What's our action?

'Tis a FR 25nl table and everyone has 100bbs. We are UTG+1 and unknown UTG raises to $1. We look down at AK0 - what's our action into the whole table?

Depends what suit, if the A is a spade I fold, but if it's a club I raise. If the K is a heart I think you just flat call.

I reraise it to $3-4 to isolate and keep out limpers, A shove I would have to think about but would probably call.

OK but in all seriousness, I think a raise to about $3 or a flat call would both be good here, I'd mix it up between the 2, raising more often than calling. The call is fine because if you hit your hand you most likely have the best hand, but you also don't want to be playing against a ton of players. It all depends though, if an UTG raise will get like 6 callers, you must raise. If everyone is playing tight, a call would be fine because you do want a few callers, knowing that if an A or K flops you're most likely good. The raise here accomplishes a few things. First of all it builds the pot, and when you have a hand as good as AK you want the pot big. You can then either cbet to a check, fold unimproved to a flop bet, or do something else based on your read and opponents (also if other opponents called your re-raise). Basically it just depends, but most of the time here I'm raising and making it about $3.

By this do you mean you would think about shoving, or do you mean you would think for a while if utg shoved your re raise?

Raising to about 4$ seems right. If villain calls we can think he doesnt have aces, knig and probably not queens. In position on the flop, if checked to c-bet whatever, if bet into raise if hit ace or king otherwise fold.

I would think about it but call a shove by UTG.

Calling a shove with AKo in most situations is a bad policy as you're basically praying for a coinflip, but it's especially bad if you're getting 4-bet from UTG. Standard fold to this imo.

If we raise and isolate we do have the benefit of position if called though...

Why am I praying for a coin flip? No reads were given in the original question. I say it is 50-50 whether he is holding QQ's or JJ's; AA's and KK's are less likely due to us holding one of each. It is just as likely he is shoving with KQ or QJ or 10's.

^^^

With AK we need postflop fold equity, as do we want to build the pot, so I'm raising here most of the time, reevaluating if 4-bet.

Smooth calling is fine as a balancing play.

whaa?

KQ and QJ are RARELY shoving in a ring game. We rarely want to get our money in pf with AK as most players aren't likely to get their whole stack in without QQ+.

I see, I think why I am praying for a coin flip. I am losing to any pair and by keeping it small can either bluff the flop or get out cheap, is that right?

Well look at it this way - if you're up against your average 25nl player, he's not getting his money all in preflop without a big pair, or possibly AK himself.

In an all in situation in a ring game, we almost always get our money in when we have any type of an edge in equity, and fold when we don't.

Anyways against that range we are a significant dog, and have to fold:

equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 30.858% 30.48% 00.38% 6263357 77250.00 { AdKc }
Hand 1: 69.142% 68.77% 00.38% 14129791 77250.00 { QQ+ }

The only time it becomes a call is when we add in AQ/AQs to the range:

equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 51.371% 37.37% 14.00% 21117250 7910183.50 { AdKc }
Hand 1: 48.629% 34.63% 14.00% 19568415 7910183.50 { QQ+, AQs+, AQo+ }

But that's a rarity that someone will stack with AQ in a ring game.

Try picking up pokerstove and fooling with some numbers; it'll give you a better idea of hand ranges and such. (pokerstove.com, it's free)

Yeah, basically. We reraise preflop, get a call, and take it down a good chunk of the time postflop (folding out lots of pocket pairs in the process).

That's where our fold equity comes from, and that's why they say 'ak is a raising hand, not a calling hand'.

I see, I was too liberal with my range. I do have poker stove just not on this PC. Well, disregard my foolishness.

But this is without AK in the mixa, which will shove here a lot when OOP. Then it's:

Us: 38.824%
Dem: 61.176%

fwiw pokerstove ftw - serious pwnage factor

Well in my experience AK's usually taking a flop, but it's definitely a possibility. I think it depends on the opponent, but on average I don't see many unknowns stacking ak pf.

Anyways doesn't really matter all that much as we should still be folding to a shove if that is in fact his range.

Once again Chuck essentially closes a thread single handedly.

Not foolishness. It was your opinion and helped this thread become more informational(? A word, I don't know?). Differing opinions create awesome ideas.


And my 2 c. I either raise to 4/5$ or flat call, about 80/20 (following Harrington's principle on using ones watch). I will not call a shove here. Chuck layed out exacted why.