Pocket pairs in No Limit Texas Holdem.

Pocket pairs can be very deceptive in No Limit Texas Holdem. They look so strong pre-flop, but they can quickly turn into a hand worthy of the muck, or worse, become a big loser. Pocket kings fits that description better than any other pocket pair in the deck. Those two kings look unbeatable until they get crushed by a bad river card and leave you broke.

Most people who lose with pocket kings do so because they play them to lose. In other words, they play them weakly. Whenever you are dealt pocket kings your first thought should always be bet big or raise. You want to drive away most of the table if you can, because the fewer players you have to play against with your kings the better chance you give yourself of winning the hand.

After the flop hits the table, watch out for the ace. Nothing hurts like seeing an ace on the flop when you’re holding pocket kings. If there is an ace out there you’ve got no choice but to come out betting. If you check, you’ll show weakness and basically hand the pot to your opponent. You must bet to try and use the ace as a scare card.

Since you raised pre-flop, your opponent assumes you have something but he doesn’t know there’s no ace in your hand. Hopefully your scare tactic will work and you’ll steal the pot. If not, and you are called or raised, you have to play your opponent. If you think he has an ace, run for it. If you think he’s on a draw or making a play for the pot, keep betting and hope he folds or your kings hold up in the end.

When the flop hits without an ace, your job should be to get as many chips as possible into the pot. Whether this means betting out or trying to slow-play depends on your opponent (tight or loose?) and what else is showing on the board. You don’t want to slow-play your way into a big loss.

The key point to remember with a hand like pocket kings is to always be aggressive, and your wins should exceed your losses in the long run.

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