BET YOUR HANDS!

If you watch, the guy that slowplays the aces is either on the button or in the blinds. If he’s in the blinds, it does him no good to come out firing, as most all will fold, and he’ll only collect the other blind and the ante. He wants to double up with AA. So, in the blinds, he can watch all the initial betting. Hopefully, one, and ONLY one of the other guys will come out betting. Then he just calls and sees the flop. Check, check, check. He just lays in wait until the other guy decides to make a play.

The other place is on the button. You get to see everyone come in. If some guy in position 4 comes out firing, everyone else behind him will lie down, and the button calls. #4 fires again, call, call, and call. This is advisable, as the AA’s are only going against one other opponent. Unfortunately, in low buy-in SNG’s, you don’t have this option. If you try, you will usually be against 4 or 5 people, which is not good if you don’t get a good flop.

To play AA, you need to raise 3 or 4 times the big blind. With AA, it doesn’t matter what your position is, though, if you are under the gun, you could try to just call the big blind, then if someone raises, you go over the top, or call. This is risky though, as you may accidentally let everyone see the flop. If that is the case, hope for an ace.

If the blinds are 15, put in 60, 75 or 100. If the blinds are 30, put in 100, 125 or 150. If it’s at 50, put in 150 or 200. Again, know your table. If a 60 bet will get 4 callers, but a 100 bet will get 2, bet the 100. If a 75 bet will get zero, but a 60 will get 3, take the 60 with 3 callers. You want to collect all the chips, and weed out low hands.

If the flop doesn’t give someone else a good hand, raise, raise, raise. If it looks like there could be a flush draw, RAISE EVEN MORE. You want to knock anyone trying to make a straight or flush draw against you, out. Or make it really expensive for them.

Million Dollar Poker Star

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