“What???” I hear you ask. “Surely you jest!” It’s not a topic that comes up too often, because let’s face it – there aren’t too many situations where the thought is even going to cross your mind. Yet it remains a subject that seems to confuse some less experienced players, so let’s take a look at three unique scenarios where people occasionally consider folding their Aces pre.
- On the money bubble. I’ve heard many stories of players folding Aces on the bubble of a tournament after two players shoved in front of them because they didn’t want to bust. I can even appreciate the value of money differs for different people. But the ultimate goal of anyone who enters a tournament is to win and the only way to do so is to accumulate chips. You’ve got the best starting hand in poker. You’re a favorite against every other hand. Anything other than getting your chips in is a mistake.
- The first hand of the WSOP. It’s the tournament you’ve been waiting for all year and on very first hand you pick up Aces. Then the player before you open shoves. Do you call? This is actually a commonly asked question, and while I’ve heard some players say they would fold, I’ve never heard any of the pros agree. Some of them might fold Kings. Queens probably. A-K definitely. But never Aces. Here are two stats to consider: Aces are an 85 percent favorite against a random hand; and Aces are an 81 percent favorite against K-K. Don’t fold.
- On the bubble of a satellite. And here it is – the one time it is okay to fold A-A pre-flop. Let’s say you are playing a qualifier to the WSOP main event, you have a medium stack and there are 21 players remaining with 20 winning their ticket. A short stack shoves and a player who has you covered shoves over the top. It’s okay to fold here. You are in a position whereby you are almost certain to make the top 20 if you don’t play another hand. And given the prize is exactly the same whether you finish 1st or 20th, there is nothing to gain by risking your tournament life. Fold and be pleased you can now tell everyone about “that one time I folded Aces pre-flop”.
