one thing I learned, its how to FOLD pocket aces when needed.. It seems to me that people get it in their head that they should pretty much win 99% of the time with those cards when statistics in the first place show how untrue that is, and that the % of winning with that hand is way less than people credit pocket aces for..

It is not 99% winner but it is the best hand pf and if played properly will be your most profitable hand.

Seems like most people think that aces before the flop are just as powerful after - this is obv not the case. Even when you get it in best, sometimes they're going to lose, and it sure hurts more losing with AA than it feels good winning with them.

I know I already stated that, of course it can and should be your most profitable hand, my point was just saying how many people seem to over rate this hand and end up just losing more than gaining from it.

Not sure where you get your stats. from or what tables you're referring to (or what game for that matter)???
Sure one needs to know when to get away from an overpair... but AA is far better than 31% to win... unless you're sitting on a table where all 8 other players are flatting a preflop raise????
It aslo depends greatly upon what type of game you're playing (ie. deepstack cash tables, or tournament play (esp. late levels when you're doing your utmost to induce getting all of your opponent's chips into the middle preflop if poss.).
Run some hands thru a simple HE odds calculator. I think you might be surprised to see how far ahead AA really is. And yah... if my AA lost 5x in a row I'd be wanting to give my head a shake - - - something would more than likely be not quite right (more than likely in my own play.. although highly doubtful in my case... LOL.. <<, that was for snowflake)

Sorry, I get what your saying now. I am actually more amazed though at how many ppl overrate ak even when they have missed the flop and turn, lol

I'm using poker indicator, and I do see if you change it to less players the statistics go up, but what is that even based off of?

Like in the start, everyone is looking at their cards, if they see crap they fold -- so is it based off if all players don't look and just play or what? The statistics surely would have to be different sense everyone gets to see their cards before they decide to call/raise.

Maybe I'm missing something.

EDIT: PokerIndicator site DOES do exactly what I was thinking, they count in statistics with the amount of players that start and then fold. (so you get different results if you just use the manual caculator like I did, or the site you used)

I think its like a 70 percent or somewhere around that range win hand if you go all in pre flop or somewhere around that but it really hurts when u fold aces and then they show that u actually had the winning hand....it burns the insides of the average poker player!

First things first AA is the best hand preflop by a fair way. In regards to your statistic bout 31% of the time they win, im assuming that taking into account that it was a nine-way pot, which obviously is extremely unlikely. Therefore the chances of winning with AA in a nine-handed table is probably a lot more than this.

But yes, what you say about them being overated is sooo true. Everyone believes they win everytime but they need to learn to be able to fold them. Being able to fold AA has saved me so much money its unbelievable and also saves the blowups :P

AA is just the best hand preflop.. as any seasoned poker player will tell you... it doesnt matter what happens before the flop turn and river... but after it..

They're not overrated. They're the best hand you can get preflop in Hold Em.
You just need to know when to lay them down when the action and board suggests you're probably beat.
AK on the other hand, some people play that like they got aces or kings.

There not over rated just not played well most of the time.

i like seeing pocket A's in the late stages of a tourny, rather then at the begining. because it never fails that i play them too hard and can become eleminated too early.
and later into the tourny when the blinds are higher and opp's are being somewhat more cautious i can play them hard and feel justified.
no matter what happens you have to play them as the winning hand at least to start.
i honestly have never heard of anyone complaining about getting AA for a hand. gl and peace

PP of Aces is great pre-flop, but value drops significantly after flop.

Afterall, after flop, it is simply a PAIR (Top Pair) and THINK of all the hands that beat a Pair !

Don't "live or die" by a PAIR of anything.

Wally

I never had any luck with pocket As i just call usally. So i do think they are over rated

Just calling preflop is probably why you've never had any luck with pocket Aces. Never limp or just call preflop with Aces. Well, with a maniac behind you that your 100% sure is going to raise then maybe you can limp just to reraise, but other than that I would say no flat calling and no limping preflop.

Pocket Aces are the strongest hand preflop but extremely hard to improve (even harder to improve and get paid for it).

I personally don't like AA deepstacked and will play it fast, usually folding them to any resistance. Late in a tourney however, pure gold.

Also - if you are slowplaying AA, prepare to get paid more, but cracked more often.

I've won 95% of the time with them which isn't unusual though closer to 90% is probably more correct.

Pocker A's are not over rated. The odds dont lie. Having said that they need to be folded if they are beat. The hard bit is knowing when they are beat.

I agree wuth the sentiment here. Pocket aces aren't overrated- but they lose their power in multi-way pots post flopand are often misplayed.

IMHO, the real reason why people lose with pocket aces isn't variance. It's greed.

If you guys don't want them, then give them to me. Yum...yum!

whoa... I don't think I can even comment about the comments on this thread (not you OP... just some of the responses).

When considering the percentage a hand would be ahead preflop, you're never going to be calculating it vs. a full table, your goal in most cases (esp. with big prs... and many other hands.... most actually to keep it simple here) is to see the flop vs just one other player... two at the most (or of course not seeing a flop at all, lol... or isolating a fish while you have position on them, etc. etc. etc.). Sooo.... it's really inaccurate to calculate the worth of AA as only being a 31% favourite to win. If I was to reflect on my hand histories from tournament play, I'm guessing that I'm winning with AA at least 90% of the time I'm playing them (in other words... when I have them).

To those who'd suggest that we're always considering seeing all 5cards, that AA is just a pair, etc. etc. etc.,... imo.. this is really donkazz thinking, 'old school' (and donk old school at that), insinuating playing them somewhat passively. Or to the person saying that they'd just call with them???? (huh??... you mean just call another's raise?.. or limp??. both are generally real bad again 'imo' (of course there are some situations that'll be different but just speaking from a general, overall scenario).

AA an awesome hand... give it to me all day long. I'm raising and re-raising with AA and putting you to a decision, and more than likely taking it down.
There's also the saying "AA, they'll win you a small pot or lose you a big one". This can be true sometimes.... but generally in tournament play, AA is gonna crush for ya. Gimmee AA all day long.
For those who think AA isn't all that, I ask you "what hand would you prefer to be dealt? Is it because you fear you won't be able to let go of it? what is it??" (I'm curious)

I played a live tournament the other day (live donkament) and was shocked to see how poorly an older person played their AA in early levels of the tourney. It was a fairly deepstacked tourney with decent structure, starting out with 200bb's. There was an EP limp, MP called... then folded to the button where this player with AA shoved allin for nearly 200bb's. I was totally shocked and couldn't for the life of me think of what hand they'd be holding there, LOL. They proudly flipped over their AA, saying "I ain't gonna mess around with AA... no way. I'm not going to lose with it this early in the tournament!" Geez... what a waste. They pulled in the big 70chips.

um.. how are they harder to improve anymore than anyother pair? Does 44 improve more often than AA and get paid off when it does so? I don't know..gimmee AA and have me flop a set any day of the week.

Pocket Aces will win on the average about 80% of the time .Ask most of the players here to share their tracker stats and it will be about average.

Ask any poker player what starting hand they would prefer to start with and they would say Pocket ACES.

But because when you lose with pocket Aces you lose a lot of chips,

They are not over rated

That statistic I am guessing assumes that all 9 players are going to play the hand. As long as you play pocket aces right and not like a manic you should have much better odds than 31%.