STARTING POKER HANDS - AA

Texas Holdem – How to Play Two Aces

Seeing pocket aces or pocket rockets (AA), the best possible starting hands cards in Texas Hold’em

can bring a smile to the fiercest poker faces. But what really is the best poker strategy to approach your AA with? Many experts would suggest showing aggression all the way, especially if you are on a table with 4 or more players. But there may be the adventurous players who might like to slow play them.

Raise if you have position

It is best to consider the number of players on the table and your position before you decide how to play two aces. If there are more than 5 players on the table and they have a high flop ratio then it is best to raise pre-flop so there aren’t more than three people on the table to see the community. The raise should be such that the pot gets inflated. The more people sit in and limp, the more are the chances of you bursting your aces.

Slow play on a small table

On the other hand, if it is a heads up or 3-4 player online poker table, then it might be a good way to approach them slowly. In this condition you can wait to see the flop before going for the raise. Pocket aces can be a great opportunity to milk in players especially if someone hits a high pair on the flop. But when slow playing, don’t wait till the turn to raise because you don’t want too many people at showdown.

When should you fold pocket aces

Pocket aces (AA) is one of the best starting poker hands but it is also known as one of the most difficult and dangerous hands in Texas Hold’em. It is hard to control the irresistible urge to push your chips all-in after getting pocket Aces, along with face the dilemma about folding the hand or raising the bet. Always remember that pocket aces can be defeated and cannot guarantee a win. There are so many factors you need to consider before start playing with pocket aces. Your gameplay must be dependent on number of opponents, table image, position (blind, button, etc), and table stacks.

If the opponent raises on turn or three or more opponents go all-in, fold your pocket aces. As it is possible that someone has an improved hand, you should let it go and fold the cards. The best way to play with pocket Aces is by raising preflop if you are playing on big table (4-5 players) as you can make maximum opponents fold before the flop round by aggressive playing. Keep in mind that this strategy will work only preflop. To hit a set, you need another Ace on the board as without it, you have just one pair.

What are the odds of winning with pocket aces? 

Pocket Aces/Bullets is a favorite hand of many players but still there are reasons to not to get too attached with this hand. It is pre-flop 4:1 favorite over any other hands. The odds of winning with pocket aces depends on the number of opponents. It is also possible that pocket aces face heads up with another pocket aces. If you play against one random hand, the probability to win is 77% to 85% of the time. It reduced to 30-35% if all players stay till the end of the game. Winning and losing is uncertain in poker so it completely depends on your calculations and strategies (slow or aggressive game play)to increase your chances to win. The format of the game (cash game, tournament) and your position (early, middle, or late position) also affects the gameplay and winning probability even when you are playing with the best hand.

What are the odds of being dealt with pocket aces?

There is no 100% confirmed ratio of odds for getting pocket Aces. The odds for being dealt with one Ace card is 4 to 52. For second card being an Ace, the odds are 3 to 51. You can also calculate it by determining the chances of getting each and every card (4/52 x 3/51 = 12/2652 = 1/221). The odds of getting dealt with pocket aces are 221 to 1.

What are the chances of getting pocket aces twice in a row?

Pocket aces is one of the strongest cards and as per experts, the chances of getting dealt with pocket aces twice in a row are around 48,841-1 (1/221x1x221 = 1/48841). It depends on how many players are there on the table and how many hands you play. 

Let's have a look at an Exmaple, when Played at Adda52

In the Daily 1K final on 6th March at Adda52, Player playtowin was faced with a similar dilemma when he saw two aces as his poker hole cards. In the four player online poker game with blinds at 15/30, Player playtowin was second to act and also the chip leader when he saw Ace of clubs and Ace of hearts as his cards. He did the logical thing and made a rational raise of three times big blind. Both the small blind and big blind folded with 4d, 5d and 2d, 5h. It was DHIRAJ in early position who called with Qc and 9C.

The flop read the following: 4s, 8d, As, thus giving playtowin three of a kind and an undisputed lead in the heads up. The rainbow flop didn’t do anything for DHIRAJ. Now playtowin slow played them and checked, DHIRAJ with a simple Ace high also checked. The turn was 8s and saw another check from both players while playtowin had hit a full boat.  The river was 4h and didn’t mean anything for either player. DHIRAJ, with two pairs on the table and a Q kicker was first to act and checked sensibility. Now playtowin took lead and raised 150 which was 75% of the 225 pot. Not sensing trouble, DHIRAJ called and saw the full house and thus made playtowin richer.