Poker How To Play Ak

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AK is arguably the third best starting hand in Texas holdem, but that doesn’t mean that it is easy to play. This hand plays best against no more than one or two opponents. The more opponents you have, the. Popularly called the Big Slick (when suited), Ace King is easily one of the top five starting poker hands. It is a monster of a hand and can help you in drawing in a huge pot. If you hit even one of your cards on.

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Playing AK on a Missed Flop

AK is a really tricky hand to play after you miss the flop. A big proportion of players will overplay and over value these hands, or even start building pots and bluffing in the wrong tables positions which is extremely dangerous. However, most of the time the failure comes from players mid-reading their opponent’s hands and strength post-flop. In this article I’m going to analyse a number of scenarios and provide tips for playing AK correctly on a missed flop – both in and out of position.

Situation 1: In Position

In position against one or two opponents who called your pre-flop raise, a continuation bet is the best play on a dry flop like 6h-8h-2s. It’s very unlikely anyone will have hit with their calling range. We’re probably putting our opponents on broadway cards, high suited connectors or mid-pocket pairs.

A continuation bet ½ pot only has to work once in three times to break even, and each opponent only has a 30% chance of hitting the flop. Against a single opponent in a cash game I’m always continuation betting here, against 2 opponents I’ll need to know my table image better and the cards my opponents will be playing. Either way, with 2 checks ahead of me it’s extremely likely I’m still ahead so I’ll bet half-pot (e.g. $40 into a $75 pot).

If a player hits back at you it’s an easy fold, as he must have top pair or a set minimum – and he definitely won’t be on a draw.

If he flat-calls your raise then you’re still most likely ahead. If he’s checking the turn then again you should bet out a ½ pot bet. If his hand hasn’t improve by the turn (for instance if he’s holding QJ and still misses) then he’s folding to more action.

Barrelling the river

Let’s say your opponent calls you to the river and it brings another blank card. This is a really difficult situation because whether or not you 3-barrel the turn is all about your read. For instance, ask yourself whether a player of this quality will be calling you on the flop and turn with a flush draw. A lot of weak opponents will however against good opponents this is unlikely.

So, on a board like6h-8h-3s-10d-2d it’s very likely you’re AK has showdown value against a bad opponent. In either case I’m probably checking the river. If he’s missed his draw he’s unlikely to check-raise you, and if even if you raise the river it’s negative chip equity because you’re only going to get called by hands that beat you.

If you believe youre opponent was on a draw but might have caught a small pair with a hand like Ah3h, you can 3barrel the river. Your bet needs to be carefully weighted here and I suggest a 2/3 pot-bet is enough to fold a marginal hand, yet not too much that it looks bluffy.

Situation 2 – out of position

Playing AK out of position in is alot tougher in cash games as you only have a 30% chance of hitting a pair on the flop – and if you miss and someone else raises you there isn’t a lot of flops you can afford to call with. So against multiple opponents I’m often going to check-fold my AK out of position.

However if you fancy playing aggressively there are multiple ways to play AK on a missed flop. Depending on the texture you can raise AK first-to-act on rainbow flops like 3d-Js-7h because it’s extremely unlikely anyway will have hit. Mid to late position players calling your pre-flop raise with suited connectors or JQ/KQ type hands have no chance. Thus, on certain flops you can raise AK out of position and take it down. A bad flop to do this though would be Qh-7h-10s.

If you get your AK called on a 3d-Js-7h flop you need to be bold and either check-fold the turn, or be prepared to 3-barrel as mentioned above.

Lastly, on a missed flop with AK out of position you can bluff check-raise. The player in position will likely be cbetting all flops anyway and if you check-raise here he’s almost always folding. This play is very straight forward because you’re folding to a call too!

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Being dealt top paint doesn’t necessarily make a winning hand

In Texas Hold’em, getting pocket QQ or AK have very similar equity, which means that these hands can be treated in the same way while in preflop action. This is a hand that can easily create confusion regarding what is the best thing to do, given the opportunities it brings. Of course, having pocket QQ is better than just having AK. For instance, if you get AK and the pot shows AA or KK, the greatest odds are not for you; however, if you get the same cards holding QQ, you can still take advantage of being a sizeable underdog.

The biggest dilemma when facing this hand is what to do on the preflop. These are surely tricky hands and although it is ok to go all in sometimes, it is also a good decision to fold when facing major pressure. These are definitely situation hands in which the proper action will depend on a number of other variables.

As in every poker hand, position matters. For instance, when holding QQ or AK while in late position, you can praise your luck. A good position will almost always give you an edge, so playing any hand would be much easier. On the other hand, if you are out of position, these cards can be dangerous, as they can be easily bully around; one good thing is that, while in late positions, these cards will give you fold equity. Something worth trying is to go all in to force other players to fold, most likely the ones who don’t are the ones that could possibly beat you.

How To Play Poker Better

Typically speaking, both hands are worthy of some good preflop action, even if you choose not to go all in. However, if you do decide to go all-in, it would be better to do it while in position, so you are the last one placing a bet.

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