Exploring the Idea of "Best Hand"

Here is the situation: you are playing in a No Limit Texas Holdem cash game, and you look down to find yourself holding two Aces, the best possible starting hand in the game. You are short stacked, have no more money in your pocket, and will be blinded off before too long. If you move all in now, the experts will say you did the right thing, even though you will likely only pick up the blinds. If you wait until after the flop before moving all in, you may not be doing the right thing, even though more money will likely be going into the pot. What is the difference? How does waiting one betting round change the same action so drastically? It all has to do with playing poker in the moment.

Getting all your money into the pot with the best hand is often thought of as the best option for a player who is low in chips. Holding pocket rockets is about the best you can do, but a simple flop can destroy your hand when it lands another player trips, two pair, a straight or a flush, which means you need to strike when you have the best hand.

New players may be confused at this, thinking they should always slow play Aces to draw in more chips. While that is certainly a valid option, it is not the only and not always the best option. Should you have a healthy dose of chips and a good read on the table, then slow playing the Aces could bring you rich rewards, but a dangerous flop could just as easily have you pitching them into the muck.

A pair of aces is, after all, just a pair. While it gives you the best shot at having the best hand post flop, it does not guarantee it by any means. By slow playing you are letting all the suited connectors get in on a flop cheap, and giving them a shot at outdrawing your hand. If you are getting short stacked, you need to bet enough to knock out all those hands that can outdraw you, and let the Cowboys and Ladies stick around for you to beat at the end.