Aces
How many times have you heard players on PartyPoker.net complain that their “aces got cracked” or how much they hate getting pocket aces because they always loose?
There are two main reasons that this happens to poker players
A) They don’t raise (or raise enough) pre-flop in the hope that more players will enter the pot and that they will be able to slow play their aces to win a larger pot.
B) They fall in love with their cards. (See Falling in love with your cards)
If you are lucky enough to be dealt pocket Aces it is mandatory that you raise no matter your position. If someone re-raises you, re-raise them right back with no fear because at this point at time there is no other hand that can possibly beat yours.
If you fail in an attempt to slow play (which is also a very successful strategy), don’t be too disappointed if someone outruns you on the flop, turn, or river. Also as explained in Falling in love with your cards on Full Tillt Poker, you must always keep an opened mind to what other players might be holding, and if it is obvious that you are probably beat fold your hand; this will not be the last time you get dealt pocket aces and you must realize that although they are the strongest starting hand, they are not always the hand that will eventually win the pot.
Kings
Pocket kings are the next strongest hand you can be dealt in Texas hold-em poker. As with aces you should raise from any position at the table, and re-raise if someone else raises. The chances that one of your opponents holding pocket aces is very slim so don’t be afraid to re-raise someone if they raise the bet first.
The main thing to be wary of when playing pocket kings is the community cards. If the community cards hold an ace this could be a large danger for your kings; many players, particularly armatures, will call raises with any ace no matter how small their kicker may be. For this reason an ace on the board is always a large threat, particularly when multiple players have entered the pot.
Queens Jacks and Tens
When holding these cards you most likely have one of the strongest if not the strongest starting hand at the table. The main thing to worry about when holding these cards is once again the community cards, but this time its much more of a danger as there are more over cards that opponents could be holding. You MUST raise large enough to push players holding aces and kings with weak kickers out of the pot, this will increase the chances or your pair holding up. You must also be prepared to lay down these pocket pairs if the flop contains over cards and you believe that an opponent could be holding one of them!
Middle and low pairs (9-2)
These middle and low pairs are best played in a late position; or only play in an early position if it is cheap enough to see the flop.
With middle pairs like 9 8 7 on a site like Ful Tilt Poker you may play these in any position (obviously the later the position the better as having other players act first will give you valuable information in aiding you to make the correct decisions). With these pairs you may be lucky enough to flop a set (three of a kind) and hopefully one or more of your opponents is holding over pairs, as this tends to be a very profitable play in Texas hold-em. Alternatively all the cards may be lower than your pocket pair leaving you with top pair (ruling out another play holding higher pockets), the main risk of this low flop means that the cards will be very close together which could potentially give an opponent a straight.
With the lower pockets you are almost certainly aiming to make a set and trap an opponent with a high pair or two pair. When this comes off it is very effective, but keep in mind the odds of flopping a set are only about 1 in 10 times. I would advise you to call in a late position, and if an early position (such as the blinds) call if it is cheap enough to do so.
Remember: you can always fold your hand once you have seen the flop, so seeing a cheap flop with low pockets can be quite profitable.
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