How to Play Big Pocket Pairs in Online Poker
There's nothing better than the feeling you get after seeing pocket Aces or pocket Kings at an online poker table. It doesn't happen often, so when you do get dealt the big pocket pairs you need to make sure you get the pot as big as you can. There is no 'right' way of playing the big pocket pairs, it's entirely situational.
There are three basic ways to play these hands pre-flop. You can slow play them, make a small bet or play very aggressively. This article will cover which way to play the big pairs pre-flop in different situations.
Slow playing. Slow playing is considered the most dangerous way of playing Aces or Kings, as you have no idea what cards your opponents have. The chances of your opponent getting two pair or a straight, even if the flop shows what appears to be trash, is too great to warrant using this technique normally. The only time you should slow play Aces or Kings, is if you're prepared to take the risk of going all in, regardless of what the flop shows. The situation this technique will be used in is if you are short stacked and you won't survive with just winning the blinds (from a big raise pre-flop). In this case you need to slow play your big pocket pair, and hope your opponent hit a pair on the flop, allowing you to get paid off.
Minimum betting. The '3x big blind' bet will get some value into the pot, but it will also give your opponent the odds to call if they have a reasonable hand. This is a great way to play Aces or Kings (and possible Queens or Ace King), as calling players will often have to have good hands to call. These hands will typically be King Queen, Ace Queen, Ace Jack, or Ace Ten. If on the flop any cards between Ten and Ace get dealt, you can make a pot sized bet and still get called. This strategy will give you more return from your Aces or Kings than just winning the blinds, and it's relatively safe (e.g. if they hit top pair with a 10, and they have an ace kicker - the only way for them to win is to hit another 10).
Playing aggressively. Playing your Aces or Kings aggressively will show real strength pre-flop. Almost always, it will lead to you winning the blinds uncontested, however, if you do get called the only hands you should be coming up against are Aces, Kings or Ace King. This allows you to make an assumption of where you stand in the hand after the flop. If you have Kings and an Ace is dealt at the flop, you've got unlucky and you have to be prepared to fold your hand. If anything else is dealt then you can keep playing aggressive, and hope to get paid off.
There's no right way to play these hands, and you won't get dealt big pocket pairs often in poker, but if you use these online poker tips you will gain the edge over other players at the poker table, allowing you to make a profit from poker! Try these tactics out at online poker sites, use no deposit poker bonuses to wager real money, without depositing any cash of you own.
There's nothing better than the feeling you get after seeing pocket Aces or pocket Kings at an online poker table. It doesn't happen often, so when you do get dealt the big pocket pairs you need to make sure you get the pot as big as you can. There is no 'right' way of playing the big pocket pairs, it's entirely situational.
There are three basic ways to play these hands pre-flop. You can slow play them, make a small bet or play very aggressively. This article will cover which way to play the big pairs pre-flop in different situations.
Slow playing. Slow playing is considered the most dangerous way of playing Aces or Kings, as you have no idea what cards your opponents have. The chances of your opponent getting two pair or a straight, even if the flop shows what appears to be trash, is too great to warrant using this technique normally. The only time you should slow play Aces or Kings, is if you're prepared to take the risk of going all in, regardless of what the flop shows. The situation this technique will be used in is if you are short stacked and you won't survive with just winning the blinds (from a big raise pre-flop). In this case you need to slow play your big pocket pair, and hope your opponent hit a pair on the flop, allowing you to get paid off.
Minimum betting. The '3x big blind' bet will get some value into the pot, but it will also give your opponent the odds to call if they have a reasonable hand. This is a great way to play Aces or Kings (and possible Queens or Ace King), as calling players will often have to have good hands to call. These hands will typically be King Queen, Ace Queen, Ace Jack, or Ace Ten. If on the flop any cards between Ten and Ace get dealt, you can make a pot sized bet and still get called. This strategy will give you more return from your Aces or Kings than just winning the blinds, and it's relatively safe (e.g. if they hit top pair with a 10, and they have an ace kicker - the only way for them to win is to hit another 10).
Playing aggressively. Playing your Aces or Kings aggressively will show real strength pre-flop. Almost always, it will lead to you winning the blinds uncontested, however, if you do get called the only hands you should be coming up against are Aces, Kings or Ace King. This allows you to make an assumption of where you stand in the hand after the flop. If you have Kings and an Ace is dealt at the flop, you've got unlucky and you have to be prepared to fold your hand. If anything else is dealt then you can keep playing aggressive, and hope to get paid off.
There's no right way to play these hands, and you won't get dealt big pocket pairs often in poker, but if you use these online poker tips you will gain the edge over other players at the poker table, allowing you to make a profit from poker! Try these tactics out at online poker sites, use no deposit poker bonuses to wager real money, without depositing any cash of you own.
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