When do you fold aces?

[Cinhos_2000]

When should AA be folded?

Most people reading this question are probably laughing and just answering never. I ask this question because it makes sense to me that in some occasions it's more proffitable to fold pocket aces than playing it. The easiest scenario is to think is that you are in a final table and everyone has the same stack and they all go all in (full table). A fold seems logical, since you will probably end up in a heads up after this hand and will get at least 2nd place (if you're not unlucky and the pot is chopped). My question is, considering pay jumps, probability, ICM, etc.. when is it profitable to fold AA preflop?
Obs- I know situations in which you should fold aces preflop are almost impossible to happen, but I'd still like to hear thought on this

 

[Evan Jarvis]

Rarely but I have and its mainly during "that feeling" but also sometimes a seat is hot and if they are hitting cards and I get aces and there's a lot of action specially the "hot" seat then i'm very carefull and will fold aces depending on the betting and they have been good folds. also another situation to consider is when playing MTT and in the bubble before making the money. low stacks want to risk it to double up and might get lucky against AA then they cripple you and you are forced to go all in then lose and are out the money.

anyone else have good scenarios where they'll fold aces?

Preflop the only time I would ever fold aces is in a satellite where I am basically guaranteed to cash if I fold (99.9% chance of winning a seat is better than the 80% chance of aces holding up)

Postflop it depends on the type of opponent I am up against and the number of opponents I am up against.

The question I ask when considering if I would fold aces if "Would my opponent make this bet or this raise with one pair or a draw?" If the answer is yes then I ask the next question "What % of the time do they have better than 1 pair, what % of the time do they have 1 pair, and what % of the time do they have a draw"

If the answer to the first question was no, they always have 2pair or better to make this bte or raise then folding aces becomes the easy play.

If however, they could have one pair or a bluff, that's where plugging in a range to equilab (available at pokerstrategy.com) is my go to play to see if I have the odds to justify continuing on in the hand. (If the math is very close, I will usually err on the side of folding, because if there's another street of betting to come where I will be at a big disadvantage information wise, it's better to get out early while the stakes are still low)

 

[Evan Jarvis]

Most people reading this question are probably laughing and just answering never. I ask this question because it makes sense to me that in some occasions it's more proffitable to fold pocket aces than playing it. The easiest scenario is to think is that you are in a final table and everyone has the same stack and they all go all in (full table). A fold seems logical, since you will probably end up in a heads up after this hand and will get at least 2nd place (if you're not unlucky and the pot is chopped). My question is, considering pay jumps, probability, ICM, etc.. when is it profitable to fold AA preflop?
Obs- I know situations in which you should fold aces preflop are almost impossible to happen, but I'd still like to hear thought on this

This is a matter of how meaningful the money is to you.

A player with a smaller bankroll relative to the payouts will make the fold you mentioned, while a player with an infinite bankroll would still call with the aces because they have the best chance to win the tournament, and if they don't win the hand they would evenly split the prizes with other players 2-9 (because if thy have exact even stacks that is how the payouts would have to be awarded)

 

[EverySunday]

Neverfold AA

 

[MauroMMMM]

I think it all depends on where you are in the tournament. How many chips do you have, what position on the table, and how much can you hold if you fold with AA. If you should wait for another hand where you do not risk, for example, against someone who is a chipleader. If I'm close to getting a ticket on a satellite for example, I don't know if I would take a chance with AA considering that they often lose to threesomes or ladders. I believe that each hand is unique and there is no general answer.

 

[horscht22]

There are different spots where i foldet the aces allready...In my beginning time of playing poker, i never thought that iam nearly able to fold aces, but if u have a dangerous board of different draws or so, than sometimes a fold is the better decision...

 

[Pokerpoet2]

I rarely fold Pocket Aces, but have done in some instances, like when there are 4 cards on the board making a straight or flush possible, also when you are very close to the bubble and I was already in the money but busting out with Aces would take me out of the tourney.
Everyone has their favorite place when to raise Pre-flop or slow play them for a greater return, if I was Under the gun or in the Hijack position I would be raising to isolate the blinds and deter others from coming along. On the button I may elect to slow play them especially if there was no raise before me but then again if there were too many limpers in the pot I would be raising big to cut the number of players down.
Every hand you have to evaluate where you are position wise, how many are in the hand and if you feel lucky or not.

 

[Julthefreak]

I kinda only fold Aces when there is like a full flop of spades and another player bets unnormal bets.

 

[voljare1234]

one of the best cards if I'm last if I have few chips or just 3 are eliminated and I win I still play with aa:

 

[bigthereal]

when I have low chances to win with them

 

[bowserdon]

Fold A rag all the time

 

[Jackmagic]

fold AA preflop when you are put all in and you'll go all out (or close to it) if you lose. preflop your odds aren't good enough to risk it all. post flop: well if you see pairs or 3 suited or straight connected on the table and someone else is betting heavy is usually a strong sign to fold. gotta use your gut to figure out if opponents have 2 pair or trips to beat your 1 pair and again it depends on how much $ you are risking to lose

 

[franken222]

I fold pocket aces in the very first hand of a tournament. First hands or a tournament often turn out to be "all-in" fests, so the more that are in the hand, the more chance you have of losing, and either going home, or going back to falling asleep on the couch.

Fold, and you're still in the game, and not out of it, and watching. There'll be lots of other opportunities. After all, the tourney has just begun.

 

[warsztacik]

Someone once told me that if AA fits, what card am I waiting for ??

 

[leogetz79]

please let me know, because to this day i still havent being abel to fold it

 

[Sgsoares74]

never

 

[Pufik]

it is happend very rarelly. You should do it only in satellite near a bubble or in multi-way pot where is big chance that your enemies have stronger combinations

 

[greenman]

Never been a fan of just a pair. My preflop bet is huge or all in. Before Igot this aggressive they won 50%. Now they are 88%. I like to play a wounded fish. Just not with a pair. When they realize this fish is a barracuda .

 

[legrowsr]

Assuming you are talking preflop. I would only ever fold AA if it was a satellite close to the bubble and I was assured of finishing in the money. I don't believe in hot seats. I never would fold AA in a MTT because I'm trying to make the final table and I can't justify folding the best starting hand. If I'm ahead on chips I want more if I'm short I need more. Just about the same with KK also.

I agree the only time I really fold aces is when it's only a player or two left to be knocked out and then the payouts start

 

[Dmondo]

Only in a few extreme circumstances. For example. I was in 1k satellite to 10K main event wsop. 50 SEATS AND 56 LEFT. 25th in chips.

 

[Jonb0324]

Only if I'm close to finishing in the money

 

[vittopio]

I will never fold AA preflop unless I am threatened with a gun (just kidding)! AA can only be folded with a pass-through stack in the satellite!

 

[jcxmendes]

pre-flop never! but post-flop depends on the cards and how much opponents and hypotheses are commented as above!

 

[samsonand]

in my opinion it is very difficult to retire with AA because you always have the excess esteem of winning but we do not see the odds