Don't Get Married to Aces

Hi. Come on in. I picked up a large bucket of buffalo wings. Bib up and dip in.

I see it several times a week. It's not really unusual. I call it "The-Aces-are-Coated-With-Glue Syndrome."

Anyone who has played seven-card stud for more than 45 minutes at the low or medium limits has learned that a pair of aces is a tough hand to get away from, whether he's a weekend recreational player or a tough old pro.

In any standard game of poker in which the high hand wins, most players will hold on to aces all the way to the showdown, hoping to win even in the face of evidence to the contrary.

Marrying a pair of aces is a common occurrence. Let's see if we can discover why, and how we can bring some sanity to the situation. Of course, it's relatively easy to throw away a pair of fours if you don't improve upon them. You realize they stand little chance of winning, so you muck them.

Even kings are probably 50 percent easier to get rid of than aces. When you hold that pair of aces, you know your opponent needs a hand to beat you - at least two pair. Plus, if he does have two pair, you know that if you make your two pair, you're still going to win. So, you hang on.

When you're beaten marginally with your aces, it's not too bad. If there aren't big hands out, there probably hasn't been much action, and you don't lose much. But let's look at an example from seven-card stud in which you're going to expend lots of chips with your aces.

If your third-street hand contains a pair of aces, you'll probably put in a raise to narrow the field and give yourself a better chance of bringing in the chips. Your opponents will realize that you have a strong hand, and that it's going to take a big hand to beat you. If an opponent has that big hand from the beginning, or develops it on fifth or sixth street, there's going to be a lot of money in the pot by the time you realize he is holding a powerhouse. Now, it's tough to let go, even though you realize you might need three aces to win. The pot is offering you good odds to stay.

In the following situation, it's easier to get rid of your pair of aces. On third street, a queen in front of you raises. You reraise with your aces. One of your aces is out. The queen calls your raise. On fourth street, your opponent catches another queen while you draw a blank. Now, at the low and medium limits, it's easy to let go of your aces, as you can logically put him on three queens. There's not much money in the pot, and only one card in the deck will make you a potential winner. You're gone.

But let's suppose he doesn't catch that queen until sixth street. By then, there will be a lot of money in the pot. You will start thinking that maybe he started with a smaller pair in the hole, and doesn't have three queens but is holding two pair. If you pair up, or catch another ace, you'll win a big pot. Now it's not so easy to let go of your aces. It's at this time that you need your clearest thinking.

Focus your concentration, and exercise your discipline. Make your best value judgment, and act on it. But don't start playing, "Maybe, maybe; I hope, I hope; please, dear poker gods." Play on or don't play on, but have a sound, logical reason for whatever you do.

When those magical, mystical (and sticky) aces joyfully appear in your starting hand, you'll want to review this thought: Aces will generally win a small pot or lose a big pot.

If you're the type of player who gets married to aces, maybe it's time to start divorce proceedings.

Change of subject: This has nothing to do with poker, except that I learned about it from Michael Wiesenberg, longtime Card Player columnist. Michael, knowing of my love of peanut butter on almost anything, told me that I can get a hamburger with peanut butter on it at the Little America truck stops in Montana and Wyoming. Gas up my Whizzer motorbike, I'm heading north!

We surely did make short work of those buffalo wings. Put the rest in your pocket and kill the light on your way out.

Editor's note: Roy West, author of the bestseller 7 Card Stud, the Complete Course in Winning (available from Card Player), continues to give his successful poker lessons in Las Vegas to both tourists and locals. Ladies are welcome. Get his toll-free 800 number from his ad.