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Have you wondered if you should ever fold AA (aces) pre-flop? Poker Pro Phil Galfond has a situation where you should consider it (it’s not a cash game!)
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Folding Pocket Aces pre-flop is practically a sin unless you’re in this one specific situation in this one type of poker tournament that Phil discusses in today’s video.
Have you ever been playing an online poker tournament satellite and ended up in this position? Did you fold the pocket rockets or did you let the cards speak?
The variance of poker and the fun of the gamble can be enticing, so no judgment here!
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Source: YouTube
I have done it once ever.
The scenario was top 3 paid in a 9 player tournament. This was in a phone app club. There were 4 players left.
I had 10 big blinds in the small blind. UTG not only had 1 big blind left, but was sitting out and had been for a while and was obviously asleep 😅
I had pocket aces and the big stack on the button shoved. It was right then and there that in 20 years of playing poker, i had found a spot where i believed it was correct to fold.
What do you think Phil? I know your satellite scenario is quite different given the fact that all payouts are equal where mine has a payout structure, but i still felt it warranted a fold!
That is not the only situation. If you are in a situation where your Bankroll is at risk, then you have to recalculate the EV using Kelly Criterion to avoid gamblers ruin. A math teacher who understood Kelly Criterion was on the pokerstars big game show, and he was up before the end of the session. He folded Aces preflop correctly to lock up his win, since that was life changing money for him and by Kelly Criterion he was right to not risk it. As it happened, had he played the hand, he would have lost a huge chunk of his stack (may be got felted) since Phil Laak flopped quad sixes.
What about if you are 6bb on the bubble(half a starting stack) in a deepstacked mtt 27 places paid 28 players left 3 players have less than 3bb and your in 24th place, avg stack 35bb
My argument for folding aces here (facing a shove) is that calling and doubling up does not necessarily put you in a good position to win the tournament, about 1/3 of avg stack. But folding and guaranteeing a min cash is 100% roi
Would you consider folding aces preflop here?
Maybe in a general tournament online, in the bubble, where your stack is almost like an ante(tends to zero chips), and you see that one player with bigger stack than yours has just lost the hand(in another table)? Is it a thing?
What about in a situation where, for example, you’ve ran $10000 up to $1M and the whale who has you covered shoves UTG ? I’m talking about a situation where $1M is equivalent to say ten years income.
Easy speak: Only in Satetiltes folding aces could be profitable. Who ever fold aces pre in regular/bounty tourneys should stop playing poker bc the only reason therefore is scared money.
That's actually a good answer
Any high ICM spot in an MTT, SNG, or a double or nothing, can have you fold AA.
You forget if it’s like a 5 way all in and you have aces… your not actually favourite to win the pot even if all 7 players had ANY 2 cards…
I did something similar to that. I had A-A, was on the bubble. Someone went all in, I called. People laughed at me for going all in because of the bubble. And I lost. Didn't cash. =(