Call them what you will…bullets, American Airlines or pocket rockets, don’t be surprised to be stuck with a bad beat when playing pocket Aces.
Statistically the best hand to be dealt to you in Hold Em and often the most disappointing with the most uneasy reputation. Many regulars to Hold Em will tell you they’re cursed.
As poker players we’re supposed to know, love and play the stats (especially in online poker) and can get emotionally invested and hyped when dealt these cards. If you’re a veteran poker player you may have your method for dealing with pocket aces or you might just fold them all-together.
Most poker players will tell you they go one way or the other and many who have their tried and true method for handling bullets normally do so to avoid an emotional hand. Losing big when the stats start out in your favor is an easy way to start playing on tilt and letting the curse set in.
Most of the pros say to raise pre-flop when you’re holding pocket aces and statistically the sooner you get people out of the hand the less likely someone will limp in and the better chance you have. After the flop is when it gets hairy.
Emotion and investment sets in. You’ve paid in to see that flop and you want it to reap rewards! This is where you get sucked in. If someone else is betting or raising aggressively the curse takes you over and makes you buy in, even when you know that someone else has likely hit big on the flop. Letting those cards take you for a ride is what the curse is all about.
How to avoid the curse?
- Pay attention to how others may be hitting post-flop.
- Judge what you should logically get out of the hand based on post-flop betting.
- Always be confident and comfortable with your decision if you stay in or get out.
Remember that regrets can affect your play for many hands if you get lured in without warrant.
If you have any stories of your own hard folds, we’d love to hear them in the comments below.
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