Propane Goat
Grinder and paint make me the welder I ain't
Moderator
Open-limping AK should generally be avoided unless you're doing it for a specific reason such trying to trap a maniac with a limp-shove or something similar.
I dislike multi-way pots with AK especially when there are multiple limpers because you have no idea what the villains are holding. Raising pre-flop with AK tends to get rid of the limpers who are trying to see a cheap flop with hands like 65 and T8. If you don't hit the flop at all (which will happen more often than not) then the more players in the hand the more likely somebody has at least a pair and you're way behind.
I dislike multi-way pots with AK especially when there are multiple limpers because you have no idea what the villains are holding. Raising pre-flop with AK tends to get rid of the limpers who are trying to see a cheap flop with hands like 65 and T8. If you don't hit the flop at all (which will happen more often than not) then the more players in the hand the more likely somebody has at least a pair and you're way behind.
CheezeWiz
Legend
Platinum Level
For Me, It Just Depends...
First of all, my relative chipstack size and when in the tournament the situation presents itself impacts my decision.
Generally speaking, if I am in early position and there is a fair amount of raising going on at the table, I kind of like the limp and opportunity to re-raise later.
All other things being equal, I would just play it fairly straight pre-flop, raise plus or minus 1 BB variance, and see what the flop holds, and go from there.
If it is late in the game and I need to gain some ground I would be more aggressive (ie - basically a chip-up or chip-out situation).
Best of Luck Skrrrrtreynolds and All,
CheezeWiz
First of all, my relative chipstack size and when in the tournament the situation presents itself impacts my decision.
Generally speaking, if I am in early position and there is a fair amount of raising going on at the table, I kind of like the limp and opportunity to re-raise later.
All other things being equal, I would just play it fairly straight pre-flop, raise plus or minus 1 BB variance, and see what the flop holds, and go from there.
If it is late in the game and I need to gain some ground I would be more aggressive (ie - basically a chip-up or chip-out situation).
Best of Luck Skrrrrtreynolds and All,
CheezeWiz
Phoenix Wright
Legend
Loyaler
Exactly this, but then again, I am not extremely comfortable with AK so maybe my advice shouldn't be taken
I used to have some trouble with AK, but this advice seems to be what works for me too. AK is a monster hand preflop, but I used to overplay it and get into trouble. Say you raise standard size with AK and the flop is something like Q94 rainbow. Maybe our AK is still best (and perhaps you could c-bet based on the situation), but continuing to barrel away with nothing is a quick way to lose a lot more than you need to do.
Different play-styles play AK differently (and maybe several "strategies" are winning with it), but at least for me I tend to play aggressively with it early on and go into "guard mode" if I miss. AK is still a hand with some showdown value, but betting big on the Turn and River as well just gets all of the worse hands like Ace-rag to fold when only the better hands call us down.
C
CSLysander
Rock Star
Silver Level
I have been playing too many freerolls, so I tend to just limp in most of the time. People tend to 3 bet all in way too often with any sign of aggression in many games. Unless I am just mad at the people at the table, which happens when the first 30 minutes are seeing people go all in with idiotic cards and hitting, I just want to see a flop. I have nothing until an A or a K appears, so no need to hurt my stack. Later game I will be more aggressive, but it is more to see the table. By that point most are settled and show more intelligence. If I am short stacked and know it is about my best choice, then I will go all in, but mostly I will try and keep from getting into bad spots.
barba332
Enthusiast
Silver Level
Hi,I think AK is a strong hand and you have to play it. This will depend on the tournament we are playing,the chips we have,if we are short it is all-in if we do not open and play,and also the phase of that tournament.Likewise, play it with caution,because we do not always win with AK.
D
DevaCat
Enthusiast
Silver Level
I'd never openlimp AK in any situation. That is asking for a multiway pot, and that's not where AK plays well. Almost always, you'll make TPTK type hands when you hit with AKo, as it's not possible to make an open ended straight draw, and can't hit a set. So you're looking for a low stack/ pot ratio with AKo, which implies raising first in, and three betting when there's a raise in front of you. Setting up a multiway high SPR situation is just bad poker.
After the flop- well that depends upon the texture of the board and villains' tendencies. But you're obviously going to cbet a lot, especially in position, because most of the time heads up you're still in front, and a lot of the time you're not in front (eg villain has 33 on a Q-T-6 board) you can get folds after nitty villains miss their sets.
After the flop- well that depends upon the texture of the board and villains' tendencies. But you're obviously going to cbet a lot, especially in position, because most of the time heads up you're still in front, and a lot of the time you're not in front (eg villain has 33 on a Q-T-6 board) you can get folds after nitty villains miss their sets.
elizeuof
Visionary
Silver Level
Before playing you need to analyze your cards, your position at the table, how many opponents acted before you, how many are yet to act, when your stack, pot value, tournament stage, opponents' style, tournament structure, speed of buyins, your image on the table, your opponents image, and on top of that all create a suitable hand range ...
We will usually play most of the time on automatic without analyzing all these details, but it is still important to try to play consistently, to avoid letting opponents read your game, not to give free cards, and not to risk too much and involve all chips in tricky plays.
A good strategy is to always be aggressive, prefer to play in late positions, if you are in early positions be aggressive but be careful when analyzing the board, and do not underestimate your opponent, in early positions it may be more profitable to avoid getting involved in hands that don't have a ready hand and have readings from the opponent that indicate danger.
We will usually play most of the time on automatic without analyzing all these details, but it is still important to try to play consistently, to avoid letting opponents read your game, not to give free cards, and not to risk too much and involve all chips in tricky plays.
A good strategy is to always be aggressive, prefer to play in late positions, if you are in early positions be aggressive but be careful when analyzing the board, and do not underestimate your opponent, in early positions it may be more profitable to avoid getting involved in hands that don't have a ready hand and have readings from the opponent that indicate danger.