AA from UTG, first in — fold, call or raise?
The answer
Raise
open for a raise
The math: Pocket aces are the best starting hand. They open from anywhere, every time.
Why
Aces are the strongest hand you can hold before the flop — a favourite over every other hand. Raise to build a pot while you’re ahead. Limping or slow-playing just lets cheap hands see a flop and snap you off.
The spot
- Your seat
- UTG
- Stakes and stacks
- $1 / $2 · 100bb
- Your hand
- A♠ A♦
- Board
- Preflop — no board yet
- Pot
- POT · $3
- Action on you
- You’re first to act
Every option
Foldgive up the hand
Why not: Folding the best hand in poker is never right — aces open from every seat.
Calllimp to trap
Why not: Limping aces is a trap that backfires: you build no pot and let cheap hands outdraw you.
Raiseopen for a raiseCorrect
2bb · $4 · 2.5bb · $5 · 3bb · $6
The idea behind it
The strongest hands raise from every seat. Early-position ranges are tight, but the premiums are always in them.
Concept: Premium hands
Terms in this spot
Play it instead of reading it
The trainer deals this hand with hints, grading and spaced repetition — and randomized variations of it once you have seen it.