Have u said so, can u please explain how to play AK in different situations???
I have been really wanting to know the AK strategy....
I encounter with AK a lot of times, but end up either underplaying or overplaying it...
Monoxide will probably respond, but here are some thoughts - below assumes both/all players have roughly 100 bb's:
1. AK dominates any non-paired hand preflop, as Monoxide said. If an A or a K flops, you probably have the best hand.
2. If an A or K flops and you get a lot of action on your cbet, you have to decide whether your TPTK is probably good or not. You have to evaluate Villain and what he's done pf to make that decision - is he betting a draw? a set?
bluffing?
3. If no A or K flops and you get action on your cbet, you're almost certainly behind and have to decide whether you should pay to see the turn. Do you have a strong draw, or are you counting on your overcards? For example, if you have AcKc on a Qc4cTh flop, you may choose to see the turn or re-raise on a semibluff. How strong do you think villain is to give you action? Is he the type of villain who will raise QJo or 99 there, or is he always showing up w a set? How likely is villain to fold to a semi-
bluff or a pure bluff?
4. In general, esp at microstakes cash games, calling is usually a bad option (bet size dependent, villain dependent). If you can't see raising as at least a viable option, you prob should fold.
Note that this isn't an AK strategy, it applies to any hand you play. That's what I meant when I said that hands don't have intrinsic value, the value is relative to context. AA is objectively no question about it the best hand pf, but after the flop is not necessarily ahead.
For example, let's say you raise AA pf and get called by a fairly smart extremely nitty passive player. Flop is T62r and he ch/r's you, then leads the blank turn. What could he be playing? You're ahead of Tx, 99, JJ, and QQ (also KK, but that would've raised pf), and you're behind two pair hands (unlikely, a nitty passive player isn't going to show up w T6, 62, or T2), and you're behind sets (TT, 66, 22). A nitty passive player will usually call w 99, JJ, or QQ rather than raise because they're worried you have AA or KK. A set, however, would be looking to build the pot in a hurry so they can be all in on the river. Here's a spot where I might fold AA on the turn (I don't recommend folding overpairs at micro fwiw) - but note that against a loose aggressive villain, I may be looking to get all my money in on the turn if not the flop, because he's capable of raising Tx, JJ, QQ, etc.
