Pocket Kings Can Be the Kiss of Death

Recently, I hosted a private poker event where I sat down with about 20 amateur players. The night combined some poker playing and discussion, which included a question and answer session. The questions ranged from playing on tour to being an active member of the poker media. Some questions were:

How long have you been playing poker on tour? (Answer: I have been playing tour events since 2004, but officially quit my corporate job and turned pro in 2007).

What was the first poker game you ever played at a casino? (Seven-card stud)
Who were you most nervous interviewing for your radio show? (Doyle Brunson)
What players do you enjoy interviewing? (Chris Moneymaker, Joe Hachem, Jonathan Duhamel)

Afterward, we began playing some poker, but the questions continued. At this point, most of the questions focused on poker strategy, such as playing in position, short-stack play, small-ball strategy, and three-betting.

However, one question raised lots of debate, stopping play for several minutes as we discussed my answer.

The player asked:

“Having seen literally thousands of tournament eliminations, what are the hands that you often see players get eliminated by?”

I thought this was an interesting question, as the player was trying to potentially avoid these specific situations. However, I prefaced my answer by saying that sometimes you just cannot avoid being eliminated from a tournament. For example, when you run into a cooler such as two pair versus a set, or set over set, it will be very difficult to fold.

Nevertheless, the first hand that I mentioned was ace-king. Although considered to be one of the best starting hands in no-limit hold‘em, “big slick” is frequently overplayed by many players. They often have no reluctance to reraise or go all-in with this hand. While it may sometimes be the correct play, ace-king can put a player in a difficult situation, risking his tournament life. Along these lines, top pair, top kicker is also another common elimination hand, as players become overly excited after hitting the flop.

Additionally, I often see many players push hard with their flush and straight draws. While there are appropriate times when this play is worthwhile, especially when holding overcards, I mentioned one situation to avoid when chasing these draws. I explained that if the board is paired, you could already be drawing dead, even if you hit your draw.

However, my final answer surprised many of the players.

When I stated a premium hand that many players often go down in flames with, most of the players assumed I meant pocket aces. Everyone has a story about “how my pocket aces got cracked.” However, the hand that I meant was pocket kings.

Why?

Not because the rare situation of pocket kings versus pocket aces. Instead, I believe it is the fear of the dreaded ace, the only overcard to pocket kings.

Since this premium hand is often nicknamed “ace magnets,” players often hold their breath on the flop, hoping to avoid an ace. If fortunate to dodge it, the player doesn’t want to give his or her opponent another drawing opportunity. Therefore, the player often overplays the turn or the river, wanting to drive out his or her opponent. Remember though, even if his or her opponent is holding an ace, there are only three other aces left that can hurt them. This desire to end the hand can often lead to overplaying their pocket kings and ultimately disastrous results.

Here are the two examples I used during my discussion:

1) During the World Series of Poker main event a couple of years ago, I witnessed a massive hand, which occurred at the table next to mine. Asking one of the players at the table who had folded, he recounted the story.

“After the cutoff raised to 2,000 (blinds were 400-800 with a 100 ante), the button three-bet to 5,500. After the small blind folded, the big blind and the original raiser called. The flop came down J-9-8 rainbow. After the big blind and cutoff checked, the button fired out about a pot-sized bet of 17,500. After the big blind folded, the cutoff took a moment, but eventually announced a raise, sliding 45,000 chips into the middle. Afterward, the button went into the think tank. When he emerged, he announced all-in for almost 225,000. The cutoff snap-called, flipping over Q-10 for the nut straight, while the button frustratedly revealed his pocket kings. After a 5 on the turn, the meaningless 10 on the river sent the button and his pocket kings packing for the summer. Gathering his belongings, the button said that he didn’t want to see an ace hit after the flop. As he walked away, the cutoff was stacking his chip stack which was well over 500,000.”

2) A few years ago, a preliminary event had just started with the blinds at 25-50. A middle position player and I (sitting in the hijack seat with 6-6) limped into the pot. However, the button raised to 300. Nevertheless, both blinds called, as did the middle position player and I. The dealer revealed a fantastic flop for me: Q 7 6. After everyone checked to the button, he led out for 850 and I was the only player to call. When the 3 fell on the turn, I checked again and the button continued by betting 1,200. However, this time, I raised him to 2,625. Shockingly, he announced all-in for about for 14,600 more. After calling, I was not surprised to see him reveal K K. When the 5 fell on the river, I was the beneficiary of an immediate double up.

With pocket aces, players often talk about winning a small hand or losing a big hand. Interestingly, I have seen more players fold pocket aces in these certain situations than pocket kings. So many times, players remember having pocket kings and getting beat when the overcard ace hits the board. I believe that these haunting memories sometimes consume the player’s thought process and cloud his or her judgment. Ultimately, this fear causes the player to push harder than necessary.

Therefore, the next time you find yourself in a similar situation holding pocket kings, take your time and assess the entire situation: the players, the betting, the board. Don’t rush your decision, for it could be your last in the tournament. Your fold may save your tournament life. ♠

Bernard Lee is the co-host of ESPN Inside Deal, weekly poker columnist for the Boston Herald, ESPN.com, author of “The Final Table, Volume I and II” and radio host of “The Bernard Lee Poker Show,” which can be found on RoundersRadio.com or via podcast on iTunes. Follow Bernard Lee on Twitter: @BernardLeePoker or visit him at www.BernardLeePoker.com.