I hate Pocket Aces -

Given the choice between always getting Pocket Aces dealt to me, or always getting 57s dealt to me, I would still pick pocket Aces, however, that doesn't mean I prefer playing it.

Don't get me wrong, it's the #1 hand preflop, but given the board, it could cost you a lot more than it's going to give you.

If deepstack poker is "One monster hand defeating another monster hand", how many hands am I going to have pocket Aces and get my money in with the best?

Maybe TpTk type hands. But more often than not when you get the bulk of your money in, it's against two pair or better. Why?

When I'm dealt pocket aces, unless a very obvious straight or flush flop comes out that fits into my opponents range, I'm okay with committing 100% of my remaining stack on any street. Why? I don't know, I can't fold this hand. Call it my weakness as a poker player.

Hell, I'll shove a monotone flop sometimes. I'm just that awesome.

Anyway, what I'm getting at, is that AA is the best hand preflop, hands down, no questions asked, but how much of that strength transfers over to the flop. Did you know if you flop a set of aces, and by the turn you don't have a fullhouse, there is a multitude of straight draws (even possibly made straights). The only time people are willing to get their money in bad against you tends to be like I said, TpTk (ussually players who are short-stacked or... not that good... like me), or set over set. And when you have a set, that kills the action for a lot of hands like KK QQ, TpTk... Especially when you show aggression.

I will never call with AA preflop (unless I'm planning on being tricky, depends on table atmosphere), and the only time I like having AA is when the flop comes garbage and uncoordinated, and preflop. It's just so hard to fold. And some of the biggest pots I've seen change hands ($1200 in $1 chips, and $1200 in $5 chips... That one was much less crazy...) were Aces beat by trips.

Against KK and QQ, the action can get heated preflop and I can expect to get the bulk of my money in good, but more often than not either I hit and you miss (I win small pot), and rarely you hit big and I miss (I lose giant pot). Or I get my money in bad and suck out on you.

AND I HATE GETTING MY MONEY IN BAD.

If I were to be blessed with AA in the hole every deal I got for the rest of my poker career, I would simply overbet/jam preflop every hand ever. Eventually somebody's gonna get something to call you down with, and HU this could be quite a boon. But I'd much rather play hands like suited connectors and suited one-gappers. They're more fun, more lucrative, and their power tends to be disguised, not to mention you can fold them when you're behind, as this way you're not engaged to the strength of your hand, but you can make considerations based on the hand's potential after some cards come out.

But it seems my line for AA is bet/raise every street and watch for aggression and hope I'm ahead when my last chip hits the pot. Man, do I get in some trouble with this garbage.

Just something I've been thinking about out here in boring Iraq.

Regards,

WG

Meant 2nd Pair, top kicker.

Stupid me.

You must really not like money. If you use a PT3 or HEM, look up money won by hands and you will clearly see that AA is on top of that list by miles. If it is not, you just suck at poker.

Well although that's not very nice, he's right.

Aces are by far my favorite hand anytime anywhere!

Aces are worth more in tourneys imo. Especially Donkaments where people think AJ+ is a jam before the flop hand.

I hate them too. I just sigh when I see them because most often I lose with them. I would prefer 22 in my hand any time.

That makes absolutely no sense.

If you lose with aces more often than you win - it's not the hand IT'S YOU!

Doyle Brunson would agree with you. He hates rockets because it can win you a small pot, but you can lose a monster.

Given the option I would take AA every time, 80% or more of the time I am winning, maybe less all in shoves and having the ability to throw them away may help the issue.

In today's Full Tilt CC freeroll, I had poket Aces twice in 37 hands.

The first time I was the first one to bet and made it 90 with a big blind of 30. Everyone folded and I won 45 chips. I mentioned that it's better to win the blinds than to lose the hand, knowing the old addage about AA winning small pots and losing big ones.

The second time I was again the first one to bet and made it 150 with a big blind of 50. I had one caller, who happened to be the chip leader. The flop was Q 3 4 (two hearts), and I bet just under half the pot. The chip leader put me all in, and I called, figuring I had the best hand. I was right, him having Q J (no hearts). That's no consolation, given the J that followed on the turn, giving him two pair. No miracle for me on the river (3 4 or A), and I'm out in 100th place instead of sitting pretty in 7th.

I'm sure I've won many more hands with AA than I've lost, and I've probably won many more chips and dollars with them. But the wins are expected, and losses are unexpected, unfair, against the odds, suckouts and much, much more memorable in their lasting sting. So I understand the OP's sentiments, even though we all know he'd love to see AA more than any other hand.

Yeah I love Pocket A's as well. Played well, you can make some serious money off this hand. However, yesterday I got handed AA and pushed all-in pre-flop to lose to 5,7... dude landed 5,7 on the flop... that was a fluke, but still pissed me off... why are you going All-in with 5,7?? Damn Micros!

Again, I can guarantee you Doyle Brunson would like to have aces every time just like me.

That's just silly to say a pro hates aces.

LMAO

it all depends on the situations so i cannot say i like or dislike AA but cmon you cant fold them so just play poker and w.e. happens just happens

I agree.

I also hate money, beautiful women and ice cream.

Every single preflop situation where you have AA is a good situation.

It's ignorant to say "I don't like pocket aces"

Only one way to play them and that is aggressively pre flop, I'd rather win the blinds than get sucked out on.

They're usually right...

and yeah OP in most full ring cash situations anyway you don't want to be going broke with one pair in a single-raised pot. If the problem is you're getting your money in when you're behind their range, then obv it's you and not the hand. Next time you get into a postflop spot with AA think about what your opponent's range of hands is. Does AA beat it? What's their bluff frequency? What's their value range? If the answer to those two questions is "rarely/mostly 2pair+" then it's an easy fold.

Interesting posts.

I love AA preflop. I love that when I have them, I know I'm ahead. However, they are hard for me to fold, and where I play live, it seems everybody has that problem. Maybe it's a personal weakness shared because at live games you see so few hands, you haven't had them cracked enough to know to lay them down.

Maybe it's not.

I LOVE ICE CREAM!!
AND BEAUTIFUL WOMEN!! (Australian accent = +3 points)

That being said, it seems you are either going to win a small one or lose a big one, on the rare occaison you win a big one.

I would prefer to have AA every hand over any hand, without question, and I would never leave the poker table except for once every 3 days to sleep for four hours. I'd have pizzas and energy drinks brought to me, and I'd win a vast majority of pots. I'd say more than 80% of them, most of them without goingto showdown.

I'd even fold a couple times preflop so they wouldn't think I had AA every hand. Or would I? I wonder if folding AA preflop makes the magic go away...

Anyway, You're more likely to win a small pot or lose a big one, and for me it's been lose a big one, lately.

Last year before deployment I got selected to go hang out with some of the Atlanta Falcons for the "Pros Vs. G.I. Joes." charity. They had a satalite internet connection set up with some people in Afghanistan and they played rock band and modern warfare.

It was an awesome day because I got out of work, had a short day, and got to meet football players.

Got a falcons hat signed by about 7 of them, and a picture taken with some very hot cheerleaders.

sorry but this bolded part is just flat out wrong. like marginal said, if you have any sort of database for tracking hands, look at your biggest money-making hands after you have a meaningful sample. AA will almost always be at the top or near it (and if it's not at the very top, it's probably because of variance). this is true for almost every regular, it's true for most fish, and it's true for most players in between. whether it's 6max or full ring or HU. it would be difficult to play AA consistently badly enough for this to not be the case. just to hammer the point home: the majority of losing players are still profiting with AA. even though they probably don't play them optimally, in fact often play them quite horribly. yet they're rarely profiting with suited one-gappers and the like

it's very easy to remember getting AA cracked, but we have a habit of taking for granted all the small, and medium, and even large pots we win with it, because that's what's "supposed" to happen. but those unmemorable pots add up. AA is a great hand if you like money

Pkt AA is great but after the flop you must remember its just 1 pr. Be aggressive with them preflop but cautious after the flop unless you get a set. If you see a pr on the board be very wary. I love holding K Q and calling pkt AA and then drawing a K Q on the flop. I then will check to see if He bets. if He dose then I figure He has a pr and will raise. When the pkt AA raises I know I have them hooked. It also gives Me 2 shots to 1 on drawing the Best full house.

I understand what you are saying. When I get AA, I feel both excitement and trepidation. Yes, they hold up often enough and are, overall, a big winner. But when you lose a hand with AA, it's nearly always a big hand. Or it should be a big hand, if you have played those rockets properly.

And that's the problem, if there is one, with AA. You start the hand wayyy ahead preflop and you do expect to win the hand. So you raise it up to thin the field, to give your AAs their best shot. But then the flop comes and someone else is raising it up and you get that sick feeling. What fresh hell is this? Does he have you beat already? Should you stick with it or get out? The important part of playing AA is after the flop -- being able to put your opponents on hands and being able to (gasp!) fold those beautiful AAs as needed. Dang, that's so hard.

AA is an easy hand to play preflop, but can be very hard after.

It's ironic I'm reading this post and playing in a tournament its the middle stage and my M factor is around 22. I get dealt AA in MP action is folded to me so I open the pot wit a 3xbb raise and get popped from the CO for pot. What do I do? I shove. He insta calls me and turns up QQ. Before I could fist pump getting my money in good. By the way we were both even stacked. The flop makes his set and I just feel sick. Hoping to catch 1 of my 2 outs the turn pairs the board and I'm toast. So AA is a beautiful hand to get, you can definitely lose you're entire stack if not proceeding with caution. I still like AA but I will definitely proceed with caution when getting dealt the double edged sword.

lol what? You'll proceed with caution later so you can avoid getting all your money in with 80% equity? Interesting philosophy...

That's what you folks don't get! It's NOT a double edged sword.

You will lose with aces once in a while, but how would you have proceeded with caution in this hand? Just smooth call preflop??? Fold on the flop??? How would you have played this hand differently???

Aces are the best starting hand in holdem. Some people just think they should play like jokers and win every time. There is no hand that wins everytime.

You probably know this, but if you'd had 27o there instead of AA, and you'd made it 90 with a big blind of 30, everyone would have folded and you would have won 45 chips.

You may be right, but there also would have been two more Aces out there for the other eight players. I could figure out the math, but I suspect the probability of getting called or raised when I have AA is significantly lower than when I have 27o.

You sir are correct, goes up by a few percent

Aces are bad if you dont play them right. Depending on position, number of callers etc. I love aces, whats worse is not getting cards at all. At least with aces I have a lot of options. I still get beat with aces but its always a great feeling to get them.

i think AA is the hand possible to play poker !
mY favorate hand , but i raise 3 or 5 times the big blind
to eliminated other player . i never give call always raise
and 95 % i win .

Exactly aces will not win all the time and you out of all people should know that. How many times have you won with aces vs how many times you've lost with them. And when you do lose with them you LOSE big don't you. Stacking off with aces pre-flop because its the BEST HAND PRE-FLOP doesn't mean it's the best hand post flop. Do you win 100% of the time with aces? I think NOT! Even pro's will fold aces.

Just because your 80% doesn't mean you will win 80% of the time. Granted aces are the nuts pre flop but that's pre flop not POST FLOP.

Actually I think OP's post is in a completely different context in that they sound like they're referring to cash game (or at least 'deepstacked play') where you can get in difficult spots & can potentially lose a big pot if you're not capable of getting away from your hand.

Cases like the one you're referring to where you're able to get it in as a big fav. 80/20 on the flop is alot different (shallower stacked MTT play).

As far as OPs post goes... sure it's great to play SC's and set mine with low pp's in hopes of stacking off the very guy who can't get away from AA or TPTK.. but to say that if AA hits a set that it's highly likely someone has hit a straight is a bit far-fetched imo. Not all players are hooked on playing broadways (although of course you'll find some).

"When I'm dealt pocket aces, unless a very obvious straight or flush flop comes out that fits into my opponents range, I'm okay with committing 100% of my remaining stack on any street. Why? I don't know, I can't fold this hand. Call it my weakness as a poker player."

This is the problem. You can't fold aces after the flop unless there are obvious straight or flush draws on the flop? Even if it's pretty clear someone has a set or two pair?