Is AK a made hand or not and why?

[xOneCoolHandx]

Hi all,
I keep hearing people all the time talking about AK and the trouble playing it because, while it is a strong hand, it is not a made hand. Yet, almost no one has a problem getting it in preflop with AK (esp suited). So, this begs the question: Is AK a "made hand" -- why or why not?

I believe that AK IS a made hand. It beats all other Ax besides AA (which is a decent made hand as well...lol), it is also beating all Kx (besides the obvious KK that is not too shabby). As draws, it makes the nuts on both flush and straight boards, it flips with every pocket pair (that is not the aforementioned AA and KK) and it is leading every other hand. It does not necessarily need to improve to win at showdown.

What is everyone else's opinion?

 

[marvinsytan]

AK is not a made hand but very strong in going all in pre-flop because it is always ahead of any Ax besides AK obviously and you are 50/50 vs most pairs except AA KK which you already blocked

 

[Baldy86]

again ...in torunaments it is very strong and i would go all in without hesitation unless the shover is a big nit

but in cash games i am cautious with it . it can become a disaster real quick

 

[Havik]

Hi all,
I keep hearing people all the time talking about AK and the trouble playing it because, while it is a strong hand, it is not a made hand. Yet, almost no one has a problem getting it in preflop with AK (esp suited). So, this begs the question: Is AK a "made hand" -- why or why not?

I believe that AK IS a made hand. It beats all other Ax besides AA (which is a decent made hand as well...lol), it is also beating all Kx (besides the obvious KK that is not too shabby). As draws, it makes the nuts on both flush and straight boards, it flips with every pocket pair (that is not the aforementioned AA and KK) and it is leading every other hand. It does not necessarily need to improve to win at showdown.

What is everyone else's opinion?

Its a really good hand because it blocks AA KK. If you're going against anything else your still in good shape.

 

[DS3]

The answer is simple.

A made hand is a pocket pair - that is the definition.

 

[ALLRUS79]

When you only have two cards, it's the best possible unpaired starting hand. There are five more cards to be dealt. If you pair it, you'll have top pair best kicker which is good enough to win many pots unless you have a seriously multiway pot. It also has the potential to make a nut flush, a nut straight and a royal flush any of which is good enough to win most multiway pots. When you say high card is the worst hand, you're comparing it against all other poker hands. When you have only 2 cards the best hand is one pair (AA). AK off suit has about as much equity as a tiny pair. The possibility of the nut flush that being suited offers, makes this a very strong hand indeed.

You'll usually need to hit a pair or a straight or flush draw on the flop to make the hand worth continuing with but I'd take AK suited over a small pocket pair any day. With a small pocket pair, you need to flop a set to be confident you have the best hand.

Alex.

 

[sincos]

Naturally, AK is not a made hand. On the post-flop, you need to show aggression within reason

 

[Zapahlohotrona]

With a big stack, this hand is not worth stacking at all. If you're short-stacked, this hand is great for all-in. But the most important thing is who your opponent is. What are the notes on it, is there fold equity.

 

[0546474]

This is a combination of cards - and nothing more))) A good combination of cards that in many cases will win without amplification, but I can’t call it a ready hand !!!

 

[alien666dj]

I think that dividing hands into ready and not ready is not right. After all, any hand can lose. It is more correct in my opinion to consider AK, as well as any other hand must be understood as having a chance to win in the distribution.

 

[Luan]

depending on your situation it can be perfect or not, like at the beginning of a tournament this hand is usually reasonable to play, being that already in the bubble phase of a tournament and being in a situation of less than 15BBs it is very good for try the double, but remembering this in a good position because usually always comes AA KK in the hand of the villain!

 

[Master_nolios]

I'm super agro player but I hate flips. Specially since I'm only winning flips at a 23% rate. I won't bother with which site.

A,K is a drawing hand. Pair of dueces beats A,K if it doesn't hit. You happy pushing AIPF with deuces?

I make a ton of money off A,K players live. But to me drawing hands hit more often online. But that's an opinion.

 

[pavel1111111]

ak is not a made hand , it is a good hand ,but a made it's not

 

[thwenth1983]

AK is a strong and weak hand depending on the stack

Good morning everyone, depending on your stack size, AK can be a hand that will put you in difficult situations, especially in cash games where you always have 100 BBs or more. In the cash game it's the hand that I lose the most money, by theory you should play 3bet whenever you have AK, and villain calls you c-bet flop if villain calls, you already have to be smart thinking about villain's hand, if hitting A or K on the flop and villain check-raises there is a high probability that villain is beating you with trips or 2 pair. And edge with A or K in pot played pre 3bet villains respect a lot when they don't hit a very strong hand you c-bet and villain folds. I've been playing poker since late 2018, and in my opinion AK is a very strong hand with 30 BBs or less in Mtts and when it's very deep it's a hand that can put you in difficult situations often.

 

[TomCj]

No

AK is not a made hand
simply because you have to catch a pair
to have a chance (most of the time)

any other pair can beat you if your cards don't hit

It IS a good starting hand with great potential to win
if you hit your cards

but its a toss-up pre-flop

You might hit 'em , and you might not


TC

 

[thesternburglar]

It's a great starting hand and almost always a raising preflop hand. If you miss a flop even with all cards below an AK and there is a bet, I fold 100% of the time unless a nut flush draw is on the board.

 

[fernandofcp]

To me, AK is a strong hand in formation and has high winning power, nothing more.

 

[rock0001]

how can ak even suited be a made hand if you dont even have a pair? even 22 is better than ak offsuit and against ak suited is a coinflip so every pair higher than 22 will beat ak suited more than 50% of the time. however unlike pairs (specially low and medium pairs) ak specially suited plays very well against multiple players and the only hands that truly dominates ak are aces and kings so thats another big advantage ak has against small and middle pairs which can be dominated by higher pairs.

 

[MrPokerVerse]

If you believe a made hand is a high card with a good kicker, then yes. I'm thinking a pair is technically a made hand.

 

[ATL2000]

I'm not sure if AK meets the criteria for being a made hand, but it's certainly one that I have a hell of a time folding preflop in tournaments.

 

[xOneCoolHandx]

The answer is simple.

A made hand is a pocket pair - that is the definition.

Where are you getting your definitions from ?

 

[MickGreed]

I been seeing alot of ppl going all in with the AK hand, I'm not comfortable going all in its not a self-made hand,

 

[lcid86]

AK is very tricky. It trails pocket pairs pre-flop so it's very tough to push with in cash games.

 

[pirateglenn]

Great Thread

Hi all,
I keep hearing people all the time talking about AK and the trouble playing it because, while it is a strong hand, it is not a made hand. Yet, almost no one has a problem getting it in preflop with AK (esp suited). So, this begs the question: Is AK a "made hand" -- why or why not?

I believe that AK IS a made hand. It beats all other Ax besides AA (which is a decent made hand as well...lol), it is also beating all Kx (besides the obvious KK that is not too shabby). As draws, it makes the nuts on both flush and straight boards, it flips with every pocket pair (that is not the aforementioned AA and KK) and it is leading every other hand. It does not necessarily need to improve to win at showdown.

What is everyone else's opinion?

I think its only a made hand because so many people play it and by playing it, its essentially the most common hand you see jammed all in either pre flop or other - i personally dont see it as a made hand however i think your view that it beats X, Y, Z, hands is a good point and can be argued.

AK is without doubt in my mind, the most over played hand and the one hand i see get into trouble more than any other.

 

[xOneCoolHandx]

I think its only a made hand because so many people play it and by playing it, its essentially the most common hand you see jammed all in either pre flop or other - i personally dont see it as a made hand however i think your view that it beats X, Y, Z, hands is a good point and can be argued.

AK is without doubt in my mind, the most over played hand and the one hand i see get into trouble more than any other.

I agree with you that AK is very overplayed but it is with good reason. So many people on here talk about AK losing to 22 but the fact is, it is a coin flip with pairs all the way up to QQ. So, while 22 IS a pair and considered a made hand, it flips with almost every other combo of starting hands that can be dealt (except 2x combos like A2, K2, ect) but is dominated by all other pocket pairs. So, while people point out that AK is losing to 22 preflop, it still wins half the time like it does against all the other pocket pairs QQ and below while it dominates a ton of other potential calling hands. And the thing with ANY pocket pair besides aces, you dread the flop where an ace hits the board. With AK, you are happy to see that ace.

Maybe a more apt question would be to ask what defines a "made hand". I think a made hand is one that is likely to win at showdown without having to improve. AK fits in that category.