When you’re dealt pocket aces on a of the poker sites online, sirens start going off in everyone’s head and immediately we start thinking how much we can win this hand. Instead of thinking about how much you could win in the hand though you first need to make sure you know how to play your pocket aces. There are a few different approaches that people make when holding pocket aces depending on the situation.
Pre-Flop
Before the flop you have two options which are to slow play your aces or come out strong and let people know that you’re holding a hand. I prefer to usually almost always raise the pot pre-flop with aces because I hate it when someone limps in with junk and beats you on the flop. There is nothing worse then losing a big hand on pocket aces when you limp into the pot initially because you’re thinking you can trap your opponent into paying you off.
Flop
If you decided to raise the pot and you got a caller then you should quickly analyze the flop. If you didn’t hit a set and there are flush and straight options out there than you should either push all-in and take the pot down or fold in this position. You don’t want to keep your opponent in the pot with any draws on the board because you never know what your opponent could be holding and it could bear you if they hit a draw.
If you decided not to raise the pot pre-flop, than you’re not going to know where you stand in the pot. I would recommend throwing out a bet right now to see if anyone makes the call. If someone makes the call then you need to start looking at whether or not your opponent could have a straight or flush. If there are no draws on the board, than they could have flopped a set or two pairs. Generally you’ll see two pairs a lot more then a flopped set, but two pairs will beat your single pair of aces unless something comes on the turn or river to help you out.
After the flop if you still have an opponent in the pot you need to decide whether or not you’re winning the pot and either make a big bet or fold your aces. If you slow played your aces pre-flop and you think your opponent has you beat then don’t be scared to fold your aces. In fact folding the aces is a lot better then playing the aces and losing because everyone will see you lost by slow playing your aces and might even put you on tilt.
I rarely ever play aces past the flop unless the poker strategy call for me to be all-in and someone calls me because it’s just to risky to slow play your aces in most situations. Don’t lose a big pot with aces because you tried trapping your opponent, it will most likely make you feel sick to the stomach and it will hurt your bankroll.