Overplaying Aces

Here's a topic we discussed on my radio show this week.

I get lots of e-mails from people complaining about having their aces cracked, but in many cases it's their own fault — not because they were all-in against a single opponent who then hit the two-outer to beat them, but because they raised pre-flop, got a caller (or two), and then overplayed them after the flop.

Here's a recent story I heard from someone upset about being felted with bullets. Let's call him Player X.

There was a raise from Player Y, and then Player X re-raised with aces in the big blind. Player Y smooth-called. At that point, you have to put him on a pretty good hand of some sort. He's not raising and then calling you with jack-eight.

The flop came king-ten-four, and Player X checked. I guess he was trying to trap, hoping Player Y had ace-king, but those are danger cards — there's a king out there, there's a ten out there. What kind of hand do you think Player Y has that he not only raised pre-flop but also called your re-raise? It's possible he has ace-king (that's the ideal one, because you're going to take a lot of his money), but he might have the kings, he might have the tens, he might have queen-jack suited, and you have to find out where you are.

Instead, after X checked, Y made a bet, and X then made another big mistake, coming over the top with his magical aces. At that point, Y went all in and X (who now had bet more than half of his stack) thought he was pot-committed and had to call, so he did. Player Y turned over a set of tens, and Player X was out of the tournament.

If X had led out on the flop and Y called, X could have slowed things down and controlled the pot better. If Y had raised at that point, with those danger cards on the board, X had invested a small enough amount that he still had fold equity and could get out of the hand before the pot got too big. If X ignored those signs and kept making pot-sized bets on every street, it was going to get pretty big by the river and he probably would have lost his stack.

By checking the flop, X is only hoping that Y checks behind him, and — as The Poker Coach, Joe McGowan, says — this is a classic beginner mistake. They don't bet their hands. They check when they have it, and bet when they don't. Better players will check when they have it and and when they don't have it, which makes them harder to read. When you have a good hand, and you think it's the best hand, you should bet and then take in the information based upon what your opponent does.

If you're planning to check-raise anyway, particularly after 60% of your chips are in the pot, push it out there first. Then, if he has the set, he has it, and you can adapt your play accordingly, but don't check and then get aggressive in that spot.

If you'd like to hear the other strategies we discussed on my radio show this week, check out the podcasts on my website, TheChipLeader.com, or click here to subscribe via iTunes!