Pocket aces are easily the sexiest and most alluring hand in poker online, and although they are the best possible preflop hand they can often get you into a world of trouble if played incorrectly. The saying about Aces is that “you’ll win a small pot or lose a huge one”. This is dead-on, and this article will explain why that is so. How you can maximize your winnings when you’re ahead and minimize your losses when you’re behind.
Playing Aces Preflop
Players like to play poker aces pretty straightforward before the flop. If no one has entered the pot before them, they’ll make a raise of 3-4x the big blind. This accomplishes two things. First of all, it shows other players that they’ll have a strong hand. And indicates that we are going to be the aggressor in the hand. Also, it forces players with hands such as 67 suited to fold preflop. This is to your benefit because suited connectors are the hands most likely to bust you in a big pot.
One really unique situation in online poker real money is if there is a raise and a re-raise before you even act. You may want to smooth call re-raiser to mask your hand’s strength and to tempt first raiser into hand. This will put you in a three-way massive pot on the flop. And you’re very likely to end up getting all in while you’re still ahead.
Playing Aces on the Flop and Beyond
The best online poker flop is the trickiest part of the hand when you have aces because you’ll either commit to going all the way with the hand or realize that you beat. As long as the flop doesn’t look really bad, you should lead out with a bet of roughly 2/3 the size of the pot. An example of a fairly safe flop is the J42 offsuit. That is a great flop because it improves players who have hands like AJ, and it misses players with hands like 78 suited who are looking for big draws.
In the case of a bad flop like the ones listed above, the players usually still lead out if there are only one or two opponents in the hand, but if they show any strength, you might become very cautious with your hand. If you feel like your opponent already has you beat, or has a really big draw, you’re not opposed to folding aces on the flop to a raise or a strong bet.
After you play the flop, the rest of the hand will pretty much play itself. If you pin your opponent on having a low pair, just continue to value bet for extracting maximum value pout of them. If you think your opponent has a draw, continue to make them pay to draw. And if the draw hits on the turn or river release your hand. Follow the tips above, you will have no problems with aces.
Happy playing!
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5 tips on Winning Consistently at Poker Online
Learn the Poker Online Rules for Beginners