A recent 4TexasHoldem.com survey asked the question:

If you are sitting in the dealer position with AA and 6 players limp in ahead of you, what do you do? >

1. Limp in (call the value of the big blind)



2. Make a small raise to keep everyone in the hand



3. Make a medium raise to minimize the number of players



4. Make a large raise to try and win the pot right there



5. Not sure

396 people answered the survey. The following summarizes the results:

Limp in - 17%
Small raise - 29%
Medium raise - 32%
Large raise - 20%
Not sure - 2%

In a recent interview with Shana Hiatt (host of the World Poker Tour), she was asked what advice she would give to poker players. Her answer was "Don't slow play the aces!" She couldn't be more correct.

Aces in the hole is without a doubt the best possible starting hand in Texas Holdem. It's a powerful hand that needs to be played with power. Often times when holding aces, your hand will not improve as play progresses. However, when playing against one or two opponents, improvement will generally not be necessary to win the pot.

In the example above, 6 players have limped into the hand before it's your turn to bet on the button. If you chose option A (limp in) or B (small raise), you can assume that the blinds will also join the play and there will be 9 players in the hand to see the flop. In this case, you have given 8 other players the chance to see 3 more cards that can improve their hand. You could find yourself looking at the flop to see 3 suited cards, 3 connected cards, or any number of unfavorable possibilities.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, you should consider making one of two bets. If it is early in the tournament and the blinds are small, you may want to consider making a medium size raise to eliminate all but one or two other players in the hand. With 6 players ahead of you, a raise of 3 or 4 times the value of the big blind will typically weed out the competition with marginal hands like low pairs or suited connectors, leaving you to face players with higher pairs or high cards with a good kicker. As the tournament progresses and the value of the blinds increase, this could be a good spot to move all-in and win the pot right there. Or, you may find yourself heads-up against another player who will be a huge underdog when the cards are flipped over.

Remember it's always better to win a small pot than to lose a large one.