How to play monster hands

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Bentley540

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I play 6 man sngs, and feel I'm not getting enough chips for monster hands

How should I play them in early middle and late stages?

I consider monsters:

AA
KK
QQ
AK
JJ
KQ
KJ
A10
AJ
 
Carl Trooper

Carl Trooper

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Depending on your image...

I always like to raise these hands. I don't want the 10-2 limping just for it to come A22 and stack off a guy holding AK.

If the table is aggressive, you can limp and raise pre. If the board is safe.. check raise.

If its a passive table, keep raising with any cards!
 
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chauncey274

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1. There is no optimal way to play a particular hand in every situtation.

2. AA and KJ are drastically different hands. They shouldn't be in the same group at all. You can't play all of those hands the same.

3. The way you play these hands will be different depending on the level you are at in the sitngo. If you're low stacked late in the game you can go all in with KQ preflop, but you'd be crazy to do that the first hand of the game.

4. It looks like you are looking for a guide on exactly what to do with what hands in what position. If it were that easy every one would play poker with that guide in front of them. You should narrow down your question. It is WAY too vague. Give us a hand history. Why do you feel you aren't getting chips? Do you slow play or play super aggressive with a monster? Your best bet is to select a few hands that you don't feel you played well and post them so that people can tell you what they think you're doing wrong.

Good luck and wish you all the best.
 
Propane Goat

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I play 6 man sngs, and feel I'm not getting enough chips for monster hands

How should I play them in early middle and late stages?

I consider monsters:

AA
KK
QQ
AK
JJ
KQ
KJ
A10
AJ

The first three are pre-flop monsters, the fourth might be a monster that eats you instead of your opponents, JJ can get you in a lot of trouble, and the strength of the rest is heavily dependent on the circumstances (position, blind amounts, number of players, etc.)

If you're expecting to double up most or all of the time when you get AA, KK, this isn't very realistic. Depending on the flop, you could be way behind with AA once the cards hit the board as well.

Also, if your opening raise is too high preflop, it can discourage action. I see this a lot, for example blinds are 20/40, and somebody raises to 400 in EP, he might as well tell everyone in the chatbox that he has AA/KK. If you've got AA, you definitely want the AQ/AJ type hands to come along for the ride.
 
etherghost

etherghost

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By definition, AA and KK are the only two hands considered monsters pre-flop.
 
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Tiltt2424

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AA and KK are the monsters and with those hands you need to be aggressive pre flop. Your raise sizing isn't dependent on your hand strength its dependent on what you intend for that raise to accomplish.
 
Arjonius

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You play them by not only recognizing that they don't belong in a single group that should be played the same way at a particular time, but also by learning to use position, observe and adjust for various opponents' respective styles, etc.
 
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ravpl

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Yes AA, KK are monster. I think that QQ too but u shouldn't call 3 bet when many players raise. Play agressive raise a lot if u are first to act i would standard raise to mask my hand.
 
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SnizzleKicker

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take bottom 3 hands out 2 start. The rest play them different each time you get them. Fold ALL non monsters early add your 3 bottom hands in mid add a couple hands in late stages its simple. I,d say thats havin a range. Then play poker take pots when there yours fold when there not. Man i,m off to make millions doing this :)
 
Juanes1913

Juanes1913

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Start considering that KA, QA, JA, TA, JJ QK, KJ aren't monsters in poker!
If you have KK vs AA (monsters) preflop there are a lot of facts that we need to know to help you (for example position, # of players, stacks, blinds) so next time you post how to play a hand be more specific ;)
BTW I'll give you an advice: Never slow plays KK-AA preflop.
Greetings!
 
horizon12

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If you are the first to bet standart 3-5bb , if some one bet standart 3x raise,
can also be 3bet,,
In late stages if u have less 12BB better shove preflop..
 
abzdolc

abzdolc

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first of all it's completely different combinations.
on my opinion AA KK QQ AK - monsters (1)
JJ TT AQ - middle monsters (2)
KQ KJ A10 AJ is not monsters. It's good hand , but not more. (3)

1 - raise/ re -raise from any position, 3 bb (>15bb), or all in pre-flop (<15bb).
2 - raise/call 2.2-2.5 BB, will be hard to play flop with A or K with JJ and 10 10.
3 - raise/fold 2bb, if u have <10 bb , u just all in pre flop.
Hope, it will help you
 
etherghost

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first of all it's completely different combinations.
on my opinion AA KK QQ AK - monsters (1)
JJ TT AQ - middle monsters (2)
KQ KJ A10 AJ is not monsters. It's good hand , but not more. (3)

1 - raise/ re -raise from any position, 3 bb (>15bb), or all in pre-flop (<15bb).
2 - raise/call 2.2-2.5 BB, will be hard to play flop with A or K with JJ and 10 10.
3 - raise/fold 2bb, if u have <10 bb , u just all in pre flop.
Hope, it will help you

Nope! The only two hands in Category 1 are AA and KK. JJ is the worst hand in Category 2. TT is considered weak pair. AK and AQ suited are fair. The rest are speculative hands.
 
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jj20002

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every situation is different, for instance, say everybody is playing tight and only raising with real monsters (AA, KK) or strong hands (AK, QQ) then those are the cards you can open raise too,

but if at the very beginning there are 2 or 3 maniacs (very usual in sngs) then you can feel free to go against them with any of the hands you mentioned above,

then it depends in the position, the table, the stacks (yours and opponents), the stacks/blind, the stage (bubble, itm, ft)

but what you have to study very careful is the strenght of the hands since you are mixing up them quite a bit
 
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justanumbernow

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raising 3x on monster hands gets folded to alot....limping with monsters makes for bigger pots..but much bigger risk of losing the hand....
 
fishfood80

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I play 6 man sngs, and feel I'm not getting enough chips for monster hands

How should I play them in early middle and late stages?

I consider monsters:

AA
KK
QQ
AK
JJ
KQ
KJ
A10
AJ

Aggresion really helps build a chip stack. Don't let the blinds or anybody get in for cheap when you feel like you have the best going in. Especially deep in a tourney and closing in on the money bubble.. A player might see a flop with garbage cheap to try and stack you but put them to the test and they'll think twice about putting they're chips on the line close to the money. And bright side if you just steal blinds with ace jack it could be a lot worse.
 
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UncleConRon

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My opinion

You need to throw in a bluff with a small wager about 300 to 750 for hands that aren't monster hands too. You hope they don't bet then when everyone folds show the hole cards. That way they think your betting crappy hole cards when your betting monster hole cards.
 
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kdawg71

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With me, a lot of it has to do with the mood of the table. Are people raising preflop on a regular basis? Is the table tight? These are the two biggest things that help dictate to me how I am going to bet these hands. What position am I in, is another important aspect also. Do any of the players on the table have a somewhat specific style of play that they adhere to.
 
damgold

damgold

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Hi

Play aggressively always by raising preflop by making c-bet on the flop at the beginning and middle of a tournament if the villain shows too much strength and you do not get flush draw nor straight draw gives up hand if you get flush draw and straight draw on the flop play very aggressive giving reraise and even going all in without fear.
 
SuzdalDEcor

SuzdalDEcor

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Monsters is only KK+. JJ-QQ and AK is a just good hands. Another hands is blockers.
 
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izpanol

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I like to go slow. In the initial stage I call to increase the well, and already if the flop favors me, I increase my bet.

In midgame, during the pre-flop I'll raisex3 to go removing bluffers, once I'm on the ground to guide me according to the flop and the river.
 
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nowyX

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depends, how much it is small and big blinds. I think at the beginning U should to play like 2,5BB and the late even 2BB or all in
 
an9312

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lately i tend to find a way to get 0 calls when i have aa or kk. ive flipped up my play a bit and we shall see what happens. great info here, thanks!
 
tihomir_kula

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In freerolls-always all in,but in other tournaments the strategy must be different.Too difficult to find the true bet!
 
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