Hypothetical question (buy I've always wondered)
 

You work hard to save up 10 grand, you did not win it or steal it, you worked and saved for how ever long it would take you to tuck away 10 grand and you are off to Vegas to play in the World Series of Poker main event. You plunk down the entry fee and are on the button for the very first hand of the tournament, somebody goes all-in and gets called, the action is to you and there are TWO PLAYERS all-in (keep in mind it's the very first hand) and you look down to see two Aces, what do you do?

Of course I know two Aces are the best you can go in with, but do you risk everything on not getting drawn out on against two other hands?

Thoughts?????

GO for it, if you start laying down AA you shouldn't be there in the first place.

I can see that theory, and in all honesty I would probably do the same thing, you couldn't drive a 6 penny nail up my arse at the time, but I would do it.

Smile and call. If you can't win w/ Aces, you can't w/ with anything. Ha. No really - I definitely call here. You are a favorite to win, so you might as well put your money in when you have the best of it.

Well, there are situations where you should lay down AA... but not in the above example.

An additional note:

I wouldn't be the guy to win and save up for the WSOP. The only way I'd EVER play the WSOP is if I was either: (i) backed to play, or (ii) won a sat and got "free entry." You know what I mean.

I know exactly what you mean.

Call.

And then close your eyes until it's over.

The day I start laying down AA preflop is the day I quit playing, sure there is times during a hand that you have to lay them down common sense dictates as hard as some people find doing it.

Call for sure!
 

With two players, I'd be even more likely to call than one, as I'd put one of them on KK, maybe the other on AK suited.

You have to have the winning mentality to play these huge tourneys properly. If you aren't trying to win, you won't. Simple as that. I would go all-in with X other players, since you have just as good a chance of nailing you set for the pot. Plus winning a massive pot like that first hand would be a massive head start and advantage.

I'll tell you when I would consider laying down AA preflop...

Same scenario as above, but instead of us talking about the first hand of the tourney, how about when you are on the bubble. 226 players left, with the Top 225 getting paid. Next guy out loses, and everyone else wins at least 15 grand (hello, next year!).

My chip could would be a big factor here (like if I was short, but not short enough that I have to worry about getting blinded off for a few rounds), as would who made the raise, etc. I would probably go all in, but I have to tell you, I just might consider folding.

That’s a lot trickier ….
 

Wow. Good one.

I should research the payout structure at the WSOP to make a more informed decision.

Man -- that is a tough. If had both of the first two all ins covered by enough that I could survive at least two more orbits, I call. If I have less than enough to cover two orbits as is, I call.

Anywhere in-between ... I fold. But how the hell could I fold pocket Aces pre-flop in the WSOP?

That is an evil dilemma, and I just spent way too much time thinking about it.

Funny you bring that up, I have folded AA before the flop once. Satellite where top 25 got to the big game and 26 players left I had a small amount of chips but 2 all-ins called by a giant stack made it easy for me to lay them down, if either one of the smaller stacks busts out then I get the same prize as the first place guy. As luck would have it he did bust out both the smaller stacks with KK, I would have won the hand, but who cares now.
You get one guess what I busted out of the 200+15 game with.....

This is a great example. I would have made this fold too. You're in a positin where you're not playing to win, but rather playing to NOT lose.

A better example would be if you had the second biggest stack and the biggest stack went all in preflop (in the same satellite scenario). That would be the easiest fold of my life.

It would be hard to call on the first hand and risk your entire $10,000 but I think you have to if you want to advance very far, especially with the large number of players this year and an even larger crowd expected next year. I just wouldn't watch until all the cards are out.

theres no circumstance that would ever make folding AA preflop the right move.... even in satellites when you have a big stack and theres 1 more person to go before you get an entry to a bigger tourney, you should call an all in because you will PROBABLY win the hand, and this is your best chance to knock out the last guy, and cash. folding here in order to stay away from action is very, very stupid because you are prolonging the satellite and you could have just ended it right there, instead of potentially getting blinded down to nothing if everyone else decides to take advantage of a person using a post-and-fold pussy strategy.

-jB

You missed a key part of my post (I hope):

Note that you are pretty much guaranteed to win this tourney (only one loser left), but you are willing to risk your entire stack against a bigger stack? No way. That would be crazy. You HAVE to fold here.

I would only fold in this position if there were 2 or 3 very short stacks at the table, whose knockouts were bound to happen within 20 hands anyways. if everyone was about even, theres no way i could fold if i knew i could cripple the big stacker at this point. You're right in what you said, but I would only fold in this position if a shortstack is about to get killed by the blinds.

-jB

first hand, you have to push it in. if you want to play as scared money, then you have no business in being there in the first place.

like others said, the only way i ever lay down aces preflop, is when you are on the bubble in a satellite, there are multiple players already all in, and there is no benefit to moving up in the chip count. other than that, i am just hoping that they hold up.

i just cant see folding AA unless on the buble. PERIOD!