This happens to everyone that hasn’t accepted that AA is just a pair! Everyone seems to over play AA even when they are called pre-flop and the flop is scary. If you have a player call your pre-flop raise you have to imagine what they could have. If the flop comes with high cards, they could have very well flopped two pair or if you don’t feel trouble and are raised on the flop your opponents could also have a set or draws that can easily beat AA. Just remember that AA can be beat and don’t over play them unless you feel you have the best hand.

I have heard so many people say “I had to call, I was pot committed”. If you are in a tournament and you raise, putting in half of your stack and you get raised for the rest; there is no reason that you should feel pot committed if you have a loosing hand! The point in a poker tournament is to make it as far as you can and if call just because you think your committed and not because you have the best hand, then not only have you made a bad call but you are playing bad poker!

I see this happen often with players who have been paying too much attention to the professional poker players around.  Being aggressive, means you must be SELECTIVE in your aggression.  Raising in the cutoff just because its folded to you – is not a smart move in the early stages of a poker tournament.  Play tight, protect your chips, play aggressive when you have hands in all positions, and wait for the opportunity to take advantage of your opponents.

Raising in fixed limit omaha high/low is practically useless.  The only time you should be raising in a fixed limit OH8 game, is if there are plus 4 limpers and you have an A2XX with a suited ace (or better).  The purpose of this raise only to build the pot, to ensure that you are getting a payoff when/if you hit.  Another hand that is ok to do this, is an all high hand (99XX, with XX being 2 cards 10 and higher), and again – the purpose is for pay off and results.

Just happens too often!  Poker Players overplay AK thinking it is a “premium hand”.  Keep in mind its only AK high.  And even if you hit an Ace or a King (just one of the 2) it is only 1 pair!  When playing hands like AK in poker, just make sure you are playing the poker players along with the hands!