The ACES

The premium combination of start hands is pocket aces and pocket kings. Somewhere was written the chance to win pocket aces is 75%. It is a very good statistic, but also with aces you can lose.  More players playing on the table and calling this hand raise the chance to win a bigger pot; but reduce the chance to win the hand also.

You can play slow or aggressive; it’s only the question of how your opponents see their starting hands. My feeling about winning and losing pocket aces, that I ever played, is near 50:50. I would even say online possibility to win this hand is only 40%. Is it the best way to push all in with this hand? Not necessarilly… But it is the best way to say I lose the turn or  my tournament with the best possible start hand I could have. But once out of a tournament there is no way to come back!

Remember: “… any two cards can beat the aces…!”

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POCKET KINGS

K K is the second best starting hand in Hold’em Poker. This hand has also many nicknames, like "Cowboys", "Ace Magnets", “Kangaroos” or "King Kong". The Kings are a good possibility to win the hand if the flop comes Ace free. But it is a scary situation when the flop brings an Ace. The probability that an Ace appears in the flop is almost 20%. In any case the Kings have to be raised pre flop, because you can only be called by premium hands. After the flop you don’t have to give free cards. If there is an Ace on the flop, with a good bet you can find out if your opponents paired their Ace, in the other case (Ace free flop) you can be sure your opponents will fold or only call to see the turn and river. Whatever your opponents are doing, you will become the information you need for your next move.

Where are the nicknames coming from?

“Cowboys” - two cards with the strongest male picture.

“Ace Magnets” - Ace Magnets because the ace is the only card you don't want to see, but in the most of playing games you will J, that’s why it is a pessimistic expression of the fear that an ace will appear.

“Kangaroos“ and “King Kong” - because of the lettering (KK).

ACE ON THE RIVER

How many times have you lost your hand because of an ace on the river? It is really a jinx of the river card. You are miles ahead all the time pre flop, after dealt flop, also on the turn and then BOOM, here comes the ace on the river. Many players are playing their ace till the river especially online. They know the ace is coming! Statistically (I read at Wikipedia) it is almost a 35% possibility an ace is coming on the river.

Then why do I have the feeling it happens more often than the statistics say? It is only a subjective feeling, isn’t it? It is possible that the feeling of it really happening is very subjective. We remember more hands we played and lost than those we won. For example if you play pocket kings and there is an ace on the river, you lose your play and remember this. If you are playing the same hand and flop your third king and there is a player sitting with ace king and receives his ace on the river you win a big pot and after a few days you are no longer thinking about this hand…

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Ace on the River

Dead mans hand

Every poker player knows the story about Wild Bill Hickok shot during a poker game holding two black aces and two black eighths called today “Dead man’s hand”.

The story didn’t give the answer what the fifth card was. The legend has different versions as to what the fifth card was. It’s possible he was shot before being dealt the fifth card, another story documents a queen of hearts on the floor with a drop of Hickok’s blood on it... Whatever the last card was we all know the “dead man’s hand” as two pairs of aces and eighths.

There are many theories about the dead shot, but we never will find out the true story!

The most truth can be found in the biographic book of  Frank J. Wilstach “Wild Bill Hickok: The Prince of Pistoleers” from 1926.

I made some designs for my poker T-shirt collection to reflect this legend (I like the story). Maybe you can help me deciding which is the best one. Please write a comment and let me know which one you like most!

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Dead man's hand5