Opening Hands In Texas Holdem - Part 1: Playing A+A
A couple of months ago, I saw young Phil Ivey taken down in the last legs of a tournament. Just like golfer Jack Nicklaus had an Achilles heel of the Glen Abbey golf course in Oakville, Ontario, Canada (near Toronto), Phil has an Achilles heel of A-A preflop. It was his second time in a year losing with two aces.
Anyone with a bit of experience in Texas Hold’em knows that A-A is the absolute best hand you can get pre-flop. This is based purely on statistical odds. But as Phil Ivey and other Texas Holdem veterans - and myself - have learned, it’s not impossible to beaten with a triple, four of a kind, or a full-house. On rare occasions, you might tie with another player who also has A-A.
So then how do you play A-A? Well, I’m a newbie to Texas Holdem, but based both on statistics and what I’ve read of the advice of veterans, it depends on several factors. Firstly, if you’re playing in person, it’s a different game than online. I watched Phil Ivey and he’s a very fidgety player. If I were a live player, I’d make sure to get my hands on video copies of TV tourneys, and learn the facial behaviour of every player. My guess is that because Phil is very hot lately, a lot of other players watch his older appearances and have learned to read his behaviour. Despite how great a player he is, he needs to work on his poker face a lot more.
Online, however, the game is different. I played A-A aggressively pre-flop - which is typically the best way to play it - and I got skunked by triple 3s, of all hands. Someone was playing what Phil Hellmuth might call “jackal” style. My opponent must have had at least two 3s preflop, or they’d have been insane. But I, being a tight player, wouldn’t even have played two 3s - or certainly not so aggressively.
Now consider that I was playing Limit Hold’em, online, where I couldn’t see facial gestures. Had I been playing No-Limit Hold’em, I might have played my A-A even more aggressively and shaken loose some of my opponents early in the game. It’s a good way to win with A-A in online games, and especially effective if you’re such a tight player that you don’t play your hands often. That is, when you finally do play, your opponents will fear that you finally have something strong - which is the point of tight playing.
But let’s say that some players are still holding on after the flop, and even betting aggressively. At this point, you either have to think that they’re “jackals” or they’ve got what they think is a good hand - probably high doubles such as A-A, K-K, Q-Q, or triple anything after the flop.
What to do now? Again keep in mind that I’m a tight player. If I haven’t bet relatively large amounts so far, I might actually withdraw at this point. But sometimes I’m stubborn and, thinking mathematically, feel that I’ve just got to win. However, if the flop hasn’t improved my A-A at all, I probably will withdraw. If the flop shows some promise, say another pair, I’ll continue.
Whether the turn (4th, 4th street)) card improves my hand or not, I continue. Most experts say that you never want to withdraw at that point because it shows a type of weakness. This is where bluffing has most of its effect. If you still think you have the superior hand, and the river (5th, 5th street) card couldn’t possibly hurt you, raise high. If you just call at this point, though, other players will think that you think your hand isn’t so hot after all. It’s sometimes worth it at this point to bet high anyway.
It takes time to learn the nuances of playing A-A. The best way is playing online with play money. There are many sites who offer this, so you can get in a fair bit of practice. Conditions will never be exactly the same, so you can learn a fair bit from the variations. There are, as you’ll learn, times when it’s better to fold A-A. But do it early in the hand.
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