How to play AK when it misses the flop?

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champ_mc99

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Especially out of position.

Do we check for showdown value since we don't know where we're at or bet as a bluff? Obviously its situation dependent but would like to hear some thoughts. :)
 
Anjo

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I like to insist if the stakes are not too high compared to my stack, I think that up to 30% I would risk seeing another card.
 
johnwat2

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Hey, you have good cards. Bet and if you get raised, fold.
 
nenaviju poker

nenaviju poker

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Without hitting and not having a position, I would check and see what they would do.
 
johnwat2

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One never knows, that's poker. You might have make a decision.
 
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Donny bennight

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would not bet if i missed the flop unless there is a straight of flush out there.But you could raise 4x if you have tight players ahead of you..
 
tauri103

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AK is a very beautiful hand but only prefflop
Even if it is a good hand it is often played in an abusive way by a large number of players, you must be able to not be over rated and gauge its potential at the desired moment. In some situations you'll have to throw it preflop without any fuss. You only have about a 12% chance of finding an Ace or a King on the turn if you have not touched the flop. It will be very difficult for you to play this hand out of position.

what time are you ready to let AK go? A real dilemma, even for the best players. this hand is nicknamed Anna Kournikova: it's very pretty, but it does not win often.:)
 
HAMC81

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if its heads up you bet a c-bet is coming, otherwise I tend to play it super tight if 3 handed or more
 
A

angelamsmith05

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AK is a very beautiful hand but only prefflop
Even if it is a good hand it is often played in an abusive way by a large number of players, you must be able to not be over rated and gauge its potential at the desired moment. In some situations you'll have to throw it preflop without any fuss. You only have about a 12% chance of finding an Ace or a King on the turn if you have not touched the flop. It will be very difficult for you to play this hand out of position.

what time are you ready to let AK go? A real dilemma, even for the best players. this hand is nicknamed Anna Kournikova: it's very pretty, but it does not win often.:)


This was very helpful. Thank you
 
NeZlo4

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Especially out of position.

Do we check for showdown value since we don't know where we're at or bet as a bluff? Obviously its situation dependent but would like to hear some thoughts. :)

You almost always have to make a continuation bet. But it all depends on the situation (stacks, the opponent's behavior when playing with you, his statistics).
 
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champ_mc99

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You almost always have to make a continuation bet. But it all depends on the situation (stacks, the opponent's behavior when playing with you, his statistics).
Why?

If the AK misses the flop what is the purpose of the C-bet?
 
monstr999999

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bet-continuation... a good card... further on the situation))) with such a card you need both carefully and aggressively)))
:icon_comp:icon_comp:icon_comp
 
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champ_mc99

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bet-continuation... a good card... further on the situation))) with such a card you need both carefully and aggressively)))
:icon_comp:icon_comp:icon_comp
So the c-bet is for value?

Wouldnt villain just fold lol
 
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Richardszabo

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Generally, when it misses the flop, i use cbet with AK. In a large percentage of cases the opponent throws. However, there are situations when a better throw or check, such as 2 or more opponents, small stack sizes and a one-color board. In these situations, it is better to stay passive and throw away.
 
playinggameswithu

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I like to insist if the stakes are not too high compared to my stack, I think that up to 30% I would risk seeing another card.

I'd advise against this as Ax sooted are popular hands. When the turn river comes and your ace shows up often they have you two paired they had you 1 to 6 dog flopped. I'd C-bet nothing less than 80% of pot on believable boards never more then 25% of stack. Preferably in position. AKs is there to dominate don't squeeze out weaker aces and kings pre-flop.
 
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xRanieri

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So many variables.

C-betting is pretty dead depending on his stats. Some boards like 882 can be c-bet, but a lot of players call 1 off with 99+, even with hands like 66. But wayyyy too many variables
 
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Meepomancer1122

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Too many variables to reach a conclusion. Were you the agressor? If you are out of position, did they call a 3-bet? What was the flop?Are the players in the table sticky? All this data gives you hints on whether to keep going or not. Poker is as far from black and white as it gets. There is never a definitive answer
 
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Last night had AK in middle position and raised the straddle and had three callers.
Flop was Q10x and was first to act and CBet trying to take down the pot. Had one caller who was a novice player who was playing lucky that night who I thought was over confident. But generally calls for value and would have mucked if nothin
4th street brings out a 3rd club on the board for possible flush hand I checked and might have given up the hand if he bet. But to my surprise he checked. So I figure he didn’t have a flush more likely a strong pair
5th street brought Jack and I got lucky and filled out my A high straight
First to act and bet out 1/2 pot.
I was going to call a raise
He called and showed AA.
I was suppose to lose that hand 80-90% of the time
Really surprise he didn’t 3bet preflop
 
playinggameswithu

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In general drop the hand like its ACE hi.
Drop like its ace hi drop it like its hot.
 
dragunovich

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CB would be the most normal, although it depends a lot on the opponents who called. You could go all-in postflop or check .. it's very relative.
 
ammje

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CB would be the most normal, although it depends a lot on the opponents who called. You could go all-in postflop or check .. it's very relative.

I do not think it's a good idea to go all in with AK, especially if there is nothing on the flop you connected, I do not think it's a good strategy to play cash.:)

Usually is to make a c-bet, often you earn the hand, but it depends on many things, like the type of villain, if you have information that the villain makes a lot of fold on the flop, etc.

gI:icon_thum
 
RiverLord90

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It depends on the flop and the opponent I'm up against, stack size, etc. But most of the time, I'm going to cbet:

If villain folds, I take the pot

If villain calls, I might check the turn and see what he does (fold if he bets the turn or bet the river if he checks back)

If villain 3bets, I'll probably fold
 
Malnitruth

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Check / Call if it's a favorable draw... C-Betting also an alternative sometimes
 
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I know your cards, AK. Are they suited? Be nice to know a tat more about your position. What does out of position really mean? How early are you talking about? It also would be nice to know the size of the table, e.g., 2,3,6,7,9 or 10 players. How many players are in the hand? I would like to know the pot odds, that is, the costs of staying in the hand compared to the pot size. I would like to know anything that you might know about your opponents' playing styles. I know AK missed. What actually flopped?

Suited or unsuited, AK, pre-flop, "emphasis on pre-flop," is a drawing hand with which caution should be exercised. As hole cards, they always cause my personal warning lights to flash. Why? Because these top hole cards, meaning AK o or AK s can signal high bets and the potential to win or lose big time. So, I always remember to read top hole cards backwards, just to remind myself of their real value. For instance, AK o is just that. It is the highest card (A) with the highest non-ace kicker (K). AK s is primarily the same, except it has a bit more value when looking long term since it might become a flush, flop or post flop, whereas AK o theoretically projected would at best probably end up as a straight, also flop or post flop. It is worth noting, that should nothing develop on the flop, meaning neither a flush nor a straight nor even anything along the lines of high pairs, then any opponent pair – no matter how small - can crush either AK o or AK s. Remember that! In other words, from any position, it is worthwhile to keep in mind that neither AK s nor AK o equals so much as a pair. So, my typical question would be, “Why would you risk anything where you only have high cards at the flop?” And, “Does that even make sense from any position where AK o/s missed the flop?”

AK s hole cards have a 65-67 win percentage and AK o hole cards have a win percentage of 63-64. This means that AK s will win 6,500 to 6,700 times out of every 10,000 hands played, and that AK o will win 6,300 to 6,400 times out of every 10,000. Conversely, AK s as hole cards will lose 33-35% of the time and AK o will lose 36-37%, meaning the former loses 3,300 to 3,500 times out of every 10,000 hands played and the latter loses 3,600 to 3,700 out of every 10,000. So, with the above in mind, a lot of cards may be in play with higher win, and lower loss, percentages. These are factors worth considering before taking any actions, but these are "pre-flop" percentages. In the position where AK o or AK s missed on the flop, these stats no longer count for much. And, as you probably know, win/loss percentages can be tricky. For instance, they can tell you how many times certain cards will win or lose out of every 10,000 hands played, but - they cannot tell you "when" a win or loss will occur. So, even with these figures, neither a win nor a loss is guaranteed.

Poker is a game of skill. Knowing what you have told me and what you have not, and not knowing what I would like to, doing anything more than folding would be an unwarranted gamble and therefore an unnecessary risk to the integrity of your stack. If you want to gamble, this is not the hand with which to do that. Check, if possible. Fold to any raise. Do not chase, please.
 
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