by David Chicotsky - @TheMavenVT
 
In tournaments, with average chip-stacks of less than 50 blinds, hands like aces or kings don’t give players too many dilemma spots preflop.

 It’s after the flop, when players are often faced with a decision for their entire stack, that basic estimation skills are needed to figure out what to do. These skills apply when figuring out whether to hold on to a big pair until showdown, or lay the hand down. So which factors will most likely lead you to fold a big pair post-flop?

 Two primary factors for laying down a hand like aces after the flop are board texture and the number of players involved in it. Often it’s a combination of an unfavorable board and many players in the hand that prompts a player to determine that a certain situation requires folding.

 A four-card straight or four-card flush will sometimes do the trick if you’re not holding any piece of the straight, or no club on a four-club board. Another reason might be your chip stack in comparison to other chip stacks deep in a tournament. Let’s say there are nine players left, you are third in chip count, and the chip-leader is putting you to a test for all of your chips after the flop. In this situation, a survey of the other stacks at the table must be made.

 We’ll assume you have 40 blinds, the chip leader has 60 blinds, and that the bottom three chip stacks all have less than 10 blinds. You must be correct a high percentage of the time to account for the negative consequence of getting knocked out before the shorter stacks at the table.

 Another simple indicator that could lead you to fold a big pair once the flop is exposed would be the combination of a dangerous board and a very tight player. I’m not advocating “looking to fold,” in pots where you are isolated against one opponent. Rather, I’m suggesting that when you’re up against a loaded board and a tight player, don’t be surprised by the percentage of the time when the cards are flipped over and you’re not ahead. While aces will be way ahead of your opponents’ general range on most boards, when negative factors are combined in the poker math equation, all of a sudden your expected results are not as favorable.

 The larger the chip stack, essentially the more chance for both risk and reward, assuming you pick up indications that the entire stack will be at risk. It’s important to keep a close eye on what your opponents’ actions mean and the consequences they could have.

 Keep in mind that effective stack sizes will drastically impact other variables involved in the hand. For example, in a tournament if someone is willing to get 100 blinds all-in on the flop, their range is much more narrow than going up against an opponent willing to put 30 blinds all-in on the flop.

 Let’s assume 50 blinds in a tournament is a relatively nice size stack which most opponents will not precariously commit on the flop without a tight range of holdings. Even so, with 50 blinds or fewer and devoid of multiple negative factors, we’ll assume our aces are still ahead of what we’ve already determined to be an already limited range. It will take multiple negative factors to sway us towards seriously considering folding after the flop.

 In many ways there is a strong parallel between poker and life. Most people can handle one negative in their life. But when a multitude of bad things happen all at once they have the potential for causing great stress. If you’re in a dilemma spot on the felt, such as what to do with a big pair on or after the flop, keep it simple. Evaluate how many negative factors you’re up against and use that information to help you make your decision.

 David “The Maven” Chicotsky is the 2008 Online Player of the Year and a successful poker coach—you can reach him at www.TheMavenTraining.com . David is currently the Marketing Director for PokeroomUSA.com and founder of TicoTours.com, a travel and business development company based in Costa Rica.