1. AA: Pocket Aces are the best hand in poker, but for that simple fact they can be tricky to play. You could go the route of trying to limp and trap players or you could just make a raise. Either way, you need to do what needs to be done to isolate yourself.
How to play: Do whatever you have to do to reduce the pot to 1 or 2 more players. Aces win against a random hand about 85% of the time, but that number goes down ridiculously fast the more people are in the pot. The value of Aces depreciates a lot in a multi-way pot, so play accordingly. Lift them based on the position of the table and not on your strength, e.g. go higher in posterior position.
2.AK: Big slick is another hand where I see a lot of players having trouble playing and I see a lot of people getting pushed out of tournaments because they play the hand too much.
How to play: The hand should be a raising hand in most situations, but from time to time you should limp this hand just to mix up your play. In early position you should obviously raise him, same for mid position, but in late position and the blinds this is a good place to limp once in a while. Now, if you raise with him and your hand doesn’t flop, you should continuation bet (a bet around half the pot) to try and take the pot right there. If you get called or find a raise or a lot of fight, walk away from the hand. Remember, if you don’t make a pair with AK, all you have is ace high, learn to fold the hand when you ruff if you meet resistance when you bluff with it.
3.KQ: This is a hand that I place in a group of hands called “Trap Hands”. These types of hands get many beginning and intermediate players into trouble because they treat them as premium hands when in reality they are just suited connectors and should be played as such. The reason this hand puts players in trouble is because they often enter big pots against truly premium hands like big pocket pairs, AK, and AQ, and when you get a pair, you run into kicker trouble when facing AQ or Big Slick. What you really want is to flop a straight or flush draw with this hand.
How to play: In early position you can call with this hand if you wish, suited variations of this hand are particularly strong and I consider them to raise hands, but unsuited variations should be called or folded in early position, preferably folded if you are on a loose table. In middle position, KQ is again a calling hand, but if a player in early position raises or calls, your fold percentage should increase, meaning you’ll fold more. In late position, I would call a standard raise or bet from mid position, and sometimes early position players, depending on table dynamics.
4.A-10/AJ: These two hands are two more hands that I consider “trap hands.” Most players treat them as premium hands and, once again, the average poker player simply overplays and overplays them. AJ suited is the only hand I consider real strength and A-Jo and A-10s and unsuited are just calling hands. Treat them as calling hands and you’ll be fine, you don’t want to get into big pots against premium hands, hit your ace only to lose all your chips because someone who has Big Slick has outplayed you.
How to play: Unless you have AJ, these are just hand calls. I would not recommend getting into raised pots with these hands very often. You should occasionally raise these hands just to mix up your play, but you should be very cautious with these hands if they call you. You’re really looking to flop a straight or two pair, so you don’t have to worry about kicker issues because if you’re in a raised pot and you hit your ace, your ten kicker is very vulnerable.
5.KK: Pocket Kings are quite tricky, especially if you’re playing against weaker players. Phil Hellmuth describes this situation best: “I know I’m going to pick kings and one of you idiots is going to call me with ace-two.” That about sums it up, the weaker players will call your raise with ace-rag and if the ace hits you will have a tough call.
How to play: Raise aggressively before the flop, regardless of table position; however, your bets should vary by position. The closer to the button, the higher your raise should be, but don’t get ridiculous at 5-6 times the big blind unless there are a lot of limpers. If there’s no ace on the flop, then bet hard unless it’s a very safe board (all low, no straights, no flush), but under no circumstances give a free card for a player to beat. The only way to give a free card is if you flop a set and are trying to catch. If you flop an ace and meet resistance, make it as strong a hand as you can to fold a sexy hand like KK.
Honorable Mention: Low-Mid Pocket Pairs: These are not that complicated, but I felt the need to mention them at the end here. These are tricky because a lot of players like to get into big pots with these and get into a lot of trouble by playing too much. I will try to give you some basic guidelines.
How to play: I limp a lot with 8s and under and follow a strategy called “set or die”. This means you check/fold unless you flop a set or the board is all unders with no flush draws. This is a sure way to avoid losing a lot of chips. If you call, analyze the flop and play slow if it’s a favorable situation or make a bet and hopefully you’ll get called big. For almost any non-paint pocket pair (face cards), basically leave it if there are overs on the board and you don’t set. You can raise with 7s and higher in late position if you want, maybe even in mid position, but it’s generally recommended to limp in early with them.
Congratulations, now you know how to play the 5 most difficult hands in poker.
