In poker tournaments not labeled as satellites, is it possible for an ace to be considered a fold? Inquiry by Dara O'Kearney.

In the final table of the World Series of Poker Online Event #7: $215 Mystery Millions - $1M Top Bounty, a dramatic turn of events unfolded as a player decided to fold a pair of aces pre-flop.

The decision, met with a mix of surprise and understanding from the poker community, was not without debate. Some players argued that avoiding a clash and risking busting the tournament before the shorter stacks was a reasonable reason for the fold. However, many, including poker analysts, consider the call a better option, given the high expected value in such a situation.

The presence of mystery bounties in the tournament did not significantly impact the decision-making process at this stage. As the bounty pool had a high percentage already paid out, the bounties ceased to be a significant factor. In PKO's (Progressive Knockout tournaments), players often overvalue the bounties, thinking they are large amounts compared to earlier in the tournament. However, in reality, the bounties make little difference at this point.

The fold was first brought to light through social media alerts from GGPoker and notifications on the author's Twitter account. The Holdem Resource Calculator showed that the call in the given poker situation would have netted the player $67,900, making the fold a significant mistake.

Milthon Boldewijn, a user on Simplify Poker Academy, expressed the sentiment of some players about the fold, stating, "Folding Aces in this situation could be seen as burning money due to the high potential reward."

While the identity of the player who made the fold remains undisclosed, the incident sparked a lively discussion in the poker community. As a general rule, it's safe to assume that if it isn't a satellite, Aces should not be folded pre-flop. The exception to this rule is when the maximum prize remains in the bounty pool, which can affect ranges to some extent, but not as much as people might think.

In very rare cases, Aces might be folded in a non-satellite tournament, but only if the prize pool is extremely flat. The author, relieved to see the latest notification blowup, found solace in the fact that at least someone had folded Aces, even if it was under unusual circumstances.

In poker tournaments not labeled as satellites, is it possible for an ace to be considered a fold? Inquiry by Dara O'Kearney.