Perhaps one of the most exultant feelings in the world for those card players who favour no-limit hold'em is when you're staring down at two aces – especially if you're the big blind. The odds favour you large before the hand even begins, so it's extremely important to capitalize on this hand and make the most you can from the pot.
The Most Common Mistake
The easiest and most common mistake many novice poker players will make is to immediately push all in, pre-flop. Not only does this immediately mark your hand, especially if you have been playing tight all game, but it may draw a fair few bites from players you do not want in the hand – namely those playing suited runners who may make you for holding a lower pair.
Aces are not unbeatable, and while you may want to bring one or two opponents into the call, you certainly do not want company calling all-in with you. Five community cards present a tonne of opportunities for flushes, straights, or even two pair – with a mere ~20% chance being presented that you will trip up to improve your hand, a gaggle of other players calling all-in with you means that while you have low odds to improve a strong hand, other players have a much higher chance of improving an average hand in order to beat yours.
Pushing all-in with aces is an acceptable and common strategy for heads-up play, or with a smaller table, but it is hardly recommended as a general practice.
The TAG, or Tight-Aggressive, Solution
All pre-flop aces deserve a pre-flop raise – a raise that is the perfect amount to cause players with room-temperature hands to fold or grudgingly call in very slim hopes to catch. While impossible to describe an exact wager due to the difference in pot size and players in each game, the goal is to make a bet that does not show the strength of your head, merely a small show of confidence or even better, bravado. Whittling down the amount of players in the hand to one, two, or three at the very most is your objective – hoping that one of those players catches a top pair and thinks that they hold strong.
The flop, and afterwards, is where things get a bit tricky. The potential hands to really be afraid of when holding aces are flushes, and straights. It is somewhat unlikely to be called down the line on a straight draw, but those holding a flush draw are usually more tenacious due to the pot odds – bet accordingly and always watch the suits very carefully when slow-playing aces.
Trip Ups and Other Circumstances
If you trip up those pocket rockets, the consolation is that you no longer have to be afraid of two-pair or three of a lower kind – your hand is nearly rock solid at this point, and if the board is showing rainbow you should check it down or throw out a feeler bet. If you decide to throw out a feeler bet, simply flat call any opposing raise – this will represent that you did not expect to get called and will make your opponent believe that you were trying to steal the pot, having a mediocre hand at best.
One time to counter a raise with a re-raise instead of a flat call is after the river, if the board is rainbow, and you have either tripped up or it has become apparent to you that you hold the high hand due to betting patterns of your opponents. The only other time might be if you are very confident that you are facing a straight or flush draw on the turn, or river. Letting a drawing hand see the community cards for free is a sucker's play that one should never fall for. If they draw to victory, so be it – but it is poor poker strategy to let your opponent make their hand for free instead of busting them for betting into long odds.
The odds are heavily in your favour – hopefully luck will be a lady tonight and allow you to reap the benefits of such an exhilirating starting hand!
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