Playing Pocket Aces

Hi Guys,

Well, the hand that everybody is dreaming with. But how should we play it ?

In my particular opinion, I always raise (I limp 5% of the time with them). I don't want too many people in a pot. Raising preserves my edge. When you slow play pocket aces, you let bad hands see the flop cheap. Getting money into the pot by raising with our bullets is a likely way of making the pot big. If you don't put money into the pot, then you're not building it.

Dan Harrington's advice on poker strategy in Harrington on Hold'em is aimed at tournament play, but looking at his opinion on pocket aces pre-flop is worthwhile for cash games too. Harrington suggests that if you are playing online and no one has entered the pot yet, you should always raise with AA pre-flop. His opinion is that slow playing aces is a way to prevent players from getting a read on you, and players online don't meet up often enough for that to matter. He suggests that in real tournaments you should raise with these hands, in this situation, 80% of the time and just limp in 20% of the time.

Harrington says that going all-in pre-flop with AA should be a rare move, since you do want to win some money, not just the blinds. All in bets dissuade action. The only time you might make this move is if you were at an active table where you had already seen some all in bets get called, and even then, you wouldn't make this move a lot.

In late position, Harrington suggests not raising more than 3 times the big blind with your AA. You want to look like you are trying to steal the big blind. I think if you have had some action before you, like a raise and a re-raise, going all in pre-flop is a good move though.

In early position, Doyle Brunson Super System suggests limping in with AA. He also says that if he is in middle position, and no one else has come in, he will play it the same way. In late position he will raise with them, hoping that someone will re-raise him and he can put them all-in. If other players have come in or bet, then he raises with AA or KK.

In Hellmuth's book “Play Poker Like the Pros”, he gives different advice to players with different levels of experience. His advice to beginners is to go all in pre-flop with AA, KK, QQ, or AK. He does discuss trying to trap other players with pocket aces, but he also points out that it is a risky move that might result in a lot of frustration.

I don’t agree that pushing all in every time you have pocket aces is the best strategy pre-flop. I think it will discourage action and leave you winning some very small pots.

The consensus seems to be that raising with pocket aces is a good strategy, but slow playing them sometimes makes sense too (but timing is important in this situation).