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Playing Pocket Aces T. asked: I often wonder what is the best way to play pocket aces – should I go all-in guns blazing pre-flop or slow play them through the turns?
Despite what most people think, pocket aces is not the easiest hand to play (72o is, because you usually just click the fold button - nothing easier!). I find that some of the limit cash games I'm playing in these days are so tight that usually when I find AA, I simply win the blinds with it!
In limit, betting it preflop is almost always the right move. You may also choose to reraise it – although if you find yourself presented with the option of deception after someone else has reraised to limit the field, you may have reason to slow play.
For no-limit, card play is much more situational. However, I would seldom slow play AA at a full table. This applies in either tournaments or cash games – especially in cash games.
When shorthanded, and especially when shorthanded with a high blind stack ratio, slow play AA because you will likely sucker in some action without much risk of being beat. This usually happens at the end of a sit-and-go tournament when players have few chips to spare.
For any table of five or more people, slow playing is not usually your best option. You want to raise preflop just like you would any other decent hand: make a standard 3x or 4x raise, or raise the most you expect will be called by your opponent. Occasionally, it is beneficial to slow play after someone else has raised. But this is only the case if you expect the pot to be contested either heads-up or three-way, because the last thing you want is to pick up AA and end up in an 8-way pot with it. Playing AA into an 8-way pot in no-limit can often lead to problems.
Also, you don't want to shut out all of your action pre-flop. Trust me, I've won the blinds with AA many times and it’s never much of a thrill. Therefore, I don't advocate "guns blazing" into a dry pot. The only time to go in "guns blazing" is when there’s already action, which is why many people will slow play AA in early position preflop. You can employ this move as well, but be advised it's common knowledge these days that people love to slow play AA up front. If you do slow play it up front, and you find an opening raiser behind you, do not mini-raise (mini-raising is raising the least amount possible) with AA because this is a dead giveaway about the strength of your hand. Depending on your opponents and what you feel will get the most chips now or later, either call or make a 3x to 4x raise. Quite often, just calling a single raise with your aces will disguise your hand, and that was the purpose of slow playing in the first place.
Whatever you do, do not miniraise AA after slowplaying it in early position. I love seeing people limp/miniraise pocket aces on me – it completely gives away their hand. The last person who did this with me was during a no limit – and this person lost their shirt because I knew for sure they had AA. It is really, really, really easy to play against someone whose cards you know.
In heads up, I'm much more likely to call when someone raises behind me, because then I can check to them and play back at them when they make a continuation bet on the flop. I rarely slow play aces past the turn. River check/raises are far too tricky to use on a regular basis, and besides, you’ll often feel the need to protect your aces with a solid raise by the flop or turn.
 
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