Pre-flop action: is it worth trapping with large pairs?

1. Limping early in the tournament with a pocket pair of aces.

Let's say you are lucky enough to get two aces early in the tournament. What should you do? The most important thing to understand is that our goal now is not to win the blinds, which are too small to have any effect on the amount of chips you have. Your aim should be to maximise the value you get while minimising the risk. Try to choose your actions so that you are left with one or two opponents before the flop.

Example:

You get two black aces in middle position before everyone else folds. The tournament is early, the blinds are 25-50, and you have 2,000 chips. Suppose you just call, the player in dealer position also calls, the big blind misses. These players have a similar amount of chips to you. There are 175 chips in the pot, you have risked 50 so far, but you have a chance to win 6000. The flop is opened with K - 9 - 2 of different suits. If any of your opponents have a hand similar to K-10, you have a great chance to win a big pot in this hand.

Example:

You get two aces in first position (next after the blinds). Tournament starts, bets 25-50, you have 2000. You just call, hoping someone will raise, thus thinning the ranks. Also, if necessary, when it's your turn again, you could raise again. Unfortunately, seven players call the bet. The pot is 350. Prepare for the fold. The flop comes K - 10 - 2 , with two hearts. Even though you have an overpair, you have almost no chance of winning this hand. Two cards from the so-called playable zone (often defined as any card from Ace to Nine) have appeared on this flop, including two cards that represent a suit buy, and two cards that represent a possible straight buy. Apart from that, someone could call the pot with a pair of deuces, in which case they would have three of a kind. Although you may feel very irritated that you can't win with your pocket pair of aces, you need to get them out. You must learn how to return the Aces to the deck in these situations.

Example:

You got a couple of aces in the dealer position. Early in the tournament, blinds 25-50, you have 2,000 chips. A player in middle position who has 2500 chips raises to 200. Everyone else before you folds, you have two choices in this situation:

1. Raise the stakes again. If you raise again, the most common result of this action will be a fold. If he has a strong hand like pocket kings, he will probably bust and you will want to risk all your chips.
2. Answer the bet. Most players would beat the bets at this point, but why not try just calling and gambling.

Example:

You get two black aces in dealer position. The bets are 10-25 , you have 2000 chips. By the time three people have called your blind, there are 110 chips in the pot, and since you don't want to see a flop with that many opponents, you raise the bet to 110. You receive a call from only one player. A perfect situation for you to win a big pot.

2. Limping early in the tournament with pocket kings or a pocket queen pair.

The goal with these hands is the same as with aces, you are responding to bets to get the highest possible profit with the lowest possible risk. Again, you'll want to act in such a way that you're left with no more than two opponents in the hand. Of course, the weaker your hand, the higher the risk. For example, if you have a pair of queens in your hand, the chances of a king or ace on the flop are almost 40%. Most players are risk averse when they get a high pair, they hope that their opponents will have a strong hand and that they will be able to break the pot later.

Tip: If you don't have confidence in your ability to read your opponent's hand, don't stick with aces or kings.

It takes time and experience to understand your opponents. If you are not confident, do not play passively with these hands. You could get into big trouble if you are beaten on the flop. It is better to raise and fold if you have already raised, this will reduce the number of players in the pot and make it easier for you to make further decisions.

Tip: Don't you hate a pair of pocket boys?

It is very difficult to play a pair of jacks correctly, as 65% of the time, the flop will contain at least one card higher than a jack. People often state: "I hate Jacks!".

As long as you call the blind with a pair of jacks early in the tournament, you can easily escape the pot if a higher card appears on the flop. However, pocket jacks are too vulnerable a hand to be worth limping. Raise your bets to reduce the number of opponents and play them carefully after the flop. If two higher cards appear, just fold and play the next hand. If one card appears higher than a jack, well, be careful. You only have the sum of the Jacks!

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