Pocket aces is the best hand that you can possibly be dealt in Texas Hold'em. And while many like to complain about all the times they lose with it, the bottom line is that AA will far and away be your most profitable hand in poker over the long run. The whole purpose of playing Aces aggressively is that even though a pair of Aces is the best possible starting hand in hold’em poker, they don’t play well in large fields. You’re a favourite against two or three other players, but when you’re up against four random hands, your Aces become an underdog to the field. Pocket aces (that is a concealed pair of aces) in Texas Hold'em Poker is the best hand out of a possible 169 hands. Unfortunately, its effectiveness is so easy to spot that if it isn't played properly, you won't make the best out of the perfect situation. How to Trap with Aces. Pocket Aces, otherwise known as pocket rockets, bullets and American airlines are the best preflop hand available in the game. Your statistically way ahead of any drawing hands and are virtually 85% favourite against any other pocket. Win percentage invariable goes down for starting hands of strength when you enter the unpredictability of the flop. Most poker hands do not improve that much after the flop. So, pocket Aces gives you the most insurance against the majority of flops that will not improve your villain’s hand(s).
Want to find out the probabilities of being dealt an ace before the flop in Texas Hold'em? Use the tables below to help you find the different aces odds based on the situation and the number of players at the table.
Aces probabilities odds charts.
# Players | % Odds |
---|---|
2 | 18% |
3 | 40% |
4 | 50% |
5 | 59% |
6 | 66% |
7 | 73% |
8 | 78% |
9 | 83% |
# Players | % Odds |
---|---|
2 | 12% |
3 | 23% |
4 | 32% |
5 | 41% |
6 | 50% |
7 | 57% |
8 | 64% |
9 | 69% |
# Players | % Odds |
---|---|
2 | 16% |
3 | 29% |
4 | 41% |
5 | 51% |
6 | 60% |
7 | 68% |
8 | 74% |
9 | 80% |
Probability of being dealt an ace in any Texas Hold'em game is 15%.
How to use aces odds.
These tables are not going to be of much use to you whilst you play, but it is useful information on the probabilities of hands with aces turning up at your table.
The most useful information from these aces odds tables is that the likelihood of a player being dealt an ace increases with the number of players at the table.
The likelihood of another player holding an ace if you hold an ace yourself table (top right) is interesting. There is a fairly high probability that another player at a 9-seater table holds an ace if you do as well. This means that we should be cautious when dealt weak aces and should fold them in early position. There is a chance that we were the only player at the table holding an ace, but we are saving ourselves more money in the long run for when we come up against another player with a better ace than ours.
Playing aces in Texas Hold'em.
An ace is the highest ranking card in Texas Hold'em and can be played either high or low. This means that if you are dealt an ace preflop, there is a fair chance that you hold one of the strongest hands at the table. If you are all-in with an opponent and they do not have a pocket pair or a better ace, you are the favorite to win the hand.
However, you should be careful to not become overly attached to the hand when you are dealt an Ace, because there is a fair chance that you will lose a sizeable proportion of your stack if you get into a hand with another player that holds a better ace than you (e.g. A9 vs AQ).
Be careful to not overvalue hands with aces, as they can get you in to a lot of trouble if you do not have a good kicker.
For strategy guides on how to play hands with aces, take a look at the rag aces and pocket aces articles.
Go back to the poker odds charts.
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Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.after a month of losing over 50BI at micro stakes, I joined DC. I've
been living off poker ever since; if anything in this world could help
you become a winning player, this is it.”
- Malefiicus, DC Member
Watch SplitSuit's AA video for a definitive guide on playing pocket aces in Texas Hold'em.
Looking down and seeing ‘the bullets' is one of the highlights of Texas Hold'em. Pocket aces is the #1 starting hand in Hold'em; however, this is where people make the first mistake.
Pocket aces are by no means invincible, and if they are not played with caution you stand to lose a big pot. So allow this quick guide to help you learn how to play pocket aces profitably the next time you pick those bad boys up.
Always look to make a bet or raise with pocket aces.
We have to realize that pocket aces are not the type of hand we want to play against multiple opponents. The ideal situation is to be heads up on the flop. Therefore ‘limping in' in early position is a dangerous tactic and you should avoid doing so. After all, if you do limp then you could be facing numerous opponents on the flop, at which point you have to be prepared to fold your hand to any significant amount of action unless you hit your set.
Always look to raise with pocket aces as opposed to limping in and trying to be tricky. The last thing you want to happen is to be facing multiple opponents on the flop.
A second situation that could arise from limping in is being raised by another player. When facing this raise most people will re-raise once more and this will set alarm bells ringing in the heads of your opponents, because what kind of hand are you holding if you limp then re-raise the raiser?
9 times out of 10 the person making this move has a monster starting hand. Therefore you should more often than not raise when holding pocket aces, it lets your opponents know that you have a big hand but not how big, and it helps to define your opponents hands if they call.
Post-flop pocket aces strategy.
On the flop you again will want to be betting and raising, after all this is the only way you are going to be able to get more money into the pot. If you are heads up against one opponent you may want to check and induce a bluff if he is an aggressive type of player when in first position.
In general, you want to continue betting and raising to build the pot as much as possible with pocket aces. It is not advisable to continuously slowplay this sort of hand. You make more money by betting.
Be sure never to slowplay if the board is coordinated and your opponent is drawing to a straight or a flush; you want to make him pay and give him the wrong pot odds to draw to it.
(Note: When playing online make sure you leave a little time between betting into the pot on the flop. When people raise pre-flop and then bet a large amount into the pot immediately when it is their turn to act it is a big giveaway that they are holding the over-pair, so take a little time!).
Tips for playing pocket aces.
- Do not slowplay.
- Try not to get too attached to the hand.
- The less opponents in the hand the better.
- Remember that pocket Aces are not indestructible.
It must be stressed that aces are definitely not a hand to be slowplayed. Many amateurs fall into this bad habit because they are the #1 starting hand. But this is only before the flop. After the flop it is a different matter, if you don't hit a set just remember... all you have is one pair.
You should always be thinking, 'Okay, what could my opponent have that would beat me?' and try to figure out whether he has that type of hand. If you try and slowplay your hand to the end, do you think your opponent is going to call a large bet or an all-in with ace high or a pair? Because those are the only hands you will be beating at the end. If your opponent does call, its goodbye to your stack as very few are going to call with anything less that two-pair.
Pocket aces strategy evaluation.
Aces are not a hand to be slow played. The ideal situation is to be all in on the flop against your opponents. However this is not going to be likely, especially in a cash game. The second best situation is to use the tactics mentioned above by minimizing the number of opponents and getting money into the pot by betting and even raising.
But remember, with pocket Aces you only have one pair, so be prepared to let them go when facing a lot of action. The ability to lay down strong hands what makes the difference between good and great players.
Go back to the awesome Texas Hold'em Strategy.
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