$2 NLHE 6-max: How do YOU play AK? 4 scenarios for you to answer

Pokergambler11

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This question is for 50bb cash games because 888 poker only allows a 50bb buyin for 2nl. So if i give 4 scenarios could you tell me how you would play these? I haven't been sure whether it is good to shove or not with AK

Scenario 1) Villain is supertight and raises on button to 3bb. Hero re-raises to 9bb. Villain shoves. How would you play AKs vs AKo? Does the suit make you want to call?

Scenario 2) Villain is between loose and tight but defends BB very well. Hero raises 3bb. Villain raises 12bb. Would you shove over the top? or just call?

Scenario 3) It's a very passive table 4 Limpers come around, button raises to 3bb +1 for every limper, hero is in BB with AK. Would you shove?

Scenario 4) Villain just lost to a cooler but he is a very loose aggressive player. He buys in for $1. Hero raises 3bb in SB, Villain shoves. Call or fold?

So how would you play these? Also would you change your mind between AKo and AKs for these scenarios
 
TimovieMan

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Scenario 1: don't raise preflop. He's supertight, so we're not going to be ahead of his range by much. Once he shoves you can let go. Suited or not doesn't make a difference.

Scenario 2: I'd normally make a standard 4-bet to 36bb, but since we're short, I'd shove over the top, yes. Fold equity alone makes this profitable, and if he calls, we crush his broadways and flip vs his pairs. If he has KK+, so be it.

Scenario 3: I 3-bet to 20bb to thin the field, planning to shove most flops if it's HU or 3-way. If everyone joins in, I check/fold the flop if we miss.
If BTN 4-bet-shoves, I call.

Scenario 4: I call. If he's steaming, he could do this with ATC.


Being suited only gives AKs a couple of % more equity than AKo, and we'll be mainly looking to make TPTK hands and getting it in.
AKs becomes much stronger than AKo if you're deep, but playing short, they're more or less equal, imo.
 
c9h13no3

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It's a 50 bb table, you ship the nickels in every hand.

/thread
 
Trabendo_daze

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There's missing information about the position of hero/villain in some of these that makes it hard to answer.

In short:
Avoid playing AKo OOP postflop without initiative.

Don't call in a situation with AK where you'll have only a PSB behind, take your fold equity.

Rarely fold AK preflop but there can be exceptions as in case 1.
 
Beanfacekilla

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I haven't read any replies. I wanted my thoughts and input to be totally unbiased, and not affected by any other members' input. So here it is. My replies are Bolded in the quote...



This question is for 50bb cash games because 888 poker only allows a 50bb buyin for 2nl. So if i give 4 scenarios could you tell me how you would play these? I haven't been sure whether it is good to shove or not with AK

Scenario 1) Villain is supertight and raises on button to 3bb. Hero re-raises to 9bb. Villain shoves. How would you play AKs vs AKo? Does the suit make you want to call?

Fold in scenario 1. His range is QQ+. We can get our money in much better than this.

Scenario 2) Villain is between loose and tight but defends BB very well. Hero raises 3bb. Villain raises 12bb. Would you shove over the top? or just call?

Call. Why not take a flop IP (I assume we are IP)? Once again, we don't need to gamble with this hand here. We can just see the flop, and possibly outplay/out flop V anyways. Outplay doesn't necessarily mean winning the pot, it means losing the least also.

Scenario 3) It's a very passive table 4 Limpers come around, button raises to 3bb +1 for every limper, hero is in BB with AK. Would you shove?

Maybe I would here. We fold BTN a ton, and we realize full equity of AK here, seeing all 5 cards. I don't mind a shove here, unless we have some read that BTN is a super nit of epic proportions (like he never raises unless QQ+, yes I do encounter these creatures).

Scenario 4) Villain just lost to a cooler but he is a very loose aggressive player. He buys in for $1. Hero raises 3bb in SB, Villain shoves. Call or fold?

I would want to call, but I think I'd pass here. It would be much better if we are the one shoving, not calling it off.

I think I'm probably alone, but I don't like flipping a coin often with AK. I'm not a gambler.


So how would you play these? Also would you change your mind between AKo and AKs for these scenarios

It doesn't really matter to me either way, suited or not. It is only 2 or 3% difference in equity. It's not enough for me to care either way. However, I probably feel better in an all in spot with offsuit, and least we can 4 flush villain 2 ways then (but I don't know if that's even mathematically correct to think this way).


Edit: for scenario 1, I do agree with the others about not 3b this nit. My comments were regarding as played scenario. Great point from the others about flatting here PF.

Further edit: I never play SS, so I probably give bad advice... so take my comments with a grain of salt.
 
TheBigFinn

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This question is for 50bb cash games because 888 poker only allows a 50bb buyin for 2nl. So if i give 4 scenarios could you tell me how you would play these? I haven't been sure whether it is good to shove or not with AK

Scenario 1) Villain is supertight and raises on button to 3bb. Hero re-raises to 9bb. Villain shoves. How would you play AKs vs AKo? Does the suit make you want to call?

Scenario 2) Villain is between loose and tight but defends BB very well. Hero raises 3bb. Villain raises 12bb. Would you shove over the top? or just call?

Scenario 3) It's a very passive table 4 Limpers come around, button raises to 3bb +1 for every limper, hero is in BB with AK. Would you shove?

Scenario 4) Villain just lost to a cooler but he is a very loose aggressive player. He buys in for $1. Hero raises 3bb in SB, Villain shoves. Call or fold?

So how would you play these? Also would you change your mind between AKo and AKs for these scenarios

Scenario #1: Are there really any "super tight" players at 2nl? If you have the very rare one I'd fold both, but that assumes "super tight" is a VPI of 5. If it is 10 I call teh shove.

Scenario #2: Shove, you are losing to AA and KK, but block them, are flipping with pairs and are ahead of everything else. It 2NL

Scenario #3: Shove, every time. Its 2nl.

Scenario #4: Shove/Call every time. At 2NL I assume he is pushing wide.
 
c9h13no3

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Bah. Did the equity Sim wrong.
 
6

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#1: Against 99% of nits, I would just call it off. It would have to be a super, super nit for me to contemplate folding, and if that was the case, I would never have 3bet in the first place.
#2: Shove over the top. I expect the villain to be restealing with hands as weak as AJ and KQ, so we're in pretty good shape here.
#3: Yes, shove! And I wouldn't even bother with the whole "normal" 3bet sizing. If you shove, you can fold out some medium pocket pairs that are slightly ahead of you. So shoving is by far the best play here. Pick up all the dead money and you're in pretty good shape even when called.
#4: Snap call this one. At best, the villain has a hand like JJ or AK. At worst, the villain has a hand like 22 or KQs. The villain is never playing AA/KK this way so you're never in a dominated spot.

In general, there is rarely a time when I won't stack off AK preflop 50bb deep. I consider AK to be as good, if not slightly better (due to blockers) than QQ, and I'm never folding QQ preflop for 50bb either.
 
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