Texas Hold'em Poker Strategy Poker Mar 1, 2000, 09:40 By Gary Carson http://www.gaminglinks.com

Strategy
Pocket Aces in Hold'em

By far the most profitable starting hand in hold'em is AA. It's the best start in any situation: a favorite to win and the biggest moneymaker.

Some players actually don't believe this. I've seen a comment on rec.gambling.poker that suggests a belief that novices often lose money with AA. The reasoning is that it's hard to know when to get away from it at loose tables.

This is the same line of thinking that causes most players to think that you should raise before the flop with AA in an attempt to narrow the field.

Both these ideas are just wrong.

It is sometimes hard to know when to fold AA. But, the hand is so powerful that you really don't need to know when to fold -- it's usually a mistake to fold. Not always, you should fold when you are certain you're beaten.

Also, reducing the number of callers does increase the chances of winning with AA. And, it is correct to raise before the flop. But, you shouldn't be raising to reduce the field, you should be raising to just get more money in the pot -- you want them to call. AA is that much of a favorite.

No matter what kind of game you're in -- tight, loose, passive, aggressive, it doesn't matter, you should always get as many bets in before the flop and almost never fold after the flop. In fact, folding at the wrong time after the flop is the only mistake you can make that might turn AA from a money winner into a money loser.

Now, I haven't always believed this. I used to think that holding on to AA too long was a frequent mistake that otherwise good players make in very loose games. I even wrote that in a piece I did for Card Player a couple of years ago. But, I was wrong.

I base this change of opinion on some extensive simulations I've recently done using theTurbo-Texas Hold'em simulator. Folding turns out to be a mistake most of the time -- no matter how scary the board. The reason is that your preflop raising should have made the pot large enough so that your chances of having the best hand will usually be large enough to make the hand worth at least a call.

This is true even if you've got two black aces and the flop comes up three hearts. If you're sure you're beat, go ahead and fold. But, if there is any doubt at all, hang on to that AA and make them show you a hand.

This does not mean that you should always be aggressive with AA after the flop. If the board has a pair, or three flush cards, or 3 straight cards, and your opponents are being very aggressive, you should often just call rather than raise with your overpair. That's sometimes the case even if the board has a third ace for you. There are times when the chances you're beaten are large enough that you should not be adding any more money to the pot than you have to. The pot itself is probably laying you large enough odds to call -- but your chances of winning aren't large enough to make an extra bet a paying proposition.

Signing out - on poker