I've been struggling lately with how I should play AK preflop when facing raises and 3 bets. Should I play to just get it in before the flop? Or should I fold when facing aggression? I feel like its such a difficult hand to play. Advice?
Many factors need to be evaluated when making this decision
- early/mid/late stage of the tournament?
- your relative read on your opponents
- stacks of others you are facing (do you cover them if you lose)
AK is generally the most overplayed hand, and not always easy to let go.
My general approach is laying it down to multi raises in early stages
There are many situations in later stages where a 3-bet to limpers can be considered a less than premium hand to your AK. In those situations, if I have a healthy chip position (where even if I lose the hand, Im still alive) , I may shove to induce a fold. Even when called, its a hand that can lead to final tables if you win, these are the monster pots you need to get there.
GL at the tables