Just Poker Talk

If you haven’t already done so please go to this Just Poker Talk post and select your favorite players to watch on Televised Poker.

• How to Play Pocket Rockets in Hold ‘Em

The current issue of magazine had a article by Katie Lindsay titled ‘Aces: A Pocketful of Trouble’ and queried the Top Pros on  ’How to Play Pocket Aces’

I picked a few of pro’s responses and included them here for your review. I also added a poll at the end of this post asking how you most often play Pocket Rockets.

• Daniel Negreanu
  

  I say that you get them so rarely that I’m OK with gambling with them. When I say gamble, I mean setting traps before the flop by not re-raising in spots where some players would go all in. source When you gamble with aces like that you tend to have a lot more difficult decisions than you would if you just go all in before the flop.

• Clonie Gowen  
  

  I think you should always bring them in for a raise because if you don’t, then you are going to either win a very small pot or lose a big one because someone could flop two small pair and you are just not going to be able to get away from it. You just have to know what types of hands your opponents could be playing. source

• Huck Seed
  

  I don’t like to get too much money in with aces when the blinds are small. Aces are hard to play because usually you just end up with aces. When the river comes there is always straights and flushes, two pair, a lot of possibilities. If someone makes a big bet on the river, you are in a tough spot with aces. I don’t really like to push them for value that much. Sometimes I will limp in early position and hope that someone will raise so that I can re-raise and get some extra money in there. source 

• Mike Sexton
  

  The most famous quote about aces comes from Stu Ungar. He said, “All aces are good for is to win a small pot or lose a big one.� It is so true because it is very difficult to get away from two aces when you raise before the flop and someone calls you. It doesn’t matter what comes out, even if it is a scary flop, most people can’t lay down two aces after the flop. It is tough to do, it’s not easy and that’s the problem with two aces – you can’t get away from them. source I come in for three or four times the blind. I don’t slow-play them; I raise it and hope someone comes over the top of me.

• Chip Jett
  

  I like to play them very fast; I don’t like to get tricky with them. I just try to win a small pot, not lose a big one. source

• Scott Fischman 
  

  Generally, I never slow-play them, and if I get a lot of callers I am ready to fold them. I am not committed – it is one pair. I am definitely of the mindset that aces is one pair and if I am willing to go all in and someone is willing to call, that means that he has more than one pair and I am in trouble. Basically, I like to keep the pot small. I like to make the pot big when I have better than one pair. source

• Your ‘Dead Money’blogger likes to limp from early position, figuring some maniac behind me will raise and I can re-raise them. From Late position and a Family pot, I prefer to make a pot size raise. If only 1 or 2 other callers I will most of the time just call unless I am short stacked and then it is All-In. All things being equal I will certainly put in the 3 to 5 times the big blind raise from middle or late position.
• So essentially it all depends on position, # of players and type of players yet to act, stack size, blind size, table image, etc….. 
• Please take a minute and select how you most often play Pocket Aces pre-flop in Hold ‘Em.

Hold ‘Em, Pocket Aces, Pocket Rockets, Poker Pro Magazine, Katie Lindsay, Daniel Negreanu, Clonie Gowen,  Huck Seed, Mike Sexton, Chip Jett, Scott Fischman 

• Poker Podcasts

• Poker Forums