I'm starting to dread seeing AA ...

Although this is without doubt the best starting hand, I have lost so much cash with this hand, I have genuinely started to dread seeing it. So much so that I have changed the way I play them now. I used to blast away with them, raising huge pre-flop then going all-in on the flop despite what came down. Believe me, this is very expensive.

There are a few things I have realised that are wrong with AA when the flop is seen. Firstly, you need 4 cards in a gut shot draw to hit a straight. Secondly, you need 4 cards to hit a flush. Thirdly, if the board doesn't pair, you are left with just a pair and that is often not enough to win. So now I am very careful with what the flop looks like and play them a lot more cautiously.

The other day, I again lost about half my stack with AA. The flop came down AKJ of hearts. There were 2 callers to my big raise pre-flop so we had a 3 way pot going. I had hit trips, but 3 hearts didn't look good. I bet the pot but both players called. Another heart came on the turn and I knew I was virtually dead. I called the bets from the other guys, desperately hoping the board would pair for a full house, but the river was blank. All in bets from BOTH players meant I had to lay down trip aces and I was again cursing the pocket rockets.

During many hands of play, I have seen them beaten time and time again and every time the guy who loses with them complains bitterly. I have come to realise that AA is not indestructable, but a lot of players think that because they have AA, they will definitely win. And I have to admit, I did think like this once, which is probably why I have lost so much them. lol

Poker can be a beautiful mistress, but she can be a right bitch when the mood takes her

ive lost like 10 sngs in a row now, but everytime my only winning hand was AA.

I cant remember last time my AA lost.

But ive always managed to get it to be against only one opponent.

I used to feel the same way. It seemed like I was losing more than half of the hands when dealt AA. The hardest thing to learn is when to lay down a monster starting hand. If you are against one player all the way to the river it is even harder to give it up. I no longer have an unwarranted fear of being dealt rockets since I seem to win with them more often now. My current nemesis is QQ. I can't catch a break with that hand. In fact my worst bad beat occured when I had pockets Q's vs. pocket 5's. I flopped a set and the other guy pushed all in. He proceeds to hit a runner runner gutshot taking about half my stack. I went on tilt and was eliminated from that particular SNG a few hands later.

My tactic for playing AA or KK is all in, no matter how many money/chips I got.
That's the only profitable way to work out for me.
If I got AA or KK, will go all in after short pause (like 8-10 sec), then most of the times my opponents laid down their cards and either show me their pockets.
Sometime someone call you with lower pair, but usually I win always with those cards, and win huge.
Another story is with QQ. Usually if it's not to expensive to play them, I play, if someone is going alll in when I got this pocket and if doesn't cost me a lot (if I had more money/chips to play in a case that I lose) I call and play them.

Few times I have had to fold them, because I wanted to be in the game and win, but not get busted, so when you know that you are beaten by someone's hand, laid them down and walk away, so you can stay in the game longer and re-coup your lose from that hand.

Yeah I've gotten burned with the bullets as well I used to be shocked to get them but now you have to make a nice size raise and wait for the flop what gets me mad is when you see nothing on the flop that you think can beat your bullets. And you still play to win. And someone has like a pair of 3's and a 3 hits on the river or turn card kills your bullets unless a fullhouse comes to save the day...

the thing is you only really remember the loses, not the times you do win. So the times you lose seem to be more were as in reality its not. as for raiseing preflop big then allin on the flop i think its a bad idea. you just need to raise maybe 4/5 the BB depending on how many players r in the pot. then postflop if your first to act bet the pot to get info on the other players hand. if your last to act maybe a smaller bet maybe 2/3 of the pot. if you raise with the best hand all the time your going to be a profitable player FACT. so dont get disheartened if u get busted from time to time. just get as much info as posible and make draws pay.

AKSuited said:

The other day, I again lost about half my stack with AA. The flop came down AKJ of hearts. There were 2 callers to my big raise pre-flop so we had a 3 way pot going. I had hit trips, but 3 hearts didn't look good. I bet the pot but both players called. Another heart came on the turn and I knew I was virtually dead. I called the bets from the other guys, desperately hoping the board would pair for a full house, but the river was blank. All in bets from BOTH players meant I had to lay down trip aces and I was again cursing the pocket rockets.

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Sorry I don't want to sound mean during this post. Try to take it as constructive criticism.

You need to see the big picture. You played that hand strangely which would increase the loss of AA. But by decreasing your aggressiveness your also limiting your winnings.. so 1) Increasing loss, 2)Decreasing winnings.

I'd like to know in that situation everything. Unfortunately in poker, "hand information" is not enough! If the other 2 were short stacks and they called to you then you needed to push as they're committing themselves thus the flop call with anything.

Also on the flop, a pot bet is not nearly enough! The first player could be an idiot and call but then the second now has the odds to make hands! Plus with the other in the pot the implied odds rise too! So if you know the other 2 players and put them on hands, an all in or a check would be best!

Next, on the turn with the next heart, you should have folded EASILY. Really easily. Its the hardest thing in the world but you can not get addicted to them because post flop your right they're just a pair!!!

A lot of factors are included in the situation. Chip stacks, positions, blinds and player types. once these are known more advice can be given!

Due to those factors AA/KK/etc MUST be played differently every time! You have to realise this before you can profit in the long run from poker!

Finally, never fear AA. If you do your losing a LOT of money. And i mean a lot. You need to be aggressive but also intelligent. If a scare flop comes with a lot of people in the pot, you need to make hard decisions! However the same occures with hands like AK and JJ. If you fear them too you're playing the wrong game.

Hope you don't take offence but people need to think about situations more and cards less

Hehe, no offence taken at all. Chip stacks didn't really come into it as it was a cash game. I also know I should maybe have folded on the turn, but I actually had pot odds (if I remember correctly). I essentially had 10 outs - 3 Kings, 3 Jacks, 3 Fours (the turn card) and an ace, meaning I had roughly a 22% shot, or 7/2. I'm fairly certain I had those pot odds as the turn bets from the other two were not the size of the pot.

Stacks come into it a LOT even in cash games! It influences pre flop play.

As for your river odds, this is why we need to know the whole situation inc figures/stacks/bets etc! So we can analyse it and see how you could have improved

I would have been tempted to check fold that flop if theres 2 heavy betters in the pot that are usually tight/passive etc! Its obvious they're both drwaing if not hit hands etc