Fold AA preflop

[JNash]

A few months ago, I was berated extensively for a remark I made in a post that folding AA preflop can sometimes be correct. The comments were pretty nasty...weak player, worst advice ever, you have to play to win, etc., etc.

I just got done playing a SNG where I got busted going allin with 99. After thinking about it, this was exactly one of those cases where I shouldn't even have played AA...here it is:

$20+2 SNG on UB
4 players left, blinds at 100/200, payout is $100/$60/$40. Hero with 1800 chips is UTG. Button has ~400 chips, SB ~700 chips, BB has ~6700 chips. BB is maniac and will call with almost any 2 cards.

Does anyone believe that playing AA in this spot would be a good idea?

[Pepsquad]

I most certainly do. I'd come in for 3-4 time BB raise and pray to God that Mr. Maniac pushed with his "any two cards".

[redeye3030]

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Does anyone believe that playing AA in this spot would be a good idea?

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It's a real good idea if you want to finish 1st.

[Irieguy]

It's never, ever correct to fold Aces preflop in a SNG no matter what conditions you can imagine (assuming traditional pay-outs).

I promise.

Irieguy

[Benholio]

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It's never, ever correct to fold Aces preflop in a SNG no matter what conditions you can imagine (assuming traditional pay-outs).

I promise.

Irieguy

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Well, the circumstances have to be pretty extreme, but I think we did recently find a real example of when someone should have folded aces. Remember? Right over here.

[hhboy77]

irieguy. i think there is a time that you could fold aa preflop in an sng, but it would have to be very extreme.

for example 4-handed, you pick up aa on the button and have 1 chip left. cutoff, who has 9799 chips moves all in on the two blinds who have 100 chips each and are all in.

clearly, this is a fold because the only place you are playing for is 2nd, at least until the other two bust out.

[DCIAce]

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It's never, ever correct to fold Aces preflop in a SNG no matter what conditions you can imagine (assuming traditional pay-outs).

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I disagree.

Let's say you lost the last hand you played, and are down to T50 on the button. Blinds are 250/500, Stacks are t200 (SB), T50 (BB), and T7700.. Big stack calls first in. There's no way that calling with anything here is correct.

The only real situations where folding AA is correct is when you have no real hope of winning, despite the outcome of the hand, with a chance to move up in $ by folding, and in Satellites or other events with strange payout structures.

Folding in this situation is horrible.

[Vanquish]

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Let's say you lost the last hand you played, and are down to T50 on the button. Blinds are 250/500, Stacks are t200 (SB), T50 (BB), and T7700.. Big stack calls first in. There's no way that calling with anything here is correct.

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To me, this statement doesn't make much sense. Okay, sure, you're pretty much toast, but you don't provide any context. I assume this is one of those "you should fold everything when you're down to an insignificant amount of chips and just hope enough people knock each other out before I get to the blinds again" theories. I don't buy into that.

If you're going to make any sort of attempt to mount a comeback, which is what I would do, then your chances of doing it are wholly dependent on how good the cards dealt to you are. You have no folding equity by being the first one into the pot. With the blinds that high, your opponents have the odds to call with anything, and you'll be facing at least two opponents in the blinds. Here at least you have 1+ active players who will hopefully narrow the field for you.

I would call every time in this situation with AA. And the bottom line is you are still the favorite versus everyone who gets involved in the pot. You may not be 50% or more to win, but you are still more likely than anyone else to take down your share of the pot.

[DCIAce]

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Let's say you lost the last hand you played, and are down to T50 on the button. Blinds are 250/500, Stacks are t200 (SB), T50 (BB), and T7700.. Big stack calls first in. There's no way that calling with anything here is correct.

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To me, this statement doesn't make much sense. Okay, sure, you're pretty much toast, but you don't provide any context. I assume this is one of those "you should fold everything when you're down to an insignificant amount of chips and just hope enough people knock each other out before I get to the blinds again" theories. I don't buy into that.

If you're going to make any sort of attempt to mount a comeback, which is what I would do, then your chances of doing it are wholly dependent on how good the cards dealt to you are. You have no folding equity by being the first one into the pot. With the blinds that high, your opponents have the odds to call with anything, and you'll be facing at least two opponents in the blinds. Here at least you have 1+ active players who will hopefully narrow the field for you.

I would call every time in this situation with AA. And the bottom line is you are still the favorite versus everyone who gets involved in the pot. You may not be 50% or more to win, but you are still more likely than anyone else to take down your share of the pot.

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I didn't think there was any possible argument for calling there. Change it up, you have 1 chip, other stacks are the same.. do you still call? As it is, on hand #1, two people will have a chance of being knocked out (both blinds are all-in), and on hand#2, if they both survive, the SB will be all-in, even if he tripled up on the previous hand.

[Jedi Flopper]

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It's never, ever correct to fold Aces preflop in a SNG no matter what conditions you can imagine (assuming traditional pay-outs).

I promise.

Irieguy

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4 people left you have 100 in chips. Big stack has 5K the other two have 2450 each. All of them move in and it comes to you. you still want to play your AA?