H
Hermus
Rock Star
Bronze Level
It depends on position, player type, effective stacks, board type etc. so there is no easy answer here. e.g. given fairly standard "UTG RFI" and "BB vs UTG Call" ranges, AQJ two-tone is a range bet (obviously including KK) but A72 rainbow checks KK as the preflop aggressor.
A few general heuristics that might help are: 1) marginal (pocket) pairs are better on unconnected boards. 2) marginal (pocket) pairs increase in value as stack depth decreases. 3) c-betting range and giving up the turn is better against fit or fold players. 4) check/calling marginal pairs can be profitable against people that are capable of bluffing.
A few general heuristics that might help are: 1) marginal (pocket) pairs are better on unconnected boards. 2) marginal (pocket) pairs increase in value as stack depth decreases. 3) c-betting range and giving up the turn is better against fit or fold players. 4) check/calling marginal pairs can be profitable against people that are capable of bluffing.
F
fundiver199
Legend
Loyaler
Typically KK on A high board is only good for two or sometimes one street of betting. You cant go bet, bet, bet and expect, that you are still ahead of the range, that call you down. So you need to check somewhere and fold, if the opponent wants to play a massive pot. The rest is so situational, that no general answer can be given. Positions, stack sizes, number of people seeing the flop, opponent types. These things all matter, and you are basically just playing poker as you are with any other hand.
The difficulty many people face is the mental adjustment coming from the fact, that they went from having the second nuts preflop to a hand, which is now only medium strong after the flop. But as with any other situation, where the board runs out badly, we just need to accept, what happened, and adjust our strategy and expectations. If we flop a set, the board might run out with a 1-liner to a straight or flush, and maybe we then need to fold, what is now basically only a bluff catcher on the river.
The difficulty many people face is the mental adjustment coming from the fact, that they went from having the second nuts preflop to a hand, which is now only medium strong after the flop. But as with any other situation, where the board runs out badly, we just need to accept, what happened, and adjust our strategy and expectations. If we flop a set, the board might run out with a 1-liner to a straight or flush, and maybe we then need to fold, what is now basically only a bluff catcher on the river.
Phoenix Wright
Legend
Loyaler
Just because an Ace comes on the Flop, that doesn't automatically mean the opponent had an Ace in their hand to pair; in fact, it is theoretically LESS likely they hold an Ace now because one is accounted for among the community cards. When the hand began, there were 4 possible Aces the opponent could have held (As, Ac, Ad, Ah) and now with one on the board, they only have 3 Aces they are potentially holding
If you have KK and an Ace hits the Flop, then I'd play slightly more cautiously in the event they do have a paired Ace, but KK is still a premium hand which beats a ton more. The opponent might have an Ace sure, but they might also have pocket pairs lower than KK, random draws to straights or flushes and of course lots of bluff hands. KK is still good and therefore (especially based on how likely you think the opponent has an Ace or not based on hand reading, player playstyle, table image etc.) you should still be willing to build a pot with betting/raising
Other than hand reading, or player dependent things, I'd probably proceed greatly based on the board texture. For example:
a Flop of Ah Jd 5c is a spot where KK might be ahead. Based on the opponent seat at the table, they are less likely to hold a hand which paired the 5 and the is a real possibility they paired the Jack which KK is ahead of. I might be inclined to c-bet this Flop or continue thinking my KK might be good.
Conversely, a Flop of As Js Ts with us having Kh Kd (or any Kings without a suit matching the board - spades in this example) is a wet and coordinated board where we may opt to check or c-bet smaller (like one third pot). Of course, we may also bet big like a pot-sized c-bet for protection against getting outdrawn, but it is clear that whatever we do here with KK is scary. The opponent might have paired their Ace (ahead of us) or they might outdraw us (namely the Flush). The reason I like checking some percentage of the time in this scenario is because we do also have outs to the nut straight by any Queen appearing after the Flop (but Qs would by far be the most dangerous of the four Queens because that puts four to a Flush on board, straight possible [even if our KK blocks combinations of straights] and even the famous Royal Flush is now possible)
Phoenix Wright
Legend
Loyaler
Perhaps as long as you are aware of your opponent's ability and possibly adjusting to you. Playing against good players while doing this is a quick way to get exploited; all they will do once they realize your strategy in this spot is they will begin floating more often (calling Flop with marginal holdings and then betting the Turn or sometimes River). The opponents could soon realize that your c-bets don't indicate a ton to them, but Turn/River bets get you more "honest" and folding out your weaker holdings.
Obviously just about anything could potentially be exploitable, but this highlights the need to mixing in your actions some percentage of the time. Seldom are you correct to take some line, in some spot, literally 100% of the time. This will be essentially playing with your hand face-up to those observant enough to pick up on this leak.
I know you didn't say you would check-call one street and fold to check-raise literally 100% of the time, but just commenting this to potentially clarify for you or others
Noroma
Rock Star
Silver Level
If I raise from late position, I will as the pf aggressor most often cbet Ace high boards pretty much with my whole range. Even with kings. This will usually be the most profitable play for the whole range as you have an uncapped strong range of hands that usually connect really strongly with an ace compared to the pf callers range that shouldn't consist of AA, AKs.
But keep in mind that some boards will favour a check, even if you had the Ace. It's always good to simplify your game, but keep in mind how things can change based on multiple factors.
But keep in mind that some boards will favour a check, even if you had the Ace. It's always good to simplify your game, but keep in mind how things can change based on multiple factors.