AAs on a difficult spot. Call? or fold?

[drhousethebest]

I'm playing on a tournament live. Recreational game.
I got AAs UTG. Blinds are 600/300 and I seat on the table a little late, is my 2nd or 3rd hand. The tournament is a deep stack, so everybody stars with about 40,000k.

I raised standard to 1800, guy to my left (I never played with him before, no idea of his game) calls, everybody folds, guy on middle position re-raised me to 3600.I'm used to play with him, he is kind of a maniac, he would call with any two cards but is very odd he would raise me, so I put him on a very strong hand even tho his raise was kind odd, but because he is loose, and I wanted to get the most value I just called. I put him on KKs exclusively.
Guy to my left just calls as well.

Flop came I have
So I raised the flop 6,000k

Guy to my left Goes all in for about 30k

middle position Snap calls

I have about 30k left. What would you to with AAs on that spot?
What is your opinion I did wrong at this point?

 

[pcgnome]

I'm not sure what you mean by "recreational game". Most people play poker for recreational purposes. Is there a buy-in or is this more like a local bar freeroll?

You've got a pair of aces on a coordinated flop with two players already all in. It's a shame that you have to might have to fold the aces, but that's what I would probably do. There's a good chance that at least somebody hit a set or a straight on the flop in which case you would need runner-runners to win the hand if you were to decide to call.

The next time that you find yourself with a premium hand like AA in this type of tournament, consider raising at least 5X the big blinds. That way you have a chance to isolate somebody and win a nice pot.

Good luck!

 

[Vander44]

I think at this point you have to have to fold your AA and live to fight another day. Too many possibly with that flop trips/straight/flush etc that probably hit their ranges. Agree with pcgnome and would of opened raise with 4-5x big blinds. In this case I also would of also 4 bet preflop 4-5x re-raise.

I get the feeling someone has hit a pocket pair and the other might have QJ or flush draw.

 

[fundiver199]

but because he is loose, and I wanted to get the most value I just called. I put him on KKs exclusively.

This is where, the hand went completely off the rails. You have the nuts, so how is "just calling" the best way to get value, and especially if you think, your opponent has the second nuts? Do you think, he is folding the second nuts, if you reraise him? Of course not. He probably go all in, and even if he just call, you likely get the other guy out of the pot (isolate), and with so much more chips in the middle, postflop simply play itself.

As played you put yourself in a spot, you should never have been in, and which just suck. With one guy all in, I am probably calling here, but the fact, they are both all in, changes things. Its not unreasonable, that at least one of them have you beat here, so as others have said, you probably have to fold and live to fight another day especially in a tournament.

 

[drhousethebest]

I agree, I did not play the hand correctly pre-flop.
But he is loose, I thought he might have a strong hand, but he could also have 7/5 suited... you never know. So I wanted to keep him in the pot if he was bluffing. The issue was this other player that I did not know.

Anyways, I ended up folding my AAs.
Since everybody were all in I showed my AAs and people were surprised I folded them.

the guy to my left Shows J/10 of hearts. so he was going for the flush/straight
and MP had AK off suited, just top pair. AK won the pot with top pair. I had it exactly where I wanted him but this other guy kind of messed me up

I was wrong this time, but I think on the long run that is the right play, folding after the flop.

thanks

 

[fundiver199]

I agree, I did not play the hand correctly pre-flop.
But he is loose, I thought he might have a strong hand, but he could also have 7/5 suited... you never know. So I wanted to keep him in the pot if he was bluffing. The issue was this other player that I did not know.

I dont think, this slowplay would have been any better, just because you were heads up with the 3-better. You should still 4-bet to get value from the best starting hand in poker, and also to create a much smaller stack to pot ratio, so you cut down on his implied odds and dont put yourself in tough positions after the flop.

If it was only you and him, there would have been around 9k in the middle with 37k back, so roughly a stack to pot ratio of 4. And this is a situation, which can be pretty tough with an overpair. If on the other hand you 4-bet to around 10k and he just call, there is 24k in the middle and 30 behind, and now life is extremely easy with AA. Its basically just, how do you get it in, not if.

Of course you could still end up in a similar postflop situation, if two players just called your open raise. And then you should generally fold to this kind of action on the flop. But here you literally received a gift, when MP reopened the betting for you, and you should have accepted that gift

 

[drhousethebest]

Yeah, Poker show me not to slow play.

 

[Jon Poker]

I would fold aces in that spot...pretty reluctantly but would fold for sure especially deep stacked.

That being said this is why you NEVER just call your aces at anything other than a heads up table...if I get 3bet preflop and I am holding aces I hear cash register sounds going off in my head and always put in the cold 4bet. If my opponent is crazy enough to 5bet me - I will surely shove whether we are both super deep or not. Point is I have the best hand possible in the game, why wouldn't I try to get it all in preflop?

 

[drhousethebest]

I would fold aces in that spot...pretty reluctantly but would fold for sure especially deep stacked.

That being said this is why you NEVER just call your aces at anything other than a heads up table...if I get 3bet preflop and I am holding aces I hear cash register sounds going off in my head and always put in the cold 4bet. If my opponent is crazy enough to 5bet me - I will surely shove whether we are both super deep or not. Point is I have the best hand possible in the game, why wouldn't I try to get it all in preflop?

I agree with you. I just hate going all in pre-flop when people play so loose.

 

[DizzyDeb717]

I would have shoved the 2nd raise to try to get at least one of them out of there, but I understand wanting to get the most chips possible. AA seems jinxed to me, so the less hands in, the better.
Then again, I'm just barely average.. so my strategy seems flawed in general

 

[DizzyDeb717]

I tried to edit my post.. hmmm
anyway, yes I would have folded the push. (most of the time. sometimes i just take a chance. and lose lol)

 

[drhousethebest]

I tried to edit my post.. hmmm
anyway, yes I would have folded the push. (most of the time. sometimes i just take a chance. and lose lol)

If I was an a different stage of the tournament I would have go all in or call the push. But it was at the beginning of the tournament. I do not think going busted that early made any sense. But it did not matter at the end, because I took all the chips back from him. like a said, he is maniac that play any cards. Those players win sometimes, but they lose way more often.
that made me feel better about the hand

lol

 

[Master Bedroom]

How is this a tough spot? You're put to the test with only 1 pair, but facing two other hands. Easy fold; especially since you didn't reraise preflop and make him pay for his mistake.

 

[Twisterman]

I would fold in that spot too.
You should probably went all in or 4 bet preflop after the re raise, cause of the 3. guy. But it would have worked great if he had folded the J/10. So your strategy against the player you knew was not bad at all. IMO

 

[Deedgee]

With a deep stack like that, I would want to get all of the money in before the flop.

 

[HobokenNJ]

I just hate going all in pre-flop when people play so loose.

Isn't that the exact time where you should be very happy to go all-in preflop? The wider the villain's range, they greater the equity you have.

 

[Phoenix Wright]

With two callers to face here, I'd be leaning towards folding - even pocket Aces. If you have history with someone and just put them on pocket Kings - then a King hits the flop: aw man, this spot sucks, but it is a fold for me. Nothing worse than continuing and losing a ton on a hand you predicted. As others mentioned, maybe you could have played differently earlier, but the point is what to do when you are in that spot - not "if I wasn't" because you will always find yourself in tough spots from time to time. A good poker player just finds themselves in those tricky spots less often, but those situations always come up at some point in time.

 

[GWU73]

Fold, but pre flop a big reraise was in order. AA plays better head up.

 

[Galmedic]

All in

 

[moulan7]

Hi there,

As fundiver said this is a gift preflop. I always hope for someone to 3bet me when I raise with Aces.
4bet big or shove.

On flop I fold too. I don't like it. If it was for example something like 335 with the same action I call for sure but with 910K damn that's tough. Straights, sets or even two pairs are possible.

By the way I want to spot something here. For one more time the guy who goes all in first proves that has nothing lol. Anyway..
But the other one that follows? On that flop.. Tough.

I believe your decision to fold was the best for the long run on spots like that.
But your just call on his min 3bet unforgivable!

 

[scofield1985]

i think you shoulda reraise the reraiser, that may make one of them fold and go heads up

but it was a nice fold anyway

 

[killercon]

raise pocket aces

I'm playing on a tournament live. Recreational game.
I got AAs UTG. Blinds are 600/300 and I seat on the table a little late, is my 2nd or 3rd hand. The tournament is a deep stack, so everybody stars with about 40,000k.

I raised standard to 1800, guy to my left (I never played with him before, no idea of his game) calls, everybody folds, guy on middle position re-raised me to 3600.I'm used to play with him, he is kind of a maniac, he would call with any two cards but is very odd he would raise me, so I put him on a very strong hand even tho his raise was kind odd, but because he is loose, and I wanted to get the most value I just called. I put him on KKs exclusively.
Guy to my left just calls as well.

Flop came I have
So I raised the flop 6,000k

Guy to my left Goes all in for about 30k

middle position Snap calls

I have about 30k left. What would you to with AAs on that spot?
What is your opinion I did wrong at this point?

i would have reraised all in preflop that way u can get heads ul or you wouldnt have any difficult decisions. if i got pocket aces i usually try to get all in preflop if i loose thats just bad luck cause you were heavily favored 80%. ive learned no more trying to get tricky with aces n its better yo win the antes than loose a big pot, cause they got lucky and rivered a flush or straight or anything. aces are heavy favor preflop so i play them alk in preflop now days. ive lost alot of pots with pocket aces trying to get tricky.

 

[CriesuaID]

If it was a freeroll, I would probably raise to an all-in. For me another type of tournament, this would depend on how the other players behaved in previous hands.

 

[SPANKYSN]

Pocket aces are only just a pair...a big pair, mind you...but just a pair after the flop. I have misplayed pocket aces many times trying to get the max chips...the fact of the matter is this: pocket aces will usually get you a small win, sometimes just the blinds...but it can also cost you a HUGE loss. You get dealt the best starting hand in poker; play it strong. All in pre-flop is the best way to play them. Take your small wins, and on occasion, you get beat...but far less than when you slow play them.

 

[zlajazlaja2]

difficult situation ... it's not easy to throw AA, but again on the flop they can have a scale already, and waiting flush, maybe trilling ... I don't know how much you raised before the flop and what they paid for, but in this situation probably fold