How to play pocket Kings

How to play pocket Kings

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Shady9977 Nibs: 514 Member Since: Feb 6th 2008

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      Pocket Kings… a.k.a. Cowboys… is one of the strongest starting hands in Texas Holdem. But just like pocket Aces, you’ve got to know how to play the hand PROPERLY in order to be a consistent winner. The key to playing Kings is to make a strong pre-flop raise to narrow the field to one or two callers… and then from there, have the DISCIPLINE to back off if an Ace hits the board.
Here’s what I mean:

     Let’s say you’re at the usual $1-2 no limit game and you have K-K. You’re fourth to act before the flop… so your positioning isn’t that great. Ronnie is under the gun… and he catches your eye by limping-in. Ronnie is a smart player, which means he’s probably got a strong hand. The next couple opponents muck their cards and the action is to you. This is where you’ve got to find out JUST HOW STRONG Ronnie’s hand really is. So you announce a raise to 15$.

    The reason for such a large pre-flop raise is that it will only get one or two callers. You DON’T want three or more players seeing a flop when you’ve got Kings. Your chances of getting run down will be increased.

    Just like with any monster hand, many players are SCARED to raise the pot in fear that they won’t get any callers. But you MUST get over this feeling and raise the pot… if everyone mucks it, that’s fine. If you get more than two callers, that’s NOT fine. Besides… if you advertise an aggressive playing style at the table, you WILL get action with your big hands.

   The other important thing to remember here is that you must be careful with the SIZE of your pre-flop raise. This is where paying careful attention to every hand pays off. You must know the limits of how much players will pay to see a flop. And then you must bet accordingly… to aim at getting just one or maybe two callers. Here, you know that a $15 raise will only get one or two callers. It won’t get more, because this particular table is somewhat tight. OK, so back to the hand. Everyone folds and the action is back to Ronnie who’s under the gun calls. Now you’re just PRAYING that an Ace doesn’t hit the board on the flop. Ronnie must have
a strong hand here because he limped in from first positioning. You’re putting him on either A-Q or A-J… or maybe even A-K.
The only thing that will slow you down from here is if an Ace hits the board. If the Ace hits, you’re in trouble.

    THIS IS IMPORTANT: Do not fall-in love with your Kings so much that you cannot fold them! If there’s an Ace on the board and you put your opponent on the Ace, then just get over it and live to see another day. This is simple human psychology at work here. We feel “entitled” to our monster hand… and don’t have the DISCIPLINE and LOGIC to fold it away. Regardless of how the hand plays out from here, you’ve played your Kings perfectly. When you get the Cowboys, just remember to make a strong pre-flop raise to get just one or two callers, and then go from there. If an Ace or an obvious draw hits the board and your opponent comes out firing, be careful. Know when to muck your hand and live to see another.

Hope enjoy reading !

Comments (1)

Posted on Jul 17th 2008 by PI_Viceroid raise raise raise works fine for me! :D