This is one of those few scenarios where you can be almost certain a player has aces.

Although extremely rare, the legend of the player who only plays aces is actually based on fact. There really are players who only play the very best hands - and sometimes only if they have position.

Although this article is specifically about playing against one of these fossils, it's not limited to them. There are lots of times when you can be as close to certain as you can be that a player has aces or kings.

Even if it's in their range to have queens, jacks or ace-king, for the purposes of this article, we're not even going to consider those as possibilities - and neither should you at the table.

When you're playing to crack aces, you're hoping the player really does have them, regardless of what they truly hold.

The End Goal

Your goal when playing to crack aces is simple: Get out of the hand cheap, or take someone's entire stack.

Anything in the middle should be considered a mistake, and a costly one at that.

Some Percentages

Here's how a variety of hands hold up against A A over five streets:

• A Q - 8%
• A K - 12%
• T 5 - 13%
• 2 3 - 16%
• 6 8 - 17%
• K K - 17%
• K Q - 18%
• 4 4 - 18%
• J J - 18%
• 7 8 - 23%

What you want to take away from this list is the general range of how hands fare against aces. The worst hands are as low as 8% while the best climb as high as 23%.

The goal is a small risk, for a large reward.

Face value, your odds are poor.

All About Implied Odds

Since the best percentage you can get for five cards comes in under 25%, you're almost guaranteed to never get pot odds to make this a profitable call.

Even if five players make a pre-flop call along with us, the chances all of them call all bets to the river are slim to none.

The reason you're playing against the aces has nothing to do with pot odds; you're only playing for implied odds here.

Before you can even think about playing your hand, you need to make sure of four things:

1. Your opponent has a lot of chips (we're talking 100bb minimum)
2. You have a lot of chips (ideally, more than your opponent)
3. Your opponent will be willing to go broke with aces
4. You have a hand that can get paid

Without all of these things coming together at once, you're wasting your time and money even considering playing the hand.

But if you do have all of these things in order, you have a double green light to see a flop.

Hand Selection

Some hands are more likely to be paid out by aces than others. You need to be sure the hand you're playing, if it hits, will actually make you money.

So you want to play cards that can hit a very large, but hidden, hand.

Some Examples:

Your Hand	The Flop	Get Paid?
4 4	7 4 10	Yes
10 J	7 8 9	No
K Q	K Q 6	No
6 8	5 7 9	Yes

Pocket pairs are always great options when trying to crack aces. When playing a pocket pair, you're essentially "set mining" - looking to hit a set on the flop.

When you hit, it's hidden and it's huge. When you miss, it's an easy fold.

Even hands such as 6 8 (suited one-gappers) are wonderful. When they hit a straight or two pair, it's difficult for anyone to put you on the hand. In other words, you get paid off.

A hand like 10 J or K Q, on the other hand, is going to get you into trouble.

For one, when it does hit large enough to crack aces, it's going to be on a wet board where most players won't go broke with just one pair.

For two, if you're wrong and your opponent has kings, hitting top two with K Q will leave you broke.

Only hands which stand a reasonable chance at getting paid should be played. Leave the rest in the muck.

Playing the Flop

When you're playing to crack aces, the flop is by far the most important street.  You're looking for a perfect or near-perfect flop.

On the flop there are only three possible scenarios:

1. You miss
2. You hit huge (minimum two pair, ideally a straight or set)
3. You hit a huge draw

When you miss the flop, poker is easy: fold out and wait for the next hand. Getting out cheap is what you're looking to do over 90% of the time.

Due to short stacks in tourneys, this article is mostly cash-game specific.

When you do hit huge on the flop, your only goal is to get your opponent to put in as much money as possible. You need to find the balance between not giving away what you hold and still building a pot large enough to warrant the aces getting it all in by the river.

Many players with aces will assume they have the best hand and are trying to value bet you. These players will make small bets trying to lure you into calling.

Most often, a player's bet sizing will always be directly proportionate to the size of the pot. If you're just check-calling small bets, the pot will never grow large enough to warrant an all in.

When you flop a huge draw, how you play the hand is up to you.

Typically you want to try and keep the pot small and cheap until you hit. If you flop an open-ended straight-flush draw, you're sitting in great shape to win the pot, but only half your outs will get you paid.

Flushes scare people. And because your opponent fears the flush, your implied odds on your draw may not be nearly as large as you would like.

Unless you know you can get paid from all of your outs, you need to keep the pot small until you have the boss hand.

Once your draw completes, and you're holding the nuts (or a hand large enough to be considered as such), your only goal is to pump the ever-loving bejesus out of the pot, and take your opponent's whole stack.

Related strategy articles:

• Poker Trouble Spots: Way Ahead or Way Behind Part 1
  
• Ace-Queen Part 1: The Worst Best Hand
• Poker Trouble Spots: KK in Early Position Part 1
• Controlling the Hand Part 1