No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em, with all the complexity and psychology that surrounds it, has confounded most casual players. Even with simple yet powerful hole cards like AA and KK, intermediates and newcomers alike misplay them. They don’t understand the importance of optimizing AA and using KK in a way that keeps in mind that poker players, especially those online, love to play A-x.

Playing AA

Beginners literally jump out of their seats when playing this type of hand. Most of them shove all their chips in a split second when this shows up while forgetting the important fact that they must maximize their profit. Not make sure that a few pennies come their way.

As players do their customary raises and calls, an optimal play with this kind of hand is to simply call. You don’t acknowledge the fact that you have strong hole cards but ones that are simply “callable”– drawing cards like A-10 or K-J suited.

Once the flop shows up, be wary of its texture. 8-3-J with no similar suits is an excellent flop; and given that there was a raiser before the flop, this gives him/her an automatic action of making a continuation bet of around half the pot. Therefore, you shouldn’t bet when you’re in early position. Not only does a check indicate a weakness, simply calling a bet that gives you 3 to 1 pot odds only gives the impression to your opponents that you only have a pair of jacks with a medium kicker or better.

Whatever card that shows up on 4th street, you must over-bet (3/2 or twice the pot) indicating that you want to steal the pot and acting all jittery, showing that you are making a desperate bluff. If you’re not an actor even worthy of a class award, then over-betting will suffice. When your opponent does see this, he/she will definitely see this as a sign of weakness, as seen from the fact that you frantically tried to block his/her pot odds. With that in place, the player will be compelled to call your seemingly atrocious error.

With those plays in place, be ready to joyously eat up the pot. Trips or a two pair isn’t likely, because he/she didn’t make a reasonably sized bet in the first place, which is around the size of the pot. Also take note that this strategy only works with good players, not beginners who mindlessly call bets without realizing the basic concepts of pot odds and outs.

Playing KK

KK should be played differently. In the betting round pre-flop, you must hammer the pot as much as possible, making sure that only excellent drawing cards and face cards will be the only ones that will call your bet. But stomping the pot doesn’t mean that you’ll go all-in, a bet around four to five times the big blind is just right.

After the flop, in the threatening instance A comes, do not cringe and just check. Rather, as a raiser in the pre-flop betting round, you should make a continuation bet. But don’t give rather pathetic bet of about half the pot, it should be a straight-up value bet of around 2/3 to the size of the pot. Not only does it present the fact that you do have a hand, it also conceals the fact that you only have KK while making your opponents believe you just paired your ace. When someone does call, brace yourself because he/she has either AQ or AK, given that she called your substantial raise pre-flop. So to speak, don’t attempt an outrageous bluff on 4th street but be calm and fold your hand. Remember, poker is a game of making the least mistakes, not winning substantial pots.