The Myth of AK

skalibur

skalibur

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85% of the players who have played with me all in with AK are still feeling that the myth of AK being the strongest hand in the deck according to the players I think is pure myth because it is not because it is the strongest hand that will be the winning hand I already won several times that allin made with AK having only 2 and 3 in other QJ 10 and 9 so I think that before allin pre flop with AK it would be better to just raise and see the flop if I come A OR K on the table and do not come with a straight to another or flush then think about betting that hand ...
 
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Q

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quite rightly said, I also came to this conclusion. You need to watch the flop, if there is a good hand, with the exception of AA and KK, but not always, if the tournament is too prestigious, then it is better to play top pair, and not go all-in
 
skalibur

skalibur

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ak

Qrise said:
quite rightly said, I also came to this conclusion. You need to watch the flop, if there is a good hand, with the exception of AA and KK, but not always, if the tournament is too prestigious, then it is better to play top pair, and not go all-in
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when I started playing poker most of the times that came AK AQ AJ A10 I would go all in more over time I play more on the prowl waiting for the action of the others because I have chances to win and not spur my chips at the beginning of the game today learn a lot by watching the tables ....
 
SecksyGambler

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The reason so many people think that AK is such a strong hand preflop is because, put simply, it's a really strong hand. AK blocks AA and KK, and is either favorable to win, or put into a situation against pocket pairs where it's more a less a 50/50 chance to win.

A lot of the time, AK is supposed to bet pre flop to protect it's equity from low pocket pairs (2's through 8's usually) these hands fold under most aggressive bets preflop because they fear higher pocket pairs. By doing so, you are minimizing your chances of encountering flips and putting yourself into a situation where you're likely to see worse Ax hands such as AQ and AJ. By acting accordingly, you're increasing your expected value from protection put in place before the flop.

I agree with you that AK is a risky hand to go all in with preflop. It suffers against pocket pairs which, it is more than likely to be put against given the fact that it blocks Ax and Kx combinations. However, it's likely that AK would still win a lot of the time. And even if it's unfavorable, if you have enough chips in the pot already, or your opponent has a bounty you want, going all in before the flop could be the best move.
 
Alex Sentsov

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Any hand loses! Be patient!
 
skalibur

skalibur

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ak

SecksyGambler said:
The reason so many people think that AK is such a strong hand preflop is because, put simply, it's a really strong hand. AK blocks AA and KK, and is either favorable to win, or put into a situation against pocket pairs where it's more a less a 50/50 chance to win.

A lot of the time, AK is supposed to bet pre flop to protect it's equity from low pocket pairs (2's through 8's usually) these hands fold under most aggressive bets preflop because they fear higher pocket pairs. By doing so, you are minimizing your chances of encountering flips and putting yourself into a situation where you're likely to see worse Ax hands such as AQ and AJ. By acting accordingly, you're increasing your expected value from protection put in place before the flop.

I agree with you that AK is a risky hand to go all in with preflop. It suffers against pocket pairs which, it is more than likely to be put against given the fact that it blocks Ax and Kx combinations. However, it's likely that AK would still win a lot of the time. And even if it's unfavorable, if you have enough chips in the pot already, or your opponent has a bounty you want, going all in before the flop could be the best move.
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That's right, I also think AK is a great hand if I say someone is wrong with all-in on the flop with AK I don't think that's just that I don't use the allin pre-flop sometimes I let the players act to see whether or not I go anymore AK is a good hand it will always be a winning hand because most of the times she loses to pairs straight and trips without speaking flush plus each one has a strategy she wins a lot in all in because what AK shoves eliminates the opponent who would win with bigger hands
 
Juan Oro

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If it could be that sometimes they overvalue that AK hand a lot, it really is a strong hand only preflop and there are players with a good stack of chips even who go all-in with that hand, you can play strong by reraising and it will depend on the situation of Whichever game you are to go all-in if we have less than 12 blinds it is better to play it with everything, but if you have a good stack of chips about 20 blinds we play it hard and see the flop.
 
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I always used to go all in on AK but I’ve learned that patience is key, much better to get a look at the flip first and play accordingly but as with all hands, every situation is different
 
black and

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I think that AK is a strong enough hand and most players with such a hand use their chance effectively. But at the same time, none of the players are insured against bingo opponents who play with junk.
 
skalibur

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Rabberto71 said:
I always used to go all in on AK but I’ve learned that patience is key, much better to get a look at the flip first and play accordingly but as with all hands, every situation is different
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patience this was one of the points I wanted to reach there is no reason why we go out like crazy with AK thinking that the tournament is over there giving all in we have to be very patient because the tournament is not to defeat only 1 but several opponents

that's what i say the game played we have more chance of extracting chips the guy pushed all in with A6 on the turn i was waiting for flush came out royal
 

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MikeCarasone

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AK is a drawing hand. While it has great potential, there is still many hands that start out ahead. Obv 22 - AA. Besides AA you have a decent chance to win with AK. AK can be risky but sometimes you gotta take that risk because when you hit you often hit big.
 
CERRATO505

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In tournament AK I have proven that it is not the great hand, I mostly lose with AK I have more than other hands
 
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putski

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AK is a over rated hand in my opinion..
I think its just best to slow play it, and hope for some cards.
 
BigCountryAA

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I don't know... I feel pretty good most times when I look down and see AK.
 
diego farfan

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It is the truth, even a pair of AA is not the strongest hand since if you know how to play and luck is on your side, you can win with a draw hand
 
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James24543

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A pocket pair against AK is a stronger starting hand.
 
Johnny78B

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When AK wins we call AK-47 the Kalashnikov machine gun. If loose Anna Kurnikova beautiful but useless in the game.
 
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marcelo benavidez

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mostly i win with AK, but same time i lost with AK vs 23. It depends how much you want to lose.
 
Hitmanshoot

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skalibur said:
when I started playing poker most of the times that came AK AQ AJ A10 I would go all in more over time I play more on the prowl waiting for the action of the others because I have chances to win and not spur my chips at the beginning of the game today learn a lot by watching the tables ....
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Me too at my beginnings with poker if I have a aqua ah or even a t/9 suited il be exited, but now with more experience I know that is only probability not surely winning cards.
 
rictor99

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According to the odds, you will win with AK going all-in the majority of the time. That's just basic math. Now whether you should go all-in depends on what's happening in the game. Are 4 other people at the table all-in pre-flop? You probably want to fold. Is everyone else folded pre-flop and you are betting again the BB? Sure, why not?
 
Baldy86

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i have seen pros push all in with AKo preflop in a cash game despite of getting reraised and i have never understood why . unless i have the opponent covered by a big amount i would not push all in preflop with AKo in a cash game . even AKs i would hesitate to
 
perrypip

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AK is a very good hand. But as with any hand you need to know how to play it. When stacks are smaller you should most definitely be shoving them.
 
efranto2286

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For me AK is a great hand preflop although sometimes I lost to low pairs :D
 
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zerosalex

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Just play it accordingly. Try to look out for a stronger hand to fold to, if not then you win.
 
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