Folding aces preflop

[Kandahar]

Is there any set of circumstances where it might be appropriate to fold pocket aces preflop? I never do, and I'm merely interested in the theory behind this.

Theoretically, let's suppose that a professional poker player is playing a $10+1 SnG. He knows he'll finish in the money approximately 85% of the time. It's the first hand of the tournament, and someone is all-in in front of him. Why should he risk his entire stack with pocket aces when he's only an 80% favorite? He has better odds of beating the novice players in the long run.

Another situation: Suppose you're playing a ten-seat SnG that pays the top three finishers. You're in the big blind with pocket aces, and you have nine people all-in in front of you (I know that this doesn't happen very often if ever, but theoretically suppose it did). Why shouldn't you just let them fight it out, and guarantee yourself a place in heads-up?

[Karak567]

In a SNG?

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
NO

I haven't even read the body of your post.

NO.

[Sponger15SB]

Don't spend time thinking about this, it just isn't worth it. Work on another aspect of your game instead of waiting for 9 people to push preflop while you're holding AA

[lastchance]

NO ONE, and I MEAN NO ONE is good enough to finish ITM 80% of the time. Also, the other problem is that, even though you already have 20% of the prize pool locked up, you can increase that a lot by doubling up, most of the time.

Second situation is an easy fold, true. The problem is, those don't come up too often. If that happened, I'd be so happy....

[adanthar]

I haven't read your post or any of the replies: this thread sucks

[45suited]

BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH

Posts like this actually make me wish that I was reading a bad beat post.

[Degen]

where is your sticky citanul???????


Andre

[Bigwig]

[ QUOTE ]
He knows he'll finish in the money approximately 85% of the time.

[/ QUOTE ]
Not possible.

[fluorescenthippo]

[ QUOTE ]
let's suppose that a professional poker player is playing a $10+1 SnG.

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL

[DasLeben]

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/forumfun/sucks5.jpg

Ahh ebaums...how we love you.

[AleoMagus]

lol. don't let this thread scare you too much.

People can get really touchy about folding AA preflop questions around here. In theory it can be correct, but in practice it almost never is.

I'll give you two other SNG specific examples where it is, but pretty much never happen.

A) you are on the bubble with a HUGE stack and might think about folding AA to a really small stack, because you don't stand to win as much as his presence will let you steal on later hands.

B) You are on the bubble with 1 chip and two players have gone all-in ahead of you.

About the only time in real poker where you might actually correctly fold AA is a tournament bubble. The examples that you gave, while correct, are purely theoretical and would never happen, or be possible.

but now I'm probably gonna get flamed just for giving these examples so...

lets not speak of this anymore. If you never fold AA preflop, you are probably losing about 0.000001% of what you might make if you folded AA in perfect instances. And those perfect instances are not always easy to identify.

Regards
Brad S