I have a baaaaaaaad habit...

[dreamover]

So of the 8 or so times I picked up AA today, I had them cracked by 77, 55, QK, TT, and so on, I had them beat honestly about 50% of the time, YES I did raise it healthy preflop (pot sized bets).

The real problem that I think I see, is not that I keep having my aces beaten by inferior starting hands. It's that I can't seem to lay them down. It's like, when I see the flop, and bet the pot and Im reraised allin, at this moment, with no hesitation, I just dont want to believe that I'm beat. I must have some falsely held belief that aces SHOULD win out more often than not, despite looking at the board, so I just stick it all in there and see what happens. As it happens, what's been happening, is me losing allot of money. : )

In a sick twist of irony as I'm writing this I pickup AA, and I get better to healthy preflop, so I opt to go allin preflop and not one but TWO people call me. Obviously I lose to KK as he hit his set on the flop.

At any rate, do I suffer from AA-addiction ? Is there a cure ? And furthermore, if I keep playing them the way I am, will I not win out in the LONG run, even though this current run is kicking the crap out of me ?

Thoughts ?

[Pelion]

AA allin preflop is a healthy addiction. As for not laying them down its pretty hard to do unless there is an obvious straight or flush that just completed and some guy whos been calling just switched to raising. The cure is to play them alot until you learn to recognise the situations where you are beaten and then you can start folding. The good thing about AA is that you are usually either way ahead or way behind so results oriented thinking (which everyone does subconciously) isnt far from wrong, so you will slowly get a feel for when to fold them.

As for situations, that depends on a lot of things. The only advice I can give is to post individual hand histories for people to comment on.

[AHiltz]

If you are using Pokertracker/PokerAceHUD and you see that opp is 15% to the flop, with no raises before or after flop (a rock) and you see him call your big preflop raise, he's set hunting 99% of the time. If you then continue bet the flop and he calls a red flag MUST go off here. If you fire at the turn and he cold calls/raises, you are beat 99% of the time by a set.
This is one way to lose less money with your big hands.

[finky]

Unless like AHiltz said, your against a known rock, with avarage stacks I don't think not foldiing aces on the flop is a leak. Really big hands are unlikely to want to scare off action so early. I know I never fold them on the flop and they show rude profit.

The turn however...

[Irisheyes]

One way I sure fold aces on the flop is if I bet, he raises, I min-reraise and he pushes. Then I can fold comfortably. Its hard to fold to a flop all-in.

[WhooFleuryScores]

With AA and KK you want to push preflop.Let them hit their garbage set AFTER they have committed their money 2-to-1 as 4-to-1 underdogs.I never hesitate to push AA and allow the KK,AKs,and lower PP hand themselves.It's alot less stressful to have AA and KK cracked AFTER an all in preflop then on the flop.

"YOu have to protect Pocket Aces like they were your first born"
-Howard Lederer,legendary cash game player-

[DaNutsInYoEye]

AA will probably be your most profitable hand, but it you will make the overall majority of your profit with other hands. Don't treat it as a must-win hand, but rather just simply a strong hand that has come in a neverending succession of hands, each of which has the potential to win or lose.

Don't get married to any hand. Assess the situation and act accordingly.

[SinkRox]

With AA and KK you want to push preflop....

This is pretty obvious but is less easy to pull off the higher in limits you are. Firstly you need to be re-raised, secondly the higher the limit you are, the least value you get by pushing pf and scaring off the weaker holdings.

Ive been having an awful time with my high pairs lately.. my BR at pokerroom slowly climbed 8buy-ins, then dropped 3, then back up 3, then dropped 4.25... I haven't been playing badly or tilting, my game has been solid..

ive just had too many 70%ers+ going the wrong way and way too much screwed up high pairs.. aces run into kings and get beat, ALOT of kings run into aces and get beat, aces run into qq and get beat, kk run into kk + aa and obviously get beat [all of these allin preflop]

/rant over

but yeh learn to lay these and review these hh's of yours cos theyre extremely important within ur game. You need to lay when they c/r ur turn allin on a scary of half scary board - they either have huge balls (and fair play to them if they do) or your overpair is beat. Or if you sniff your beat just aim for a cheap SD and check-call small/medium bets from the turn.

[Rondavu]

This post isn't about AA at all. This is about emotion. Keep your hand away from the clicky mouse sir, until you make a logical decision void of emotion that makes sense. Decide whether to call raise or fold. Don't allow emotion to make the decision for you. What works for me is that I talk to myself in my own head like I'm another person before making big decisions. I literally feel like a schizophrenic when I play poker. This has been a winfall for me. I have made very tough laydowns, and snapped off HUGE bluffs this way. Ask yourself why your opponent is still in the hand, how tight they are, and what kind of hand would play the way it has against you up to that point that has you beat.

[loball]

I think the key to aa is isolation if you can get one or two callers with them you are in good shape any more than that you odds drop dramatically. aa only only the best hand until the flop then it is anyones game. Play them agressively preflop and bet heavy on the flop to get a read on the field dont let anyone see any cheap cards. lay them down if you are beat.

[aaokwitme]

as u may have guessed they are ok wit me. if u find yourself getting beat with them alot u simply arnt pushing enough preflop. its better to just win the blinds then to get sucked out on so mix it up a bit bet then hard or allin preflop %90 OF THE TIME LIMP AND WEAK BET %10. CHANGING IT AS THE TABLE requires. "know thy enemy and know thy self". if u cant fold them move allin. if you oponit wont fold preflop move allin.
"know thy enemy and know thy self".
mike

[nutsinho]

POTD

[BankItDrew]

Don't get carried away with AA, because after all, it's only one pair.

AA does not improve the vast majority of the time, but KQ does. Do not overvalue AA, play it fast, but play it conservatively. Look for cheap showdowns, don't call raises past the flop with them, etc.

If the board reads: JQQK on the turn, and you bet 20% pot, and opponent min raises - fold that shit. What makes you think AK would make a raise like this? It's only top pair on a scary board.

Most of any players winnings, happen to come from AA. Most of an opponents loosings, happen to come from the same hand. If you can train yourself to let go of it earlier when you are beat than your opponents can - you will make more money than them.

It's only a pair. It's dominating pre-flop, but just think of what your opponent is thinking and holding, when they re-raise you.

[Pelion]

If you cant fold AA then move to 2NL for a week. After you've seen the flop with 5 other callers a few times in a row and been beaten by 53s hitting 2 pair on the flop a few times you WILL learn to put them down. If theres one thing tiny stakes games are good for, its that they sure do teach you AA and KK are only a pair.

I think those people saying just push preflop should seriously rethink. Theres alot of money to be made playing these hands correctly and all it takes is practice. Just seeing AA and going allin will never teach you how to play poker, and if you ever reach moderately high stakes people will fold to them every time and bully your weaker hands.

Also I wouldnt necessarily always fold after your 20% pot bet is raised. I will raise a weak bet like that with any 2 cards if I sense my opponent is looking for a fold. Make a nice strong defensive bet closer to full pot. Then it will actually mean something when it is raised.

[BankItDrew]

Also I wouldnt necessarily always fold after your 20% pot bet is raised. I will raise a weak bet like that with any 2 cards if I sense my opponent is looking for a fold.

Agreed. Don't fold an overpair just because you were raised. It all depends on your read/position/stacks/pot/everything.