This article first appeared in the Mar/Apr 2012 issue of World Gaming magazine.
There is nothing better than looking down at your hole cards and seeing a big pair. You think to yourself, “finally I can win a big hand!” It is better being dealt a monster hand than consistently being dealt rubbish. But don’t let your good fortune turn into a disaster!
It’s nice to have your hands on a big pair
Nothing is usually as good or as bad as it seems. Getting dealt a huge starting hand in the game of texas hold’em is a great start but is no guarantee of winning the hand.
What do we mean by a big pair? We mean a pair of aces or kings. A pair of queens feels like a big pair, but in many ways it is marginal. QQ is the third best starting hand but whilst you never fold AA preflop and never fold KK preflop other than in the most extreme (and rare) circumstances, there are times when you can, and should, get away from QQ prior to the flop.
Statistically, you can expect to be dealt a big pair (AA or KK) precisely twice in every 221 hands, or a touch under one percent of the time.
Let’s examine some of the things you should do when you are dealt a big pair. The best thing about big pairs is they are very strong against slightly weaker big hands like JJ, TT and AK.
Unusually, playing big pairs is similar in both tournament and cash poker:
- Try to involve yourself in a heads up battle. Raise big pre-flop to reduce the number of opponents pitted against you, and thus the number of things that can go wrong.
- Play aggressively to eliminate opponents playing drawing hands that can get you into trouble. Statistically the best hand to crack pockets aces is mid-range suited connectors.
- If you find yourself looking at a flop multi-way (that is, with two or more opponents), be prepared to get away from your hand if necessary. Assuming you haven’t flopped a set, all you can really beat at this stage is top pair. Against two pairs or a set, the lone big pair is a significant underdog. Drawing hands will usually find themselves priced into these multi-way pots, which again reduces your likelihood of winning.
Remember you are playing poker. Don’t get scared and lose confidence in playing strong hands, as they will consistently be your best opportunity to win. Remember you are never a lock prior to the flop, only ever a strong favorite at best. Even if you get all your money into the pot with a big pair against a smaller pair, you are still only about an 80 percent favorite. Many poker players forget this means that 20 percent of the time they will lose in this situation.
Poker is a game that will continually test your mental strength, which is why we all love it so much. Nothing is going to stop the enjoyment of being dealt big hands. Remember there is plenty of work left to do and if you play them badly, or just get unlucky, big pairs can cost you your stack.
