Call with AA. Surely someone will get a couple or draw street...
An average raise with a KK. An ace will come out and a man with A8 will win)))
Exactly. You need to attack precisely when your opponent still has hope.
Draws and marginal pair hits work in your favor — without connections, aces lose action and lose value.
The key is to play the hand in a way that allows you to fold against excessive aggression from your opponent, so it doesn’t become painful.
When I say “call,” I mean calling a raise. Limping, of course, is a big mistake.
Yes, KK can cause problems if an Ace appears on the board.
What’s surprising is that with KK I have quite often raised aces — or called them.
There are plenty of players who don’t rush to make uncomfortable bets that would force folds from all KK and AA.
Even GTO doesn’t recommend re-raising if there has already been a very large bet before you.
With KK you can play call–call if there is no Ace on the board and the board is dry.
With AA, everyone plays it their own way — the main thing is not to slow-play when you miss the board.
Masking your strength is ancient wisdom.
The element of surprise is a terrifying force.
If you show your strength preflop, then on the postflop your opponent — unless he’s an idiot — will never pay you off with just a pair.
I agree that calling or making a medium raise is quite risky, because with a big bet we often push out
hands like JTs, which can hit a straight, a flush, or two pair and punish me.
Pocket pairs from 22 to JJ can also hit a set and punish me.
Yes, there is risk — but the other side of the coin is under-realizing your nuts because of a straightforward, predictable line.
There is no single golden rule.
I’m learning to play smart, to stay unpredictable.
I’m learning to let go of AA and KK on bad boards at a cheaper price — the higher the stakes, the more attached you become to the pot.
But one thing is obvious: there is no easy money in poker, and to make a profit, you must take risks.