How to play AA or KK - Limping from early position good or not?

teepack

teepack

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How do you play AA in early position?

How do you play AA when you get it under the gun? I have seen two distinct styles of play on this. One is to do a big bet (5x BB or greater) and hope that you get only one caller. The other is to simply call, hope somebody else raises before the round is done, and then you shove all-in on top of the raiser. If you don't get an opportunity to shove before the flop, then you're in trouble and should probably just try to get out of the hand for as cheaply as possible (unless you hit a set on the flop).
 
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WiZZiM

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raise your normal amount.

calling can in certain specific situations be a good play, but generally just raise your normal raising amount,
 
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Blue_Fossil

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Raise 2.5 to 3 times BB, just like I do any other time I am first to enter a pot. Limping in can get you into an unwanted family pot.

If there are players that are routinely raising from late position, then limping in might pay-off. Of course, if you have been raising pre-flop then suddenly limp in, astute players will get suspicious.
 
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torosanti012

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you have to consider many factors such as
your table image
dymamics of the table
other players stacks
how deep your stack is

for example if you're raising a lot there's no point of not raising a similar amount wiht aces.
also don't forget by isolating, you reduce the chances of you getting beat.
 
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Az4zel

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Like torosanti said it all depends man. all those factors definently. for me it depends on my table image am i the aggresor at the table raising frequently and reraising alot not getting called. Ill play it the same as anything else, 3-4 times BB. But if someone else at the table is the aggressor and i know there is a good chance he will bet from late or even middle, ill just call and trap. you need to mix up your play constantly and keep your opponents guessing. its a feel for the table, i just know what to do after years of experience, there is no right answer.

As for getting it all preflop, yea if you can thats optimal, but not nessesary at all. I don't consider myself in "trouble" playing AA after the flop. Im very comfortable doing it. you need to pay attention to what your opponents have been turning over, and youll be able to better read them. knowing when to let it go ect. it does take experience tho. for a beginner i would suggest always raising preflop from early with a good hand, as you get more expereince you'll be able to better mix things up. good luck!
-A
 
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Scrover

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I will usually raise it slightly more (because more players to get through) and maybe limpity limp limp if I feel like it. You need to not marry them though. If you get called out of the big blind and the flop comes 789 two of a suit, what are the chances that you will be infront? And even then, your opponent can hit their straight or flush.

Once, I had an image of limping in with hands like JTs, QJs, Ax suited etc (I was playing cash) and when I limped with my aces, the guy in the small blind raised me and the big blind three bet. This was live, and I had a read that my opponent had QQ (maybe KK or JJ) and the three better had JJ-99 trying to see whether they were good or not. I decided after about a minute to flat because I knew I was being raised to about half my stack and I was acting as if I had a decision. I got raised and the guy with JJ shoved (he thought the guy infront was just raising light). I called and the guy couldn't get away from the QQ and had to call. Anyway, the board turned out rags and I won a huge pot.
 
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hffjd2000

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It depends what play you adopt. There is no standard style to it. As mention above, it depends on your table image and the nature of the table. Whats important is to extract maximum value to it and just face one opponent at the very least.
 
fletchdad

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As mentioned above, many things need to be considered.

But some things I think about, FWIW......

Raising your normal amount is always a good default. (Also as mentioned). But if you have a table with a lot of stations, and an agro player to follow who likes to squeeze, then a small raise could be worth considering. If you have been caught raising big on a bluff, raise a bit bigger. If you have stations who call any size, raise bigger. One thing I would almost never do is limp, unless you really believe you will get a lot of limpers behind, and an agro player will try to steal, but then again, also a resson to bet smallish.

But stacks, table dynamics, blind level, bubble, etc all should help you decide what the right move is.
 
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dasher

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I raise more UTG and EP because there are more potential callers. But that is regardless of the cards I have. If you vary your opening bet by the cards you have, it gives away too much information.

If I'm min raising from the button and cutoff, 3x in middle positions and 4x early.
 
Figaroo2

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Limping with aces under the gun can be effective if you set it up by limping with other small pairs or the odd JT and have shown the hand down. People know that you limp with a wider range and you are then much more likely to be raised. Lets face it I certainly treat every utg limp as potential AA. It works much better in late tourney play where people are shoving light. In a cash game I wouldn't try it unless the table was very loose with an aggro player around.
 
T0mmmi

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Playing Pocket Rockets from any early position is quite simple.....use your standard raise and after all calls or any re-raise just shove AI ... 70% of them fold and if some extremely loose player calls you gonna win in 86% :) and those 14% when some Calling station hits set or straight ...so be it ...that happens. You can be scared and giving anyone any free cards .
 
horizon12

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In EP when blinds low open size 4-5 bb, when blinds high size 2x open, and when have less 10bb only shove,,,,
 
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Acemeister80

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It really depends on your stack size. If im sitting with 50+ BBs then ill just raise a normal amount. Maybe towards the higher end of my standard raise. So maybe 3 - 3.5 BB. Thenhope that a caller might induce a squeeze from LP and then you´re golden lol.

The limp move can be profitable if your less than 25BB or so. i see a lot of people doing it and it does shout "monster" when you limp EP and then shove. So doing it with a decent stack might scream strength and lose you value. Ive also done it and been called by 6 other players and was then was suprised when i was outdrawn by TJ! As OP says, if you limp and get called by numerous players, you might just have to give up for as cheap as you can
 
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kmichaels

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Depends of your opponent´s at the table. If you have a guy who always re-raise if somebody limps, well then limping paying just the value of the big blind would be a very good option. I do that a lot of time and it works against super aggressive players, increasing a lot the pot size pre-flop. If you are at a tight table then you should make a raise, 2,5 BB´s should be enough.
 
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kworm2013

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I often raise 3BB .Sometime I just call,but it seems it make me loss the chips many time .
 
ScottieDuncan

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If you limp you allow someone to draw out on you, so, don't just limp unless only one or two players. But stacks, table dynamics, blind level, bubble, etc all should help you decide what the right move is.
 
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US A79

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raise normal amount 3- 4 times the big blind , you get a villian to 3 bet you perfect ,then you can isolate . Limping Premiums is worst thing to do, it allows villians to limp in with marginal hands and makes for tough decisions for you after the flop .
 
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kidnaping

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raising normaly

i think raise give you better chances
 
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Swickster007

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If everyone has been folding to a large raise (5x bb) then I would try a smaller raise to try and get the call. If it seems that every hand, some else is raising...I would just call and then reraise or shove if it came back to you. All in pre flop is always a roll of the dice since an easy 2 pair would take the pot. Hard to fold aces tho.
 
EriqPhoenix

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I am no expert, certainly not at online play, but I believe that you should have standard bet sizing (with AA or anything else) to avoid exploitation, and UTG, hope to 3-bet/5-bet to isolate HU with the rockets.

Good question.
 
Katyushka4

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How do you play AA when you get it under the gun? I have seen two distinct styles of play on this. One is to do a big bet (5x BB or greater) and hope that you get only one caller. The other is to simply call, hope somebody else raises before the round is done, and then you shove all-in on top of the raiser. If you don't get an opportunity to shove before the flop, then you're in trouble and should probably just try to get out of the hand for as cheaply as possible (unless you hit a set on the flop).

AA - the most powerful pocket pair wins 4 of 5 hands, in which participates. Your main objective is to become a lottery in which you do not scare away their rivals to collect from them the maximum jackpot, but do not give them to collect more powerful combination. If more than 5 opponents, then Activate careful aces - high risk of running into a stronger combination than your most powerful couple.
 
JustDestined

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Like has been already said, it depends..how have your cards been running, what kind of action have you been throwing out on the table, your opponets, your stack size, what you want it to portray. If I'm in a run of cards and been in a few pots I find I'm more apt to get called down by a bunch if I raise too big. There just isn't a standard answer without knowing what has been going on on the table and who it has been going on with.
 
teepack

teepack

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Good advice all. I usually do a 3-4 BB raise, and if somebody re-raises me it is AI shove time. If not and I perceive the board comes up dry for my opponent, I usually shove after the flop. If it's a scary board (7-8-9 or 3 suited cards), I might alter my plan and see what the other dude does.
 
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gianni

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3-bet at least even if u r on early position
 
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