ChuckTs
Legend
Silver Level
tbh I haven't read all the responses (I'm a slowwww reader 
), but I don't mind the play once in a while. It's another one of those tools to use in your arsenal, but not %100 of the time.
The thing you have to be careful of is if it's limped all the way around and you see a flop of like A98, make sure you don't go broke with just TPTK. You should probably bet and/or raise that flop, but if you get too much action then you should probably fold it.
), but I don't mind the play once in a while. It's another one of those tools to use in your arsenal, but not %100 of the time.The thing you have to be careful of is if it's limped all the way around and you see a flop of like A98, make sure you don't go broke with just TPTK. You should probably bet and/or raise that flop, but if you get too much action then you should probably fold it.
thwizzofoz
Rock Star
Silver Level
tbh I haven't read all the responses (I'm a slowwww reader
I don't do any strategy 100% of the time. It keeps me and everyone else at a table confused.
F Paulsson
euro love
Silver Level
Limping with AK is an OK play when doing it for the reasons Irexes said. Let me just add a few things that are absolutely paramount:
If you limp with AK and get raised, you're not folding. You should consider re-raising.
"Only ace-high" is not a correct way to assess a flop. This is a game with 7 cards and before they're all out, you're better off considering your hand in terms of equity than in "poker hands." This is pretty important and is one of those things a lot of people seem to struggle with.
So when we raise AK preflop, we do it because our equity is huge. We do it because people will call with hands that we have dominated. We do it to build a pot for all those times that we do hit the flop.
What I'm trying to say is this: If you're going to give up the huge value that lies in raising AK preflop, you must have very good reasons for it.
If you limp with AK and get raised, you're not folding. You should consider re-raising.
"Only ace-high" is not a correct way to assess a flop. This is a game with 7 cards and before they're all out, you're better off considering your hand in terms of equity than in "poker hands." This is pretty important and is one of those things a lot of people seem to struggle with.
So when we raise AK preflop, we do it because our equity is huge. We do it because people will call with hands that we have dominated. We do it to build a pot for all those times that we do hit the flop.
What I'm trying to say is this: If you're going to give up the huge value that lies in raising AK preflop, you must have very good reasons for it.
G
gradin123
Rising Star
Bronze Level
I definitely think you need to raise with AK from any position with a full table. In fact I don't believe in limping with very many hands at all.(low pp is the best limping hand).
If you have AK you do need to isolate it with other good hands but you also have to be able to get away from it. If i raise with AK and I get reraised hard. I generally can put the reraiser on something like QQ JJ 1010. Yes it could be AA or KK but thats not likely. I generally will call the big reraise knowing that if the flop is right I can take down the other person for a lot of chips. If the flop isnt right I just check/fold.
But limping with AK leaves you in a position where you don't know where you stand even if you hit.
If the flop comes K89 for instance you could easily be beat by a hand like 89, k8 or k9 if there are like 5 players left. Also there probably would be a lot of drawing hands. Yet at that point AK would be hard to get rid of.
But to summarize I think you need to isolate any hand you play by raising. Limping is for losers.
If you have AK you do need to isolate it with other good hands but you also have to be able to get away from it. If i raise with AK and I get reraised hard. I generally can put the reraiser on something like QQ JJ 1010. Yes it could be AA or KK but thats not likely. I generally will call the big reraise knowing that if the flop is right I can take down the other person for a lot of chips. If the flop isnt right I just check/fold.
But limping with AK leaves you in a position where you don't know where you stand even if you hit.
If the flop comes K89 for instance you could easily be beat by a hand like 89, k8 or k9 if there are like 5 players left. Also there probably would be a lot of drawing hands. Yet at that point AK would be hard to get rid of.
But to summarize I think you need to isolate any hand you play by raising. Limping is for losers.
D
dan_ives
Enthusiast
Silver Level
although i think ak spades looks damn fyn lol i dont think is always good raising cus a raise...A RAISE never actaully seems to work and donks dont realise u gt a gd hand theydecide oh well my 3,2 is suited il call lol i either push loads or just limp in
F Paulsson
euro love
Silver Level
What do you mean "doesn't work?" Of course it works! It works just fine! You raise, they call, and you find yourself rich!
I feel like a parrot, but:
The goal of poker is not to win the most pots. It's to win the most money.
hott_estelle
Legend
Silver Level
Exactly. I can't believe how many people here posted they don't raise because they want to lose less money. If you're already thinking about trying to minimize losses instead of thinking on how to maximize profits, then you really need to rethink playing poker--it's not the game for you.
Shoestringx
Rock Star
Silver Level
I thinking limping UTG (or any early position) is a play that you can make infrequently in an effort to mix things up, but more often then not I think making a strong raise is still the best play.
I agree with what gradin said earlier, raising with AK will make you decisions on the flop a lot easier to make. It allows you to establish a range of hands for your opponent better. A bad decision post flop is often much more costly than a bad decision pre flop, so raising pre flop and making the post flop decision easier would be an ideal move IMO.
The only way that limping with AK will work to your advantage is when someone does raise from late position with others already in the pot, thus giving you the opportunity to reraise and maybe take the pot down or at least narrow the field down to you and the intitial raiser, while getting some dead money in the pit from the limpers. Again this seems to be something that could be very useful in the late stages of tournaments where that aforementioned dead money would be a lot more valuable. Early stages of tourneis and in cash games I would stay away from this myself.
I agree with what gradin said earlier, raising with AK will make you decisions on the flop a lot easier to make. It allows you to establish a range of hands for your opponent better. A bad decision post flop is often much more costly than a bad decision pre flop, so raising pre flop and making the post flop decision easier would be an ideal move IMO.
The only way that limping with AK will work to your advantage is when someone does raise from late position with others already in the pot, thus giving you the opportunity to reraise and maybe take the pot down or at least narrow the field down to you and the intitial raiser, while getting some dead money in the pit from the limpers. Again this seems to be something that could be very useful in the late stages of tournaments where that aforementioned dead money would be a lot more valuable. Early stages of tourneis and in cash games I would stay away from this myself.