AA on the button when it's folded to you

This happened to me when I was in the early stage of an SNG. Everybody folds before me, I'm on the button with AA and blinds were 10/15 and, I raised it to 60 and the blinds folded. So I thought that sucked and now I wonder: Is there a better way to play this? With no reads early , should I have let the blinds see a flop and hoped they'd catch something and try to trap them or was I correct to raise assuming if they have some kind of hand, they'll think I'm making a position bet? I'm wondering what is the most +EV move in this situation.

By the way, I'm playing 5+1$ SNGs on party (I know I shouldn't 'cause the rake is so high )

Maybe make it 50 or something if you want action. You're not going to be able to play a monster pot everytime you have AA. Just raise and hopefully someone will put you on a steal and push or something. Limping is a horrible idea.

ur play is fine.

Most of the time you'll get a call here when you raise - but for the love of sweet baby jesus, don't limp.

raise it 3BB to 45, hope to get 1 caller.

Find a site that takes .50 rake and play there

I appreciate your replies but I'd like to understand exactly your motivation to say that limping is so horrible here. What's so bad about seeing a flop 3-headed (assuming SB completes) when I got position on both of them postflop and I got the most powerful hand in hold em? Even better, one of the blinds might raise (I understand he would have called my raise but for the sake of discussion...). Please elaborate

Originally Posted by JPSlayerNuts

I appreciate your replies but I'd like to understand exactly your motivation to say that limping is so horrible here. What's so bad about seeing a flop 3-headed (assuming SB completes) when I got position on both of them postflop and I got the most powerful hand in hold em? Even better, one of the blinds might raise (I understand he would have called my raise but for the sake of discussion...). Please elaborate

It is the most powerful preflop... postflop and esp on the turn and river, it's only one pair

In this position, I think you have three viable options...

Limp.

Raise normally.

Overraise. Make it look like a steal. All three have their merits. Nothing wrong with incorporating them in on occasion. Limping is generally the worst of the three... but if you think you can get away from it postflop if necessary, it's okay. The problem is, most of us overrate our ability to do this.

Originally Posted by JPSlayerNuts

I appreciate your replies but I'd like to understand exactly your motivation to say that limping is so horrible here. What's so bad about seeing a flop 3-headed. Please elaborate

Ahh. So innocent, So Unscathed, So un... jaded.... oh the innocense.

Limping is bad because with any hand that the blinds are not raising you with, the chances are that they will not put much money in the pot without something good, so you are unlikely to make much money without hitting a set and are giving them a decent chance to win a big pot (if they flop 2 pair or a set with rags or low pp then you aren't likely to lay down your AA when they go all in on the flop).

I prefer to do what you did than limp because people generally are more likely to put money in the pot preflop than after they miss the flop. And if they hit the flop, your screwed. If they both fold be pleased your aces didn't get cracked.

Trust us, just make your life much easier and DON'T LIMP, especially at the $5 level. It's better to take the blinds than lose your stack when the flop comes 832 and the BB reraises you all in after checking to you with two pairs. Like everyone else here said, it's only top pair after the flop.

Limping aces is alright if you are very confident in your post-flop ability and if you have position (at least one of these was true on this hand). It's also better if you figure to see the flop heads up, not three way. My standard plays in this situation are these:

1. Raise to about 2.5xBB - in this case make it 40. You'll probably get one call and that's ideal. This is a soft raise to encourage some action. I tailor all my raises to the number of limpers and likelihood of action behind me, so I might do this same thing with other hands as well. But with aces it's nice.

2. Over-raise, and hope for a caller or even a re-raise. In this case a good over-raise would be to 100. You get called less but when you get action, it tends to result in playing for stacks - which is what you want with such a large pre-flop advantage. I do this more at tables where the chips have been flying around and blinds have been stolen, especially if it was me doing the stealing. You'd like some expectation of action. At a new table with folds all the way around, the conditions aren't usually there for this to work; sounds like a bunch of rocks to me.

I don't mind playing AA 3-way, but I only limp it if I really think a small raise doesn't get called.

Don't give those shitty low PPs and soooted rags the implied odds to bust you, I'd raise more. Round 1 of an SnG my standard opening raise is 6xBB. If someone else raises less than 5% of my stack I'll call with 78 suited or 22, HOPING they have Aces so I can get a big flop and get paid off, if I don't hit the flop hard eneugh to beat AA I'm done with the hand. If you make a big raise, you'll only be playing against big hands and you'll have a better read on your opponent. I don't just make a big raise with AA early, AK or JJ in position get the same raise so they get used to the 6xBB raise. 2.5-3xBB is fine when you have 20xBB left, but when 3xBB is 4.5% of your stack, they're right to call you with crap, and if they get all they're chips in on the flop, turn or river they'll usually have at least 2 pair, so you'll only bust them when you make a set. Good hole cards are not really that important early. AA is awesome late when the blinds are big and ppl are moving in alot. With AA early you'll usually either win a small pot or lose a big one. I'd put in a big raise and hope one of the blinds has AK, QQ etc.

I had to edit this one, one minute after posting this i saw a guy raise 4xBB to 40 in a bodog SnG( start with 1000 ), he got called and crippled by J7s, flopped 2 pair, CRed AI on turn when he made a full house. The PFR was too small to take away the implied odds but big eneugh to tell the table "hey everybodyI have a big pair, AK or AQ!".

Some times it wasn't meant to be.

Here's why limping is bad. You'll suddenly become attached to the fact you have AA and will find folding on a 8-7-3 board difficult (and i mean why, you have aces!). Then, when the bb turns over some ridiculous hand and takes the pot, you'll either tilt or see why limping AA is bad.

And those are the only pots you'll get any action. If they were folding to a small raise and its a 5.50, it means they have no face cards. Bet on a flop with face cards and you'll get no action. Bet on a flop of junk and find tons of action/calling/check raising and you'll see the mess you made.

Take the blinds, be happy and play some poker

Limping is bad because

1. You are playing vs the blinds, there is pretty much no way on putting them on a hand, so other then flopping an A you have very little confidence with any flop.

2. Since they probably have crap you either win a small pot or lose a big one

The only time I would advice limping pocket A's is in early position on an agressive table when you expect to get raised most of the time and you can come over the top.

Thank you for a big slap in the face!

BTW, I knew limping wasn't the good option instinctively but I couldn't pinpoint exactly why, your points are very valuable

Fold preflop.

Originally Posted by baudib

Fold preflop.

funny postwhore

Don't limp, because if I push JJ in the BB, I'm going to find where you live. Also, when did jesus become a flavor? Maybe they should come out with a new Ben & Jerry's ice cream called sweet and sour baby jesus. It will have bitter gummy pieces in it shaped like the apostles.

Raise. Either your normal 3x.

Or raise big. Like 5x ot 8x.

Also move your roll to a site with 10% rake.

Originally Posted by JPSlayerNuts

I appreciate your replies but I'd like to understand exactly your motivation to say that limping is so horrible here. What's so bad about seeing a flop 3-headed (assuming SB completes) when I got position on both of them postflop and I got the most powerful hand in hold em? Even better, one of the blinds might raise (I understand he would have called my raise but for the sake of discussion...). Please elaborate

The problem with just limping is that if the flop hits one of the blinds in the face you probably won't be able to get away from your aces and you could lose your whole stack. If the flop comes 225 somebody could have flopped trips, or a 346 flop somebody with 57o flopped the nuts. You don't want to slowplay a hand you can't get away from, and most players can't get away from AA no matter how bad the flop is. You are better off raising it to 3xBB and hoping to get one caller and proceeding from there.

If folded to you and you have AA on the button, raise a little less than 3xbb - ie - if blinds are 15, raise to 40. You'll get action from one opp but probably not two - which is the goal. Taking down 10/15 blinds w AA sucks. Try to get a little more in, but don't bet so much that they will both fold.