You don’t need to get pocket aces to win in tournament poker. In fact, getting pocket aces doesn’t guarantee a win by any means. Jamie Gold didn’t win the 2006 WSOP by waiting around for aces; however, if he did get them, you can be sure he played them.

So are there ever situations where you should fold aces in tournament poker? Some poker experts say yes. Of course, there are many cases after the flop where you should fold aces because you are clearly beaten, although a large majority of people cannot get away from aces no matter what comes on the flop. However there may even be cases where it is correct to fold aces pre-flop. How is this possible, since aces are the best hand and you know you are ahead before the flop? It largely depends on the structure of the tournament.

It is never correct to fold aces before the flop in a cash game. Even if six players go all in ahead of you and you know aces don’t play as well multi-way, you must call. Your aces are ahead, and you will always be getting correct pot odds to call with them. However, a main distinction between cash game play and tournament play is the threat of elimination. If your aces lose in a cash game, you can always buy more chips. If they lose in a tournament, you may be eliminated.

In most cases, it is still correct to play your aces before the flop. However there are some exceptions. The most significant exception is in a satellite tournament. In a satellite tournament, seats to a larger tournament are awarded as prizes. The more poker players in the tournament, the more seats that are offered. In such a tournament, if 20 seats are offered, there is no bonus for finishing 1st as opposed to 10th or 20th. Therefore if you are very close to the bubble, you may wish to fold any hand if calling would put all your chips at risk and you currently have enough to keep you well ahead of the blinds and antes.

For example: You are in a super satellite that offers 18 seats to a major poker tournament. The blinds are 1000 and 2000 with 500 antes and there are 20 players left. You have 85,000 in chips. You can see that there are four players with 10,000 chips or less. If one of these players moves all-in and you find yourself with pocket aces, you should instantly call. However, if another player moves in for 65,000, you may wish to fold your aces. You are certainly likely to win the hand if you call. However, if you do win, you will simply win a seat comfortably, as you in all likelihood would have done anyway, whereas if you lose, you will become a short stack and risk elimination on the bubble. In a case like this, you may be better off folding until you or someone else has a good opportunity to pick off two of the short stacks.

You may also wish to fold aces if multiple players are all in with only four or five players left in the Texas Hold em tournament. Letting opponents fight it out puts you in a good position to move up the ladder, which can mean a significant bump in prize money. Remember though, that your aces are still best before the flop, and playing these hands give you your best chance to win the tournament outright.

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