Aces cracked, win a rack.

[W. Deranged]

My personal opinion that this post is pretty sweet.

I failed to mention originally that there actually will be a point where you should look to minimizing bets lost on the way to cashing in your rack. I actually imagine that it will be pretty rare that you will want to be really jamming the river, for example, because by that point it will become pretty clear whether or not your hand is going to be good. So by that point, you should actually just be playing good poker.

[Derek in NYC]

When I think about it, I think the rule is pretty simple:

1. Preflop, play aces as aggressively as possible 100% of time

2. Postflop, play aces aggressively if you think you are ahead

3. However, if you think you are behind, compare cost of showdown in BBs to value of rack in BBs. If showdown cost < value of rack, call down. If showdown cost > value of rack + existing pot equity, fold.

Since 1 rack of whites = $100, at 2/4 this is 25BBs, at 3/6 this is 16.6 BBs, at 4/8 this is 12.5 BBs, at 5/10 this is 10BBs, and at 10/20, it's 5BBs. What does this simple division list tell you?

From the flop on, it will NEVER cost you more than 10BBs to get to showdown. Therefore, at limits of 5/10 or below, it is always +EV (or at worst neutral) to call down, no matter how much betting happens.

At limits above 5/10, you need to think more. In particular, be concerned about raises on 4th and 5th street. Also, consider carefully your pot equity.

[W. Deranged]

Noting that even at 20/40, calling down one on the turn and the river each is still not enough to cost more than $100, with any reasonable expectation that you'll win on the river I suspect that it's going to be correct to call down most of the time all the way up to 20/40. Clearly at 5/10 and below it will all the time. I think 20/40 is the point at which you have to start thinking pretty seriously, though.

[slavic]

[ QUOTE ]
Noting that even at 20/40, calling down one on the turn and the river each is still not enough to cost more than $100, with any reasonable expectation that you'll win on the river I suspect that it's going to be correct to call down most of the time all the way up to 20/40. Clearly at 5/10 and below it will all the time. I think 20/40 is the point at which you have to start thinking pretty seriously, though.

[/ QUOTE ]

Your expectation with Aces is around $150 at 20/40 so the rack is actually a worse deal and something you shouldn't think much about. What it should do however is encourage you to call more on the end.

So I get raised on the river, I'm no longer losing $40 or gaining $400 . I'm either gaining $60 or gaining $400

Essentialy this river call would be free all the way to 50/100, now if raised on the turn we have other calculations to do, but you get the point.

THe break over point has to be between 10/20 and 15/30 where expectation of the rack is better than the aces, in a 4/8 game it would be better to play to get cracked, or a gawdawfull huge pot.