AA can be very difficult to play - but also very profitable if played correctly - so I wanted to start a discussion about it and hopefully get some examples posted of tough AA hands.

Here are a few hands from today to get the ball rolling.

AA5Js flops flush draw and third low draw on trips board.

I was the villain in this hand, I find it hard to find fault with Hero's line. Anyone do anything different?

Reads: Me = laggish, sometimes crazy, but shows down a hand fairly often.
Lloyd = semi loose standard party player.

***** Hand History for Game 4151186130 ***** (converter doesn't work for this hand)
$100 PL Omaha Hi-Lo - Monday, May 01, 08:17:10 ET 2006
Table Table 106501 (No DP) (Real Money)
Seat 6 is the button
Total number of players : 10

UTG: BadbeatPhil ( $214.30 )
UTG+2: LloydH ( $145.50 )
MP1: gam09100 ( $265.21 )

Preflop: Dealt to gams09100
BadbeatPhil raises [$3.50], holeinace calls [$3.50], LloydH calls [$3.50], gams09100 raises [$19]., 4 folds, BadbeatPhil calls [$15.50]. holeinace folds. LloydH calls [$15.50].

Flop:
BadbeatPhil checks. LloydH checks. gams09100 bets [$59], BadbeatPhil is all-In [$195] LloydH is all-In. gams09100 calls [$136.30].

** Dealing Turn ** [ Kc ]
** Dealing River ** [ Qd ]
gams09100 shows [ Ad, 5s, Ah, Jd ] a flush, ace high.
BadbeatPhil shows [ 4c, 5d, 3c, As ] three of a kind, threes.
LloydH doesn't show [ 2d, Ac, 6s, 2s ] two pairs, threes and twos.
gams09100 wins $137.60 from side pot #1 with a flush, ace high.
gams09100 wins $438.50 from the main pot with a flush, ace high.
There was no qualifying low hand.

AAQ6o on a middle card two flush, two low board.

Reads: Limited, CO seems passive and semi tight preflop (22/0/0.5) over 20 hands)

Party Poker
Pot Limit Omaha Ring game
Blinds: $5/$10
10 players


Stack sizes:

Hero: $1211.25
CO: $556

Pre-flop: (10 players) Hero is MP3 with
5 folds, Hero raises to $35, CO calls, 3 folds.

Flop: ($85, 3 players)
Hero bets $82, CO calls.

Turn: ($249, 3 players)
Hero bets $246, CO calls.

River: ($741, 3 players)
Hero bets $325, CO calls all-in $193.
Uncalled bets: $132 returned to Hero.

Results:
Final pot: $1259
Hero shows Qh 6d As Ac
CO doesn't show Kd Ad 2s Qs

On the turn - good play or lucky? Heads up, it seems fairly likely I'm good in at least one direction, and I think I have the best high here more than half the time. Thoughts?

AA76 has gutshot and weak low draw on an uncoordinated board.

OK, in hindsight this is an easy fold once BB comes along for the ride...but what if BB folded?


Party Poker
Pot Limit Omaha Ring game
Blinds: $1/$2
9 players


Stack sizes:
UTG: $139.15
UTG+1: $195
MP1: $280.92
Hero: $363.09
MP3: $198
CO: $280.39
Button: $121.11
SB: $168.90
BB: $120.64

Pre-flop: (9 players) Hero is MP2 with
UTG calls, UTG+1 folds, MP1 calls, Hero raises to $11, MP3 calls, 3 folds, BB calls, UTG calls, MP1 folds.

Flop: ($47, 4 players)
BB checks, UTG checks, Hero bets $44.65, MP3 raises to $178.6, BB calls all-in $109.64, UTG folds, Hero raises to $312.55, MP3 calls all-in $8.4.
Uncalled bets: $125.55 returned to Hero.

Turn: ($530.64, 1 player + 2 all-in - Main pot: $375.92, Sidepot 1: $154.72)


River: ($530.64, 1 player + 2 all-in - Main pot: $375.92, Sidepot 1: $154.72)


Results:
Final pot: $530.64
Hero shows 6c Ad 7s Ac
MP3 shows Qh Jh Tc 8s
BB shows 2s As 9h Kc

Phil, take this for what it's worth, but I think I have more profit playing against AA than with it. I'm not afraid to call a big raise if I have position and can put my opponent on AA 90% of the time. Hell, I don't even need position most of the time because the money is going in on the flop (usually). I took 2 big ass stacks Saturday night with exactly that strategery. If the implied odds are there I will call an assumed AA raise with any decently coordinated hand.

Hand 1: I don't like villains play here, but that could be moreso because it's 3 way. Heads up I'd take my chances that my opponent does not have A23, but with 2 callers to my big-assed preflop raise I have to assume my A5 low is not going to be good, and I'm a crapshoot against what is almost certainly at least trips. I don't always bet pot here on this flop, personally.

Hand 2: Did you have a read that the CO was a total fool? That's about the only way I play that flop that fast, but maybe I'm a pussy.

Hand 3: I see a lot of guys that will pot this flop like MP3 did. They hit 2 pair and figure you for AA and try to push you off. I guess they don't realize that they are not much of a favorite against a pretty vast majority of your possible holdings (well, ok, maybe they are against your possible holdings, lol). I guess you have to put the BB on A2 here. If that is your read than it's a fold because of the shortness of MP3s stack. If no BB then you can probably call, you're only behind to something like A23x or A288, crap like that.

BTW, sorry about the one outer suckout on Saturday night. I would have probably lost my stack if the low card had paired the board there, rather than catching quad tens. NH.

I haven't looked at the results or read JD's response in an attempt to keep my comments "pure' (insert lolita joke here).

Hand 1
With the pot the size that it is, I'm willing to define my hand as AAxx with a rereraise preflop with the plans of getting it all in pf or pushing just about any flop. Although gams probably has AA, you just never know -- people have done dumber things against you. anyway, i like the fact that you have a low draw.

i'm not sure why you jsut called gams pfrr. i don't want anyone else in the hand (e.g., Lloyd).

i like your CR on the flop. 33xx, 38xx, or 88xx are not likely, so your flush outs are probably good. you're probably way ahead/way behind on the low draw, but there's no way to know. i'd be much happier if this was HU, because Lloyd could have something like A23x and be drawing to the boat.


Hand 2
i want to know villain's call pfr stat -- that'd help put him on a range. if this number is low (say, <12%), then i like the line. you've got to think villain is chasing a low. when the ace falls and completes the flush, i don't think there's much you can do but put villain in, clinch your ass, and pray. if villain was deeper, river play would have to be reevaluated.

anyway, i agree with your assessment that you're probably good one way. you're only worried about a four-card hand.

IF villain is pretty loose with calling pf raises AND i have notes that they like the middle card straight hands pf (a note i take), then i might take a different line.

i'll have to read the results really to say more (see next post).


Hand 3
Yes, I get out after the flop raise and call, curse the villains, and make notes on what the hell they were playing and how they played it. i don't think i've ever been happy calling a big raise and call on the flop without have a monster made hand or a monster draw.

pfr and flop CB are fine, imo.

fwiw, you also had a backdoor nut flush draw on the flop, and that adds a few % equity in a HU pot.


OK, let me look at the results and read JDs stuff and i'll make another round of comments.

sorry... i didn't realize you posted gams hand for hand 1

Hand 1 redux

i like gams line, but only due to the flush redraw.

i'm not sure about your line. you can't really think that your low is good as it is (due to Lloyd), and you're probably going to have to dodge diamonds. you MIGHT have a good boat redraw, but Lloyd could very well hold something like A23x since his hand could take so mch heat pf.

meh, it's gams, so i think that you CAN put him on AA but not necessarily on the flush redraw. i'd push like you did and curse the result.

All of these look fine (from AA's point of view) to me.