In every decision you make at the poker table, the first thing you should consider is your table image. This is the same when you have looked down at your cards to see one of the two big pair.

The Big Pairs, A-A, K-K

When it come to playing your big pairs, according to the top poker calculator, they actually play quite differently. The reason you need to play A-A different from K-K, is that even though both hands are big favorites against any hand, K-K only wins 71% of the time against A-2. Whereas with A-A, any flop you see is generally a safe flop for you, and nearly impossible to lay down. With K-K 21% of the time the flop will bring an Ace, thus K-K is far easier to fold on the flop.

If I am holding K-K and their has been a raise I will almost always re-raise. However, with A-A – I am more inclined to flat call a raise, provided I am only going to see a flop with that one player. This is because A-A against one opponent is a massive favorite, so your looking to keep him in the pot and slightly hide the fact you have Aces. It is also important to remember that Aces can be beat, however against one opponent 9 times out of 10 you are going to take the pot. The more opponents you let see the flop, the less chance you have of winning the pot.

Multi Way Action with Big Pairs

The most important rule to remember when playing your big poker pairs is you do not encourage multi way action. This rule is so important that if you find A-A or K-K in early position, I would recommend that you make an oversized bet to stop later players calling for value. For example, the big stack calls then everyone else does after him for value. It is important to remember the more people that see a flop, the less the chance your Aces will win the pot. In addition, Aces can get very expensive if you do lose the hand because you have to bet out on any flop. This is because every flop is a seemingly safe flop. Therefore, if you do end up being out drawn, it can be a very expensive hand.

The most important thing to remember when playing your big pairs is that you want as many chips in the middle as possible against only one opponent. Multi way action is usually a bad sign when you have Aces or Kings, and will often result in the end of your tournament.