Do you ever fold AK pre-flop ?

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vcruz387

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Look I was taught you never fold AK pre-flop but lately I have lossed every hand all in pre-flop with this. It doesnt matter what the other guy has my AK is taking a beaten. Last encounter was AKsuited versus QJoff of course he hit the J and eliminated me. Do you fold it ? or just try to see the flop ?
 
steveiam

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It depends, I would generally try and see a flop and would make a decision based on position , stack sizes and blinds.
 
Aces2w1n

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Pretty much big stacks will call you with everything and your in tough spots when short stacked. Probably better getting it all in shortstacked with PP's... Though Ak vs QJ esp shortstacked it's quite scarey. You'd rather be upagainst KQ or a weaker ace or king. Not sure what the odds are against QJ are preflop but it's not as good as you'd think.

Always a flip preflop all-in and all your hoping for is to double up, I like minraising when i'm shortstacked and sucker ppl into the pot and see the value add. You don't want ppl to fold and you want all the chips in the middle to extend your life. *Also you want to win big pots when your in the pot* due to the fact you want to try and risk your tourney life as little as possible and avoid flips.
 
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Daniel72

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I throw it away in a tourney, when there´s a raise and a reraise before me (when both players are not donks) or when a very bigstack shoves and i am very deep too, then i don´t like a coin flip...
 
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MAX101

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I just played in a ring game, I got A K 3 times during my play, I generally will call unless there's a big raise then I'll foldem ,needless to say I folded after each flop,they didn't hit, but I've played live an got A K 5 times that night, reason I know the guy across from me told me that's the 5th time u gotem an hit on every hand, good night for me was just trying to blow off some time before I went to the bar,they were having a charity tourny - ring games at a golf course that I was playing at I was waiting for my friends to finish ,yea I had to buy a round, started with 60 walked away with 365 lol !!!:D but I've seen people play them like pocket A's an go allin or 4 or 5 bettem an lose to a pair when the other guy hits the board
 
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utilizatorus

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it depends on the position, stack sizes and the number of opponents in the pot. usually i don't fold such a hand and 80 % i have the pot with it, even at showdown, or until the river through well thinked bets. it is a great hand, but, it depends on the number of opponents and the position.
 
frozensprx

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it really depends on stack size and action. with under 100bb in a tourney i'm almost always gonna ship it unless there is like a 4bet in front of me or something. As for cash games, I fold it sometimes if i'm OOP and facing a 3bet or 4bet or something.
 
PurgatoryD

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Never fold AK preflop? That's not a good rule. If you know your AK is going to have to hold up against four other hands, for instance, then it's really not that good of a hand.
 
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I would change your moto to usually never fold. Its a solid hand but id be afraid to go up against poket pair
 
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ellet

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Agreed with a lot of comments here. AK is a great hand (especially if suited) but a LOT beats it... any pocket pair will get ya... Gotta be careful of action on the table... if someone with a small stack raises, I may call to see if they are bluffing, but if there is a big stack raising, calling or pushing, they've got something... It really depends on the situation... I would play pocket 8s over AK anyday...
 
aero87

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You win less than half the time against 22-QQ. Crushed by KK and AA. It's just A high and basically a drawing hand.
 
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Tom102

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I tend to call/play the hand. However facts causing a fold would be the bubble, notes I have on player, e.g some nits only raise with top pocket pairs
 
Propane Goat

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In tournament play if there's a shove and a re-shove in front of me, I'm tossing AK without a second thought unless it's in a Carbon Donkstep 1 or in the first few hands of the public freeroll. My thinking is that the player who 3-bet likely has AA or KK, in either case I'm a huge underdog and he's also holding a lot of my outs. Of course it depends on the stacks, if I have 20+ BB and the two who shoved are desperately short-stacked, I would think about calling because it's more likely they just have Ace high or King high, or even less. AKs is only 0.17% ahead of 22 heads up according to odds calculator.
 
Michael Paler

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Fold AK? Not a problem

I used to think it was THE hand to have. Enough 'bad beats' has told me something is up!
It really depends on so many things. What with guys shoving the big pairs, you could simply be in a coin flip. I've never been one who is proud of making the so-called "big laydown", but lets face it, sometimes you have to. If at all possible, I'm going to see a flop with it, but if the board is dangerous, and my post flop bet gets called, they must have something, right?
On the flip side, I have ran into people with clear betting tells. They will actually bet MORE with AK than AA! And they are going to see all 5 cards, even if they don't improve at all. You dont want to bluff these guys, often 2 pair or better will get you all of their chips!:eek:
 
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Yes, especially in some final table situations.....I'f im on my big blind and get dealt AK or even on the button.....and I see 2 or 3 people going all in ahead of me....I'll fold it in a heart beat....because it's a profitable decision (2 peeps getting knocked out by the other guy will increase what i get in the payout structure).......Depending on the situation, I'll even fold pocket Ace's if the fold guarantees me or gives me a very high probability of getting a higher payout
 
R3DRANG3R

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i fold close to the bubble sometimes and whenever there are 2 or more all ins already.
 
T-Dubs82

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i fold it pre with some frequency
 
Aces2w1n

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Clear example of when to fold AA.. I was running around 12th of the tourney with 180 ppl left in the tournament. 182k :)
I played my AA to my best ability, but really with my chipstack and well positioned in tourney, I had everything to lose and nothing gain. though obv I would've most likely been chip leader after winning that hand.


PokerStars - $0+$0|800/1600 Ante 125 NL - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4
CO: 46,760 (VPIP: 20.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 15)
BTN: 181,749 (VPIP: 29.17, PFR: 29.17, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 24)
SB: 93,940 (VPIP: 41.67, PFR: 8.33, 3Bet Preflop: 11.11, Hands: 24)
BB: 2,727 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 24)
Hero (UTG): 182,821
UTG+1: 81,683 (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 20.83, 3Bet Preflop: 27.27, Hands: 24)
UTG+2: 41,285 (VPIP: 8.33, PFR: 4.55, 3Bet Preflop: 12.50, Hands: 24)
MP: 152,565 (VPIP: 17.39, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 24)
MP+1: 31,032 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 24)
9 players post ante of 125, SB posts SB 800, BB posts BB 1,600
Pre Flop: (pot: 3,525) Hero has A A
Hero raises to 6,400, UTG+1 raises to 81,558 and is all-in, fold, MP calls 81,558, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 182,696 and is all-in, MP calls 70,882 and is all-in
Flop: (389,963, 3 players) Q 2 7
Turn: (389,963, 3 players) 9
River: (389,963, 3 players) Q
[spoil]Hero shows A A (Two Pair, Aces and Queens) (Pre 87%, Flop 84%, Turn 95%)
MP shows Q A (Three of a Kind, Queens) (Pre 7%, Flop 9%, Turn 5%)
UTG+1 shows K A (One Pair, Queens) (Pre 6%, Flop 7%, Turn 0%)
MP wins 389,963
 
Randall McMurphy

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Always shove on the bubble. Die with your boots on.
 
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marcumx

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IMO this is the problem with most players.."i was taught"...everyone ( at least those that are new or under 30) plays how the books tell you to play. i never raise with A K pre flop...i don't care what you say...it's dumb. In tourneys, it's useless unless the antes have kicked in and you're trying to steal the blinds and you're on the button. Early when the blinds are small, not worth the gamble.
I always read where players are bragging that they win alot with A K..probably because the people they're playing with are scared to call raises. Here lies the problem..if you're raising against players who will call to see a flop with anything, you're going to lose when they hit 67% of the time. i rarely see A K hit the flop.
i never call an all in or go all in with A K unless i'm short stacked. Again, i've won all in shoves with A K 2 out of 12 times. My main point is..you should never make a play because you were taught it. you have to adapt with each situation. my two cents..love it or hate it.
 
Aleksei

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I just checked my tracker.

No, I've never once folded AK preflop. There's no reason -- I will flop TPTK a good 40% of the time, and at other times I'll flop gutter + overs or even just two overs for decent quick semibluffing potential.

AK is generally more of a postflop hand than a preflop one, but if you want you can play it very aggressively preflop. If you're up vs a nit your 3bs and 4bs will have significant fold equity (since you cut the amount of AA/KK combos out there in half), and if you're up vs a station or a lag you'll get called/shoved with a ton of hands you dominate.
 
MediaBLITZ

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Generally not folding - but I have a couple of times based on situation.

One was totally read - uber tight old lady comes in 4x early (unusual for her). I'm on BB w AK and give her the show me yours and I'll show you mine. She had KK.

The other time was bubble at final table and 3 guys had shoved ahead of me.

It's a great (usually dominating) hand to start, but you really need to hit. It is still very shove worthy if the circumstances are right. Against 99.8% of ranges you are usually in pretty great shape preflop.
 
IntenseHeat

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I have folded it pre-flop in certain situations, like having a pre-flop all-in and multiple callers in front of me. In that kind of situation, I have to think that at least one player is going to have a decent pair, and the other's shoving/calling range are going to include some of my outs. The bottom line is that I just don't like to get involved in 3 or 4-way all-ins. Generally speaking, though, I'm usually not folding it.

While, I prefer not folding it, I try to avoid going all in pre-flop with it. Of course I'm going to make my standard raise, which is 3x +1x for each limper, up to 5x. If necessary, I will 3-bet with it, to try to limit the number of players in the hand. Although, I do prefer not to go all-in pre-flop with it, if a player goes all-in on me, I'm very likely to call.
 
trekmaster

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In a tour with 3 or 4 alliners before you, you have to know your in a race at best. Its a nice starting hand but def not the best one bye far. It sucks but sometimes you gotta let it go preflop.
 
MediaBLITZ

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In a tour with 3 or 4 alliners before you, you have to know your in a race at best. Its a nice starting hand but def not the best one bye far. It sucks but sometimes you gotta let it go preflop.
No matter what you are in a race. Versus one you may very well be ahead but you still have to get to the finish line unscathed. Versus 2, 3 or 4 you are probably behind with 6 outs.
In the context of all in you are just about always (cannot think of an exception) making the right move to shove AK if 1) you are intitating action, 2) have around 10 BB or less - no matter the outcome. Once again, it is still going to be a race and your opponent can still hit his 3 outer with Ax and yeah, it sucks.
 
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