How to win with kings?

Originally posted by Vulcunus

3. I play the hand cautiously and get sucked out on, losing a huge pot because there was no ace to scare me away:

you clearly didn't play it cautiously if you lost a huge pot

but seriously, preflop usually raise/go all in except vs very nitty early raisers, postflop dont overplay it, its only a pair, dont be afraid to fold it

What I mean by cautiously is that I slow play it pre-flop. Of course if I have an overpair on a draw heavy board I'll bet heavily to stop draws, not that it ever works.

The problem with going all in pre-flop is that I usually play fairly deep stacked and therefore the most likely hand I'm going to get called by is aces. So i really don't see how raising till I'm all in can possibly be a positive EV play.

Originally posted by Vulcunus
Hello, first time poster here. I have been having problems with what is supposedly the second best starting hand in the game of hold'em, namely KK.
Since I've started playing the game one of three things without a single exception:

1. I raise and get no action and pick up the blinds.

2.I get it all in pre-flop and lose to pocket aces or my opponent hits an ace losing a huge pot

3. I play the hand cautiously and get sucked out on, losing a huge pot because there was no ace to scare me away:

Please help

Right, here's what I think. (it could be pish... so be warned)

1. You're clearly playing all your other hands too tight, if you're only raising when you get something big. i.e. raising say 5% of your hands for example. Your opponents can read what you have and are folding accordingly. If this is the case, I'd (re)read the article on stealing and deceptive 3-bets. But these are to be used only in the right situations, and not with something like Q8o

2. Variance is a mother fucker, you cant fold KK pre-flop, and AA is the only hand that has you beat. Play more hands soon the KK will be so beautiful you'll want to have sex with it. But unfortunately you cant do that without destroying your computer.

3. NEVER, EVER, EVER slow-play kings pre-flop. You slow play and you give any person with Ax a cheap route to outdraw you and then you'll be in trouble.

just openship like a boss

Depending on ur table position you have to be aggressive with KK.. That being said I have lost 4 times this week to AA with every KK at PKR was sick I felt like folding them 2 after thatbut still feel to play the hand aggressive gl

Originally posted by Zareos

1. You're clearly playing all your other hands too tight, if you're only raising when you get something big. i.e. raising say 5% of your hands for example. Your opponents can read what you have and are folding accordingly. If this is the case, I'd (re)read the article on stealing and deceptive 3-bets. But these are to be used only in the right situations, and not with something like Q8o

2. Variance is a mother fucker, you cant fold KK pre-flop, and AA is the only hand that has you beat. Play more hands soon the KK will be so beautiful you'll want to have sex with it. But unfortunately you cant do that without destroying your computer.

3. NEVER, EVER, EVER slow-play kings pre-flop. You slow play and you give any person with Ax a cheap route to outdraw you and then you'll be in trouble.

1. I don't feel like I am playing particulary tight. I'm at least playing looser than the starting hand charts on this site would recommend. And I do occasionaly 3-bet light. Where can I find that article?

2. Actually I have folded kings pre-flop. Once a player 4-bet me from early position and I had been playing with him for a while, so I had an idea of what he would 4-bet with and decided it could only be 2 hands. I had one of them so I folded, and sure enough he showed the aces. One of my best laydowns.

3. I like to limp 3-bet from early position at an aggresive table. I think it makes it alot harder for a weak ace to call a 3-bet than if I were to play aggressively from the start. However this does kill my action except against super strong hands like aces. The problem with limping though, is getting called by draws which is often problamatic. Either way I play it, I seem to lose.

Originally posted by minibiff
just openship like a boss

+1 honestly not gunna lie if yu just decide right i have no idea how to play KK for the mean time just open ship it, i even used to do that in tournments on the first hand if i picked up AA/KK purely because people would think im a maniac and call me with AQ+, 1010+

With 200 bb + you shall never go broke with kings pre! If villian is a thinking player he is only getting in AA preflop in that spot, theres some articles about it.