Q&A #15: Playing AA from the Blinds in a Big Pot (Limit)
Don't miss one article! Subscribe to the Full Feed RSS or get NPA in your inbox.
threads13 asks,
I have a question about a recent hand.
We have no reads on the players.
The hero is in the small blind with AA and an early position player, a middle position player, a late position player all limp in. The button then raises and the hero reraises. It gets called all the way around.(14SB)
The flop comes 2 4 9, rainbow.
My question is if the play here is to bet out or to check with the intention of raising the button. I know in SSHE you suggest that you need to forget value bets in large pot and instead try to focus on eliminating players. If we do check and the button bets and we raise the field will being offered 8.5:1 on a call. If we bet out they will be getting 15:1.
What is the correct play here?
Like all rules, “forget value bets and focus on eliminating players” was made to be broken. Should you keep building the pot, or should you go for a desperate checkraise to eliminate players?
The remainder of this article is insider content available to premium members only. Log in to your account or become a premium member and get instant access.
Tags: big-blind, check-raise, limit-holdem, out-of-position, pocket-aces, poker, small-stakes-holdem, sshe, waiting-for-the-turn
To give you a sense of where to draw the line between building the pot and protecting it, here’s an example where might try the protection play.
You have AA on the button. Three limpers, and the cutoff raises. You reraise, the limpers call, and the cutoff caps. Everyone calls. The flop comes J
9 
7 
. You don’t have the A 
. Everyone checks to the cutoff, who bets.
In this situation, I might just call.
I would never just call in this situation. Never. This is a picture perfect setup. If you call K-7 will call and snap you on the turn for one bet. He most likley won’t call two bets.
If you just call and K-7 calls then pocket fours will call, etc., etc., etc.
I raise here all day long.