So I have read many books on the topic...
Which is best to play? I have found personally that the AK, suited or not, tends to treat me pretty poorly. . .the AQ has lead me to more flushes and straight draws. Is this typical, or has someone else had different results?
A/K is better. Period.
Does any book in the world rate A/Q higher than A/K? Really?
A/K and A/Q have almost an equal chance of making a straight. The difference would be that an A/Q can make a straight with one over and two unders. The the fact that an A/K straight is always the nut straight more than compensates for this.
As for the flushes, the only advantage with A/Qs vs A/Ks is that when you do make a flush, there's a slight chance that the other guy has something like K/Js for the second nut flush vs your nut flush. The K high flush will probably pay off a little more than someone with a Q high flush.
The real value of A/K is when you go up against Ace/face hands in an A high flop, which happens
a lot more often. You know... you're A/K vs someone's A/Q late in a tournament... A/r/r flop.... you're taking his stack much of the time.
I suspect that maybe you're over-valuing A/K and overplaying it. It's a good *potential* hand, but even a small pocket pair like 4/4 has the best of it. And you're probably see A/Q as a bit more vulnerable so you're not overplaying it.
I can't tell you how many people I've seen make a big
bluff on the river with an unimproved A/K because they figured their A/K was "supposed" to win and they were willing to risk their necks on a bluff to get the payout they felt their hand was due (or whatever).