Weak Aces

Let's begin by stating that one of my least favorite hands is ace/weak.  Last night at the legion I was constantly being dealt A/2, A/3, A/4, A/5, A/6, A/8.  I played a few of them last night at the Am. Legion tournament, particularly if suited and in position with only limpers.  I did not win a single hand with them.

The players at my table were the usual mix of aggressive donks, passive donks, semi-pros, and competent players.  4 of the original 9 on my table would end up on the final table of 9.

I played pocket aces differently last night than I ever did before.  I had lost about half my chips to John, an excellent player to my left, who called me down fairly light on my double barrelled missed flush draw bluff.  He won the hand with his weak ace (A/8 as I remember it).  When I picked up my aces, I was in the cutoff with only the blinds in the hand.  I decided to "gamble" and just limp with my rockets.  John completed the blind and the big blind checked.  Darn.  Had hoped for a raise somewhere so I could re-raise and isolate.  Anyway, the flop was 8 high and John bet out (he had K/4, and had bet second pair).  I re-raised all-in and he hesitated then called.  I managed to avoid another 4 or a king and made a key double up.  Whew!!!

A few hands later Blake, sitting to my immediate left, next to John, min-raised my big blind with his short stack.  John, the chip leader at the table, called and I called with K/5.  The flop had a 5, I checked, Blake shoved, John folded and I called, having him covered.  He turns over A/A.  Well played dude until the king hits the river.  Player down.  Very similar scenario to my aces, but I managed to avoid the two pair river card.

On to the final table, I am in fairly good shape but there are a few monster stacks in the hands of competent players.  Two of the big stacks self destructed, including a call from 6/6 against my Q/Q, and we got down to 5 players, with 5 spots plus the bubble being paid.  I was the short stack after another shortie tripled up and when the button raised 2.5 x my big blind, elected to shove with my weak ace, A/6.  Had almost enough to elicit a fold, but he was 2nd in chips and feeling frisky with his A/8, also a weak ace.  When he hit his 8 on the flop it was all over for me, finishing 5th for $72, a  $27 profit after buy-in and gratuity.  Oh well, a win is a win.