Detecting Pocket Aces

Type of Game: No-Limit Texas Holdem, Tournament, $25/$50 blinds.
Your Cards: Kh-Kd
Your Position: Early

Scenario: It is in the beginning of the tournament and you have $5,000 in chips, which is the amount you started with. The player under-the-gun calls, and now it’s your turn to act. You make it $200 to go. A player sitting in middle position raises to $800 and a player in late position calls his raise. The player under-the-gun who limped in earlier now moves all-in for $5,500. What do you do in this situation? Call or fold?

Our answer: You should fold in this situation. There is a very big risk that you are up against pocket Aces. Your raise came from early position, and this would tell your opponents that you have a really strong hand. They re-raised (twice) in spite of this, and it would be very dangerous for you to call. We recommended that you save your chips even though KK is always tempting to play. Hopefully you will a better opportunity with this monster hand later on in the tournament. This tactic might seem very cautious, but you have only lost $200 out of $5,000, and you avoid the risk of going broke immediately.

This question is written by PokerListings.com – extensive online poker guide.