What’s the Best Way to Play Pocket Aces?

[Qqcuellar]

I’d like to get your thoughts on the best way to play pocket Aces.
What recommendations do you have for playing AA depending on table position?

The spot that gives me the most doubt is UTG at a 6+ player table.
Do you think it’s better to raise immediately, or is there ever a situation where a limp makes sense?

I’d love to hear different strategies and reasoning. Thanks!

 

[Spielkind]

UTG Raise with AA, play aggressively

 

[miklcct]

I just played a tournament with $11 buy in where the first hand, someone limped with an AA and reached showdown after a flush with a third A appeared on the board. I thought he was a fish and soon afterwards he was down to less than 1BB with 100BB starting stack.

However, he recovered to the starting stack afterwards, and I lost before him.

 

[sibkaz]

AA play sharply and hard, otherwise it will be excruciatingly painful for the aimlessly lost stack)

 

[anasslaaleg]

Pocket Aces are the strongest starting hand in poker, but they still need smart play. The goal isn’t to “trap” it’s to build the pot while keeping weaker hands involved. Preflop, raise or reraise to isolate and avoid multiway pots where Aces lose value. Postflop, continue applying pressure on most boards, but stay aware of dangerous textures and unexpected aggression.

Aces win the most when you stay aggressive, control the pot size, and don’t get fancy. They’re powerful but not invincible. Play them strong, play them smart, and take the value your opponents give you.

 

[moraeskvmi]

It depends, do you want to use a limp filter to isolate it? Everyone will know it's AA.

 

[Snake2007]

I always play as aggressively as possible with a pair of AA

 

[austral]

AA UTG in 6+ player tournaments → almost always open-raise
Limping is only justified in deep-stack cash games or very specific meta-game situations

 

[Sos1l]

Depending on the table, I choose whether to trap, make a big raise, or shove right away.
Usually, if I’m on the button and everyone folds to me, I make a small 2–3BB raise to lure the SB or BB into calling.
If I’m in the SB, I just call the BB. If he get a re-raise — I’m happy. If he get a shove — I’m even happier.

Postflop I mostly fast-play when I don't hit the board.
If the board is wet, I also fast-play but with caution.
If the board pairs, I also play it fast, but again with some carefulness.

If I hit a set on the flop, I can check, waiting for the opponent to bet.
If he doesn’t bet, then on the turn I definitely start betting,
and on the river — if everything still looks safe — it’s either a thin value bet, a normal value bet,
or even a shove if the hand developed aggressively.

In general: check-raise, check-call, triple barrel,
or sometimes check the river if the flop and turn were called by the opponent.
How you should play depends on the board and the opponent you’re facing.

In most cases you play aggressively,
and sometimes you slow-play to trap hands that are weaker than yours.

 

[joango123456789]

Limping with AA very often puts you in trouble after the flop (especially in multiways pots). And it rarely makes a big pot. So I would suggest always raising and reraising with pocket AA preflop.

 

[SPANKYSN]

As others have mentioned, I would not ever limp with AA…play a nice raise from utg… most will think you have one ace…build the pot, but be aware of flush and straight draws.

 

[Goggelheimer]

It may depend on the players at the table, your table image, the stakes you play.
But Preflop is AA the hand you play most times most aggressively.
Player have to make the biggest mistake in their play against you.

 

[WladiYoga]

You Raise high and if someone calls, you try to hit a pair or an ace on the flop. Of you don't hit anything, you raise high again, and if your opponent(s) call, you might think about folding, depending on the board cards of course.

 

[Happy Bobi]

Of course, there are times when limp makes sense, but it depends on the situation, several other factors such as the format and structure of the tournament, the stage of the tournament, the size of your stack, and how your opponents are playing.

 

[Sos1l]

Limping with AA very often puts you in trouble after the flop (especially in multiways pots). And it rarely makes a big pot. So I would suggest always raising and reraising with pocket AA preflop.

Yes, limping can sometimes lead to problems, and limping is very risky. Plus, the pot in a limped single-raised pot will always be small.
The main strategy with AA is, of course, to raise. But once in a while, you can show weakness to induce a re-raise and then extract as much as possible postflop from pocket pairs or hands like AK, AQ, KQ. This works only if the board is not wet.

The main goal is to effectively realize the full potential of this hand, and for that, first of all, you need to make sure that at least someone enters the pot with you.
Multiway pots, of course, are a problem.

Still, GTO recommends not over-re-raising AA. I understand why and I play it that way.

 

[Lux12]

Agressive man, ever play agressive

 

[Shadow6969]

All in

 

[MAFNL16061986]

i just call and dont do insane raisings till end

 

[RodrigoMartins]

From UTG in a full table, I always raise AA. Limping just invites multi-way pots and makes the hand harder to play. Pocket Aces perform best in a raised pot with fewer opponents. The only time I’d ever consider limping is in very specific exploit spots where players behind will almost always raise — but that’s rare.
In general: raise, build the pot, and keep the hand strong and simple.

 

[Aleksandr1991]

Я бы хотел узнать ваше мнение о лучшем способе игры с карманными тузами.
Какие рекомендации вы можете дать по игре в АА в зависимости от позиции за столом?

Больше всего сомнений у меня вызывает положение UTG за столом из 6+ игроков .
Как вы думаете, лучше сразу сделать рейз , или есть ситуации, когда имеет смысл лимп ?

Буду рад услышать разные стратегии и доводы. Спасибо!

Don't slow down (play passively) music before the flop. Your goal is to create a big pot while you have the best hand and force players to throw cards with weak hands.

 

[thedarkman]

I don't play cash games so I would say either fast - big pre-flop raise - or slowplay for a re-raise. If there is no raise behind you, you may have to let them go, especially if there are 4 or 5 players in the pot.

 

[KeyPatience]

I’d like to get your thoughts on the best way to play pocket Aces.
What recommendations do you have for playing AA depending on table position?

The spot that gives me the most doubt is UTG at a 6+ player table.
Do you think it’s better to raise immediately, or is there ever a situation where a limp makes sense?

I’d love to hear different strategies and reasoning. Thanks!

Maximum number of times, raising makes sense by keeping out as much players as possible out of the hand!
By limping, you don’t want yourself to get caught up playing against too many players!
Occasional limps in a one on one situation seems fair!

 

[rhoudini]

One thing people skip over is stack depth. With ~20–30bb, AA is basically a "raise and get it in" hand. With 100bb+, you can be a bit more flexible postflop, but preflop the plan is the same: open-raise and let the pot build naturally. If you limp, you’re banking on the table doing something for you, and poker is easier when you drive the action. Aces don’t need protection as much as they need a pot that’s worth winning.

 

[ML51450]

All in preflop

 

[bbbjonson]

I almost always raise AA from any position, including UTG. Limping just invites too many players into the pot and lowers your equity. A standard open raise builds the pot and isolates, which is exactly what you want with aces.

The only time I’d consider mixing in a limp UTG is in very specific games—like super passive home games where you’re confident someone will raise behind and you can come back over the top. But in most online or tougher live settings, that’s risky and can backfire.