Playing Big Aces Post Flop (Poker)
A little indecisive on how to play big aces post flop? Well this guide will take a look at the possible ways to play the hand as well as what to watch out for, in terms of scare cards.
A big ace after the flop could still be a dominating hand. These hands constitute AK, AQ and AJ and are a strong drawing hand in any Holdem game. In Hold'em a pair is very often good enough to take down a pot, but a big ace is only pre flop so don't over value them. Post flop you will have a much better idea where you are in the hand. You will really be hoping to hit an ace or a pair at worst.
The power of the big Ace lies with the kicker. If you have AK and you flop K-K-8, you have three of a kind (see trips or set) with an ace kicker. There is every chance that another opponent may have the other K. You are in a dominant position as you have the bigger kicker. Lets now assume you have AQ and the flop reads A-A-3, again you have a set of 3's (3 or a kind). Now an ace is a very playable hand in holdem so depending on the number in the hand, another player could very well have an ace also giving him a set of 3's. As you both have 3 of a kind the kicker is used to determine who has the best hand. In this case your next biggest card is a Q so your opponent would need to have AQ to split (so far) or AK to have your beat (or 3-3 or A-3 to have you in real trouble). Of course you will never know what you opponent has, so when you hit, you should look to find out where you are by sticking in a raise.
You can take comfort from the fact that you have a big kicker. This is more relevant in Low limit Hold'em as players love to play aces with any other card suited. To show you the advantage you will have with a dominant kicker, lets look at another example.
In a flop J-8-9 rainbow, you hold A-J compared to your opponents K-J, you are a 6-1 favorite to win the pot. Considering a Low Limit Hold'em player will seldom fold this hand in this position, you are in a profitable position and statistically will win this hand 85% of the time.
Take care when betting the flop when flush and straight possibilities exist, like Jh-Js-9h as you could be up against a strong draw. Whilst your A-J may look good, if a player has flopped 2 pair, you are way behind. Similarly if your opponent has two hearts in his hand he will likely call to see the next card (hoping to make his flush). You should put in a big raise and make him pay to see the next card. If your have two over cards in your hand after the flop and all players have missed, you will be sitting on the best hand. If you have two or more opponents and you miss the flop you should not call a raise as it is very likely you are behind. If one has a pair you are likely sitting on 6 outs, maybe less. If an opponent has a pair with an ace kicker you could be down to 3 outs.
Low limit players lose lots of money protecting their aces. If you miss your flop and have more than two players you should get out the hand on a raise. Remember that as good as it looked before the flop, if you miss on the flop, all you have is Ace high, which isn't very high up the pecking order or hands (see poker hand rankings).
Another typical scenario is when a a player hits top pair and the board is paired. For example, the flop is K-7-7 and you hold AK. You should be careful here as your opponent may have flopped a set which leaves you on two outs. The betting after the flop will reveal whether your hand is good. You should be careful and bet just enough to see whether your opponent has a 7. If you are called on your first raise this will be an indication that you may be in trouble and you should slow down. Don't start betting like a maniac in the hope that you will force him out of the pot. Remember that there is no way to know for sure if you are ahead. Whether your opponent calls a bet will help you decide where you stand in the hand. For this reason you need to bet into pots to see where you are. After all, this is how it is done, by putting in bets and continually asking the question or your opponent.
If the betting increases and you have not hit, you should learn to lay down your hand. Placing too much value on your ace will only cost you money.
The best advice would be not to get involved in multi pots when you have an ace with a low kicker for the reason that even if an ace hits you will not know where you are. You should only play suited aces or an ace with a low kicker when you can get in fairly cheap and are not out of position.
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