very complicated!

not complicated , sure thing id call since when we play the tournament we aim to take it down and see where we land we dont aim to min cash in it , and all the good prizes are at the top so i wont miss chances to build myself a stack that would get me deeper into the tournament even if it means a few times i will get unlucky and lose but most of the time ill double my stack and have a better chance to make a nice run.

Yes. Almost always I would recommend the all-in. Most of the time you would have a 65%-75% of tripling up with AA 3-way. Considering the fact that tournament prize structures are top heavy, the reward of going all-in (much better chance of a top finish in the MTT) is greater than the risk (getting bubbled).

Remember, a min-cash is usually only 1.5-2.2 times the buy-in which is not much more than the buy-in, but minuscule in comparison to the top 3 payouts.

That being said, in my opinion, there are very specific situations where you may want to lay AA down.
1) Satellite bubbles when you feel as though you would satellite through anyway. Here, the risk is high and the reward is minuscule since you would qualify anyway.
2) In a regular tournament, when you are super poor. This one is in my opinion. My reason for this is that even if you win the hand, your stack would still be very small, and as such, the value of your chips would still be lower than the value of the min. cash. By super poor, I mean your stack is lower than about half the starting stack size.

NOTE: Keep in mind, the answer to the question, like many questions, is context-dependent. It depends on things like prize pool structure, stack sizes, and how deep you are (i.e. how many big blinds you have, both in absolute terms and in relation to other people in the tournament).

BEST OF LUCK WITH THE GRIND!!!

If you play in order to get into the prize zone then fold. If you play to take first place in the tournament then all-in.

Yes, I would never fold aces pre in an MTT unless it was a sattelite where everyone gets the same prize once ITM is reached. Tournaments pay top heavy, so laddering up a few spots isn't as important as building a stack. You won't find a better opportunity to get chips than right here, time to gamble

Yes, I went and lost, but I do not regret all the same AA, could double. Lost ticket $11.

I think you need all in with them, since the best is that many come with AK AQ which is beneficial for you. If they have KK QQ, then we baptize our fingers so that the set does not come to them and put Allin)

Very good question,and yes i would go all-in on the bubble with AA with two callers already as my chances of missing ITM are slim,gotta be unlucky to lose to both of them.If only against 1 player on bubble theres a very strong chance im folding that AA online...but live i would play it

If you don't go all in, you are not playing to win.

if you playng for minium prize dont go... if you wanna win of course....

against two, I wouldn't fold before the flop.but after the flop it depends on what the Board could and throw!

with AA I will not miss the opportunity to increase my stack considerably because I have two opponents in all-in if, unfortunately, they eliminate me, does not matter to me, the right thing is to call because if I win, I have the opportunity to go For the tournament, the main objective in a tournament is to be first ITM but with AA you must take the risk of being eliminated in the bubble

You have the best starting hand, so the odds are in your favor.

I have played it both ways. I have folded and would have lost the hand, so I was happy about that. I have played them all in and won, it was a great feeling. But I have also lost...think the one player ended up with trip kings. Anyway I think you go with your gut at the time.

I will always play all in, in this kind of situation, either because you are pointing to the first place or because you want to take advantage of others, in the first comments I read a someone saying that if you are pointing to money you should not do it, I think part of playing poker is to earn money, It is a great motivation, everyone has their opinion and I respect it, but to say that winning money is not one of the objectives of wanting to win in poker I think it is to lie to oneself, returning to the subject, without risk there are no profits, so, yes, I bet all-in with AA.

Unless it’s a satellite tournament where 1st is no different reward than the last cashing place I am likely never folding aces preflop. If I am trying to win the tournament than folding the best starting hand isn’t a logical play IMO. Obviously in a huge money tournament like the WSOP main event or a high roller (I have not yet been a participant) I may change my mind because that’s a considerable higher amount than I am currently playing for. If I were to gain entry into the man in event than a min cash of 15k or so can be a big deal and I may think about waiting for the ITM to be all in. Although even if it’s 15k (while it’s very nice it’s not going to change my life ) I may be inclined to call allin as it may bring a significant amount of chips which can bring much more than the min cash.

If 9 players go all-in before me I will still snap call.

(If it isn't a satellite where I'm almost certain to get a ticket by folding almost every hand and situation).

AA for me - holy card, I had never been reset only all-in.

Originally Posted by daredeviljo

2) In a regular tournament, when you are super poor. This one is in my opinion. My reason for this is that even if you win the hand, your stack would still be very small, and as such, the value of your chips would still be lower than the value of the min. cash. By super poor, I mean your stack is lower than about half the starting stack size.

I think, it would need to be even more extreme than that for folding AA pre to be the correct ICM decision. Something like the tournament is in hand for hand, a player has already busted at another table, and you are down to less than 1 blind. In that situation, if you bust as well, you probably had less chips than him before the hand, and then he will make it in the money, even he busted before you. While if you fold, you have a 100% sure mini-cash and still a small chance to survive an all-in in the next hand.

As always, it all depends on the stack of your position at the table and the level of play.AA is a good hand and the winning percentage with it is great.But we must not forget about the risk you are taking.Weigh the pros and cons and make your move.Good luck!

If the min cash is significant to you financially or to your bankroll (for example if you satty in or win a ticket to a bigger buy in MTT that you don't usually play), then fold. Otherwise, you should be aiming to get to the FT.

I would unless we are talking a very big sum of money.

All in all the time with AA for me.

Though decision. 2 players all in make more probality of loosing hand. It's very thought decision.

agreed with above.
I would only go all in, if was going down with the chips.

You go all in with pocket aces no matter how many people in front of you shoved at least I will do it .

It all depends on the condition of my bank but by 90’/, I would go too all in.

Depending on the situation yes, most of the time.

It depends on the buy in of the tournament because it´s different being the bubble in a $0.55 tourney and being eliminated in the Sunday Million.(you won the ticket playing a satellite).In the first case, of course I´d go all in but in the second one I´d fold the hand.

no, the point of tournaments is make it to the money ,Aces are hard to fall but you have to.

Depends on stack... If i have decent or big stack i would pay and go for tournament win, if i am realy low i would fold and hope for mincash

Originally Posted by Transcendence

Yes, I went and lost, but I do not regret all the same AA, could double. Lost ticket $11.

On satty bubble i am folding withouth looking if there is 3-4 players with lower stack than me...

Depends on if you have them covered, if you have 1 chip left -risking your tourney life to pick up 3 chips probably not worth it, but if you have more chips than both of them shove away.

Well i think it really depends on multiple aspects of the game.

In the early phase of the game you want to get rid of people but you do not want to get busted with a runner runner flush.

Also important is your chipstack. Have less then 10 to 15 BB? Go for it!!

But in early game with enaough BB? Just fold .... you have so many chances to get them later ....

Originally Posted by daredeviljo

Yes. Almost always I would recommend the all-in. Most of the time you would have a 65%-75% of tripling up with AA 3-way. Considering the fact that tournament prize structures are top heavy, the reward of going all-in (much better chance of a top finish in the MTT) is greater than the risk (getting bubbled).

Remember, a min-cash is usually only 1.5-2.2 times the buy-in which is not much more than the buy-in, but minuscule in comparison to the top 3 payouts.

That being said, in my opinion, there are very specific situations where you may want to lay AA down.
1) Satellite bubbles when you feel as though you would satellite through anyway. Here, the risk is high and the reward is minuscule since you would qualify anyway.
2) In a regular tournament, when you are super poor. This one is in my opinion. My reason for this is that even if you win the hand, your stack would still be very small, and as such, the value of your chips would still be lower than the value of the min. cash. By super poor, I mean your stack is lower than about half the starting stack size.

NOTE: Keep in mind, the answer to the question, like many questions, is context-dependent. It depends on things like prize pool structure, stack sizes, and how deep you are (i.e. how many big blinds you have, both in absolute terms and in relation to other people in the tournament).

BEST OF LUCK WITH THE GRIND!!!

Don't underestimate the effect an ITM bubble has mate. A mincash doesn't sound like much but it can have a considerable effect on the optimal play.

Having said that though, there is rarely a case where ICM is so strong that you'd fold AA pre. Completely agree with you on the two scenarios. Sattelites (a very flat payout structure) or having a tiny tiny stack (so very low added value in tripling up) are pretty much the only reasons you'd ever fold AA here

With AA even though there are multiple players in and no matter what the situation is. I am putting everything in with AA.

Really, I dislike all-ins but they are part of the game. As for holding a monster and folding pre-flop, even to an all in..what would you call with? and if you can't call with AA maybe you should try checkers.

This is not complicated at all. Your aim is to win the whole tournament and if you're prepared to fold AA pre-flop on the bubble, then you will NEVER win. Say you have a average stack with around 40 people left. You go all in with AA. 2/3rds of the time you will triple up and become one of the tournament big stacks, knock out or cripple two other players and be in a really strong position to go deep and win serious money. Or you can pussy out and fold the best starting hand you can be dealt an watch your chip stack dwindle away for another minimum cash that you've spent 2 to 5 hours to get.

Go big or go home.

For sure, you either grow up or fall out of the tournament. Most of the time this decision will take you further with a more comfortable stack.

Originally Posted by Erik moraes

very complicated!

What kind of a coin with a chipak are we talking about if we have AA and 80% + against any range of oppa? Why give advice to beginners at all if you yourself don't fully understand what you are talking about? The only option to fold AA preflop is a satellite, where let's say 11 players are left, 10 of them will get tickets. You are second and there are short stacks at the table, and chipak shoves at you. Well, you can also throw AA on the bubble of some expensive tournament for you, in which you made your way through a bunch of satellites, say, for 10k, but you couldn't join, and 10k for you is a lot of money several times higher than your bankroll.

I'm going there so I lose, it's part of the game and you have to risk, I prefer to go for the first place than for the bubble.

poker is like the compass, if you don't know how to use it, it's better that you don't stay at home.

I'm going all in there but it might not be the correct icm play. How much the buy in is and how much the bubble pays might affect my decision.

I'm going as much as it's going to take if they bet I call it's that simple 😉

Absolutely . I want to make as many chips as I can at bubble time. My goal is not to make the money , it is to win the tournament. The chips of those 2 all in players will go a long way to helping me win the tourney.

All day everyday

Agreed with people that say yes. In it to win it. Need the chips! You'll never be behind so everyone else will be banking on some luck to get ahead.

I find every time I do that to 2 already all in. I call and get beat 99 percent of the time with someone having 2 pair . Many times on the bubble. So now I just wait and put little in on ace ace

I'm in to the end. We all been there, it can be brutal.

I am all in ever single time. I dont care about the cash I want to win. Now could I actually be in a situation where this may change? Probably but again I want to win. I might think about it if I was a top chip stack in a big time tournament and the one player is all in that has me covered I may have to at least think about it but that maybe the only time I dont go for it.

easy Aces preflop all in 100% of the time hehe... I rather double or triple my stack and fight for better prizes than secure a min cash and of course it depends on how many blinds we have me and the villains...