Here are the answers and explanations for our Do You Know How To Play Pocket Aces quiz:
Question #1
You are playing $1/$2 with $300 stacks. Under-the-Gun raises to $6 and the Cutoff re-raises to $18. You look down at AA on the Button. What's your play?
A - Call
B - Re-raise to $45
C - Re-raise to $100
D - Re-raise all in for $300
The correct answer is re-raise to $45.
With Pocket Aces, you will always want 4-bet in a preflop situation like this to build the pot. However, your sizing strategy plays a really important role in maximizing value.
If you re-raise too big, your opponents will be able to easily fold the hands you would like them to put more money in with. And if you size too small, you’ll give too good of a price for potentially both opponents to continue in the hand. Generally, a sizing between 2.2-2.8x at most is what you’ll want to 4-bet in position.
Question #2
You are playing $2/$5 with $500 stacks. You raise to $15 from the Button with AA and the Big Blind calls. The flop comes 7♠7♦ 6♠and Big Blind checks.
What's your play?
A - Check
B - Bet Small
C - Bet Pot
D - Overbet
The correct answer is bet small.
A great way to play paired boards in position is to use a small bet sizing strategy with a wide (but balanced) range of bluffs and value hands. That’s especially important when the pair on the board is on the low side (because your opponent is more likely to have trips than you are).
Generally, betting between 25-33% of the pot with AA allows you to reliably extract value from draws and worse pairs. At the same time, it keeps your opponent’s range wide enough that you’ll be able to go for 3 streets of value on a lot of board runouts.
Question #3
If you’re in position with AA and your opponent check-raises you on a flop like A♠6♦ 8♣, what should you usually do?
A - Call
B - Re-raise
The correct answer is call.
You have this board completely crushed with top set and there are very few draws to be worried about. By slow-playing, you give your opponent the opportunity to either continue bluffing or catch up just enough to pay you off.
Related Reading: Fast-Playing vs Slow-Playing Revealed
Question #4
In which of the following scenarios should you most often slow-play AA preflop?
A - When facing an Under the Gun open
B - When facing a big 3-bet
C - When facing a 4-bet
The correct answer is when facing a 4-bet.
In almost all cases, having Pocket Aces preflop makes for a mandatory 3-bet or 4-bet. However, it can make sense to slow-play versus a 4-bet or 5-bet. This is because of the low stack-to-pot ratio in 4-bet/5-bet pots (meaning it will be easy to get all-in postflop) and both players' ranges are extremely narrow. It's also great to protect the rest of your calling range by occasionally trapping with Pocket Aces.
Question #5
You are playing $1/$2 with $300 stacks. You raise from the Lojack to $6 with A♦ A♣ and the player on the Button calls. The flop comes 7♥ 6♠5♠. What's your play?
A - Check
B - Bet Small
C - Bet Medium
D - Bet Big
The correct answer is check.
Low and connected boards like 7♥ 6♠5♠are especially favorable to a Button calling range against an early position raiser. This is because they are much more likely to have straights, sets, or two pair.
Pocket Aces are still ahead of your opponent’s range, but it's usually best to and play defensively, which helps you avoid bloating the pot when you are behind. Generally, you’ll want to aim to get no more than one or two bets in on boards like this depending on the runout.
If you would opt to bet very small (less than 20% pot) on this flop, you can give yourself a bonus point because that is very similar to checking and a fine option.
Question #6
You have 4-bet in the Cutoff with AA and have been called by the Button 3-bettor. There is $80 in the pot with both players having $150 behind. If the flop is T♥ 8♦ 4♣, what's your play?
A - Check
B - Bet Small (under 33% pot)
C - Bet Medium (between 33 and 66% pot)
D - Bet Pot
E - Go All-In
The correct answer is bet small.
Effective stack sizes are typically very shallow in 4-bet pots, meaning you won’t need to use a big size on the flop to ensure all the money goes in by the river.
Betting small puts the most pressure on your opponent’s range, while also allowing you to bluff efficiently when you don’t have a made hand. Betting somewhere around 25-33% pot is generally a good default c-bet sizing in 4-bet pots.
Question #7
You raise from Under the Gun 100 big blinds deep with AA and are called by the Cutoff and Button. If the flop is J♥ T♥ 8♠, what's your play?
A - Check
B - Bet Small
C - Bet Medium
D - Bet Big
The correct answer is check.
You need to have a lower c-betting frequency with AA in multiway pots. This is especially true when the board is very connected and you are out-of-position. A board like JT8 with a flush draw is usually a mandatory check out of position against 2 players.
You aren’t likely to get any protection by betting because it’s unlikely both of your opponents are going to fold to a c-bet very often on this board. At the same time, you want to be careful about this pot getting too big as your one pair with no draw might already be way behind (or at least very vulnerable).
Question #8
Which of these hands has the most equity against AA going into the flop?
A - JT-suited
B - KQ-suited
C - 76-suited
D - AK-suited
The correct answer is 76-suited.
High cards don't help much against Pocket Aces. It's actually the middling suited connectors that can make the most straights or flushes that have the best chance of cracking the best hand in the game.
Here’s a look at the equity of each of the hands listed against AA:
Question #9
What should your preflop raise size be when you have AA?
A - Slightly smaller than your normal sizing
B - The same as your normal sizing
C - Slightly bigger than your normal sizing
The correct answer is the same as your normal sizing.
Raising bigger than normal with AA is one of the most common mistakes that beginner players make. By opening a uniform sizing from every position, we are able to keep our range balanced and disguised. An out-of-character opening sizing will usually tip off most players to your hand strength and they’ll adjust accordingly.
Question #10
You 3-bet on the Button with AA and are called by the Cutoff opener. Which board is most favorable for your hand against your opponent’s range?
A - JT2 rainbow
B - K85 rainbow
C - 533 rainbow
D - 873 rainbow
The correct answer is 533 rainbow.
While all these boards are pretty favorable for a Button 3-betting range, low-paired boards are generally the safest for the Button’s overpairs in 3-bet pots.
In this example, the only trips or better hands the Cutoff could realistically have are A3-suited and 55. Plus, there aren’t any strong draws for Aces to be worried about either. Whether you have Aces or not, you should c-bet a board like 533 at a very high frequency given your range advantage as the button 3-bettor.
Compare this to a flop like TT3, in which case your opponent will have trips relatively often. You can still bet that TT3 flop, but it's less favorable than the 553.
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