Folding AA in Texas Holdem

Is it ever correct to fold AA preflop in Texas Holdem? The answer is yes as we can easily find a few extreme situations where this clearly would be the right choice.

An extreme situation

Consider the following situation taken from a Texas Holdem poker tournament.

7 players are left in a Texas poker satellite tournament that award 6 players a main event seat.

Blinds 1000-2000.

Chip counts:

Player 1: 100.000
Player 2: 90.000
Player 3: 80.000
Player 4: 70.000
Player 5: 10.000
Player 6: 8.000
Player 7: 5.000

Player 2 holds AA in his hand preflop and is in the big blind. Player 1 now moves all in with 100.000.

If player 2 decides to make the call with AA then he might be out of the tournament if he gets unlucky whereas folding more or less ensures a 100% guaranteed satellite win. Player 5,6 and 7 are so low in chips that the right Texas Holdem strategy in this case would be to fold AA and wait and see what happens. Only 1 more player need to be kicked out of the tournament to ensure a win and chances of this happening are enormous. There are simply no arguments of risking the sure win even with the very best hand you can be dealt preflop.

Crazy examples

The above Texas Hold em hand example is of course extreme in its nature but this exact situation and variations of it happen every single day in online poker Texas Holdem tournaments.

Poker is a situational and complex game of skill. Every Texas Poker hand played requires players to make the best possible decision depending on the conditions at the specific time the hands take place.

Many poker players forget the Texas Holdem basics when involved in hands. What in theory is the best course of action with a hand is not always the best course of action in the actual situation.

Texas Holdem charts are useful tools but only to a certain extent. Players should always keep this in mind before deciding to play a hand or not. Using common sense is often a lot better than using tools when playing online Texas Holdem poker.