Poker How To Play Ak

1. AK is one of the best starting hands in 6-max No Limit Holdem Cash Game. It is a real profit-generating weapon if used correctly. In this article, I am going to share with you my guru insight and experiences on how to play.
2. 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.

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So it’s down to your favourite day of the week – Friday poker night. The first part of the night goes fairly well, but you still haven’t hit the big pot that you have been hoping for.

The way featured Upswing Poker coach Doug Polk would play Ace-King in an ace-kingless board is as follows: Check-call if it’s a type 1 good board. Bet-fold if its a type 2 ok board. Check-fold if it’s a type 3. It is a wise idea to evaluate the players you are up against and the type of cards in the flop when you see the AK in your pre-flop cards. You also need to pay close attention to the moves made by your opponents. If you make the wrong move, it could cost you a pretty penny. Back to Bitesize Poker.

Then, like a gift from above, your first two (pre-flop) cards are an A-K. Just what you’ve been waiting for! What should your first move be?

A Typical Ace-King Hand – Sound Familiar?

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Well your holding one of the stronger hands in poker, so your going to raise it up and not only narrow the field of opponents down but also build some value into the pot. A number of your opponents immediately fold but three opponents call and come along for the ride.

The flop cards are laid down: J, 10, and 3. Well the flop has missed your powerful Ace-King but you have added a very powerful draw with a spade flush draw, a straight flush draw and a gutshot straight draw.

You were the aggressor before the flop and so you come out betting after the flop with a pot sized bet trying to show your opponent that you are still strong and that you mean business. Two of your opponents have seen enough and they pack their bags and get out of the hand but suddenly your third opponent comes back over the top of you with a raise.

Your now faced with a tough decision and you get down to crunching the numbers to see how much money you need to put in to call the raise and what odds you have of actually hitting your draw. Eventually you decide to call the raise.

The turn card is the 8 which completely misses your draw and you are first to act. Now you have a really tough decision to make. Your opponent has shown some serious strength on the flop which gives a strong indication that he has already made his hand and wants to protect it against the flush draw. The flush draw hasn’t come and it is very likely that he is going to try and protect it again whether you bet out or not.

So you decide to check and your opponent moves all-in, which forces you away from the hand and you fold.

The above is just an example of how difficult Ace-King can be to play after the flop. It looks pretty and is a very strong starting hand, but at the end of the day it is a drawing hand. If you fail to connect with the flop, turn or river then all you have is Ace high.

So How Should I Play Ace King?

The key to playing Ace-King is to recognize what it really is and play it like a drawing hand. Yes be aggressive with it before the flop, and yes by all means take a stab at a continuation bet if you’re playing against the right players that you think will fold even if you don’t connect on the flop, but if you are shown signs of resistance and you are confident that your opponent has you beat, then get the hell out of there if you haven’t got the correct odds to continue.

At this point, it is important for you to evaluate what type of players you are up against. In every situation it is imperative that you keep an eye on what actions were taken by your opponents in previous hands so that when you come to face them you can use that information to take the best actions against them.

If you find yourself up against a very tight player, and he has already called your raise pre-flop and then calls or raises your continuation bet then you can be fairly sure that he has you beat.

Against a more loose player, he may well come along for the ride without much of a hand, and your strong ace high or strong draw could still hold you in good shape.

But Ace-King really is a hand that should be played aggressively before the flop and then cautiously after the flop.

Don’t Stake Your Life on Ace King

I always remember a quote I heard from Scotty Nguyen while talking to another player who had just lost a big portion of his stack when he overplayed Ace-King and ran into an opponent who had him well beat.

“I used to be like you, baby. When I was younger I would stake my house, my wife and my car on Ace-King – Then I became a good poker player”

So then how do you go about playing Ace-King after the flop? Well whether you connect with the flop or not, you are probably going to want to put a bet out after the flop to try and find out where you are with your opponents.

You may well take the pot down there and then, or one or more of your opponents may call or raise your bet.

If you get callers or are raised then its time to hit the think tank and try and put your opponent on a hand. Look at the board and try and work out if you think they have already hit a hand, or whether they could have been calling the bet on a draw.

If they are raising, then look at the board and see if there are any kinds of draws showing on the board that your opponent may be trying to protect against with a hand such a top pair or stronger. If your opponent is a good player, then they may well have already put you on a hand like A-K and recognized your continuation bet and be re-raising you to take you off the hand.

Unfortunately there is no set strategy for playing Ace-King after the flop, it is heavily dependent on the type of players you are up against, the cards that have come down on the flop and your table image.

Before automatically making a continuation bet after the flop you should consider the flop. If you get a combination of cards that would most likely not benefit most of your opponents, then this is a good time to make a continuation bet and possibly take the pot down there and then.

If you get a flop that looks dangerous and may have hit the sort of cards that you think your opponents would call a pre-flop raise with then just use common sense and don’t go betting your life on your A-K.

If the flop cards are laid down and are in your favour, bet. If they aren’t then the better option may be to check.

There is one thing you should keep in mind, if another player decides to bet into you on the flop, don’t make the mistake of re-raising! Often times in this situation you will end up getting beat out with a better hand and more often than not an opponent who bets out here will have some type of hand.

In conclusion, it all comes down to having a sensible post flop strategy. It is a wise idea to evaluate the players you are up against and the type of cards in the flop when you see the AK in your pre-flop cards. You also need to pay close attention to the moves made by your opponents. If you make the wrong move, it could cost you a pretty penny.

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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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