I feel like a lot of people really tend to over play AK. Especially out of position. What are your thoughts on this card chat?

but why not? that's a premium hand and if it's also suited it's a huge hand to beat any lower pair than KK for example.

AK should be played from any position, UTG, MP, whatever, just raise it. Even if the guy has QQ the odds are almost 50-50, and it's very unusual that someone holds AA or KK (then only a miracle would save you) if you already have two of the cards that could form those hands

Not sure if you can overplay a premium holding preflop. I have seen it played strong post flop with no help on the board. It may not be a made hand but I am not sure if slow playing it would be profitable long term.

I think, AK is quite a decent hand to overplay - with good (near 50%) chance to win

AK can be over played very easily. Specifically, 9 handed.
Any pocket pair is 3% favorite before flop (AK being 47% against a pocket pair). I think peoples biggest issues with AK are two things. One, always shoving regardless of position or stack size. Two, Not being able to let AK go after the flop. If you don't hit on flop you are around 20% chance to win against any pair. You would either be hoping your opponent('s) hand also busted or that you hit the 20% chance on the turn or river. (That is assuming the people who folded didn't fold the cards you needed.) I consistently see people 3 barrel (with nothing) or shove with AK and feel like its really silly. It has great show down value and if you hit a straight or full house you are gonna have the best of it but people act like getting AK is always the pure nuts. Anyway, I personally like J10 suited better.

Thanks for voting everyone!!!

AK is a hard hand to play i believe its the 3rd ranked starting hand burt at the same time its not a made hand so thats where i think its hard to laydown preflop or even after you miss the flop.

and its almost an insta call when people have it to an all in pre flop. i try not to call all in pre with it if its for all my chips, or unless im in a bad spot to need a double.

I love AK when I'm less than 20 bbs deep in a tournament. Get it all in pf if possible.

In a cash game, I tread much more carefully.

If you are short stacked in a tourney I could see it as a viable option. Personally, I would shove with less then 20 BB in a tourney with AK. It really depends on what lvl we are at in the tourney tho and Only if I had position. To many people in the hand will most of the time shut AK down and if everyone is to stacked to fold then you are SOL. I usually wait for a pocket pair in tourneys before i shove short stacked. Or a J10 suited.

Usually in poker, Ill use the kill phil strigaty, so im all in with AK - no matter what

I always hope for one caller... i love a good race

I agree that AK is overplayed. Many players will refuse to give it up, calling to the river.

My favorite hand is AK diamond.. I've won some monster pots vs AA and KK with it... I don't like it too much if there is a straight or a different suited flush draw on the board though! I tend to bet high with it and scare away the draw players!

As one great poker player once said - 60% success in poker is outflopping your opponent. AK gets close to equal chances with any lower than KK pair only in river, not the flop. So, obviously - AK is a hand easy to overplay. Just because a lot of people do the same mistake does not make it right. It is a common mistake, but pure math says AK is not that good unless you are prepared to go till river which means that if you are desperate you can go all in with this hand ofcourse but in the long term - it is a mistake to put too much investment with AK.

My mindset is that A K is better than any pair lower than kings, and sometimes including pocket kings. I don't think you can overplay AK preflop, but if you get called some raise preflop and the flop is 6 7 10 offsuit, you check or raise after the flop and if you get raised or re-raised then obviously you must fold that hand.

In my opinion you can overplay AK only if the flop is some low cards and you don't have nothing on the flop.

It does tend to get over played, but so do pocket aces. I'm certainly not saying AK is better than AA, but both hands do get over played. I wouldn't blame anyone for shoving with AKs. AKo if is a little different, but still a premium hand

Recently I've been losing many hands with AK so I have to say yes, AK is over played. If you don't connect a pair you may be losing, but its difficult to throw that hand.

I play AK in the same way that game middle pairs, despite the different calculator to say I can not compare with a top pair.

I've tried playing AK all kinds of ways, and most of the time, none of them works. I been beat with it way more times than I've won. But I see it working for other players and I wonder why it's not holding up for me. But wondering why this or that is not getting me anywhere. So I probably play AK like nobody else.

Originally Posted by Whiterosemov

but why not? that's a premium hand

60+% win rate. If the same suit it is even higher

I believe that AK is a hand of great strength but it takes many bad beats at least in my case ... be a pocket pair, AQ AJ, most often unpaid raises on the flop because they do not hit anything.

I do love a race heads up, but Ive lost with it too much

I tend always to be carefull with this hand. And try to be not to attached to it when the flop turns out to be bad. But you do want to raise preflop to get out the limping players that have low cards, before they hit something on the flop.

No just only with AK overplay because a lot players if get A with example 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 etc then they bet and raise a lot lool

over play...no. But people(myself included) tend to play them to far out. accept that you have nothing and fold.

Ace-King is a favourite tournament hand with which many players like to get all their chips into the middle, especially pre-flop. They feel that Aces and Kings are the only prohibitive favourites against it so it’s a hand with which it is worth gambling. There is definitely a love affair out there for Ace-King. However, the strength of this hand is overvalued by many poker players – and they end up going broke. It’s fairly easy to play AK late in tournaments, where pre-flop aggression and all-in moves are commonplace. But the real difficulty with playing AK is in the early stages of a deep-stake no-limit tournament and in cash games. In such situations, it’s probably prudent to attempt to keep the pot small and treat your AK as a drawing hand and taking more of a wait and see strategy.

AK is a great hand to raise with preflop depending on position.. at the cutoff in a 9-handed tourney I may raise 4x just to trap players into calling, thinking I am just trying to steal blinds / ante, little did they know I have the Big Slick.

I agree that if a player has Aces or Kings obviously you are in trouble, but that isn't too likely since you hold the blocker cards.

A pocket pair that hits a set on the board or that you don't hit is a recipe for a bad beat story, and the only issue I have with shoving drastically pre-flop is that you have some commitment issues after seeing the board.

i guess it depends on the stage of the tournament you are in. at the beginning don't take too many risks, just calling would be enough most of the time if your opponent isn't too loose (then raise it!). but at the late stage tournament i believe ak is gold. you can always measure your opponent's hand strength with it

Vejo muitos foldam AKo , AKs em jogos sitgo e MTT,meu ponto de vista em relação ha esse assunto é que é muito dificl e muito ruin foldar Ak pre flop pelo simples fato que muitos jogadores comentem erros pre flop shovando um range totalmente dominado por Ak! Muitos tem medo ou preconceito que Ak perde demais.Mas o call AK ao longo prazo sera muito bom vs a maioria de jogadores em toda rede. Raras as vezes foldar contra oponentes muito tights.

I find I do over play AK and it is a huge tournament leak.

Ak is one of the strongest hands you can have. I don't understand how you can over play it. If you start folding ak, then what a are you going to play with. You can't just wait until you get aa/kk otherwise you will just end up being blinded out of the tournament.

Originally Posted by PW300

Ak is one of the strongest hands you can have. I don't understand how you can over play it. If you start folding ak, then what a are you going to play with. You can't just wait until you get aa/kk otherwise you will just end up being blinded out of the tournament.

AK is indeed strong however what I've observed is that a lot of people play it like it was top pair when its basically a drawing hand that's looking to hit an A, K, a flush draw if they're suited or expecting to flop Q,J,10. I've been guilty of doing this myself.

Having had this realization I've changed how I play it. If I can either call or open for 2 or 3 BB then and only then will I play it. If it doesn't hit something on the flop then it's time to consider folding depending on the situation, continuing only if I can do so without putting much more into the pot unless/until I hit something.

Great hand, hard to let go.

to me you must play ak cbetting like aa. If you get called down sometimes you have aa and pays off sometimes not but im gonna push 99% of time.

Really frustrating though is when have ak and flop is a or k something and someone does have pockets aces or kings but thats poker

In cash games where I'm only 100 or so BBs deep, I'm happy to get it all in pf, but when I miss the board, I'm a bit more wary. 2 overs is fine, but you'll often be against a pair.

In a tourney, it's a great hand to shove with and feel OK with whatever happens.

I think there are a lot of players that can not let AK go regardless of the board and the action ahead of them. Its a premium starting hand. After that you need to address what is happening and be willing to let go.

I was taught that Big Slick was the best drawing hand ... but just that - A DRAWING HAND! Far too many players tend to play it as a made hand. This is the primary reason that another nickname for Big Slick is Walking back to Houston.

I think one of my worst leaks is over playing any Ace... I need to remember that even Big Slick is a dog to any pair....only if I could..

I hear/notice people say its only a drawing hand allot. I always reply with .. it's not just a drawing hand ... it's the best drawing hand.

I think all to chance . you can have AK or AA , and lose for a player with weak hands , such as 23 or 64 , because he was straight.

Yeah, usually people overestimate this hand in postflop game, when thay have just a top pair with a good kiker .

Originally Posted by freeloader

I was taught that Big Slick was the best drawing hand ... but just that - A DRAWING HAND! Far too many players tend to play it as a made hand. This is the primary reason that another nickname for Big Slick is Walking back to Houston.

well said

Raise against limper and re raise against fish but be careful when you get resistance from the nit by reevaluating the board.

Overplaying AK is as dangerous as slowplaying it in my opinion.
Theres nothing better than raise it substantially and analyze the other players' moves.
But if im on the verge of getting busted out and i get these cards, im always all in... hehehe

Well if you read some of the comments you'll see from there posts that AK is over played

a lottttt and then i mean A LOT of people overplay AK,
preflop, u "only" have around 65%

I like AK in a position I can see a flop. Nothing worse than that sinking feeling when you have AK in a big pot and the flop is 2,6,8.

I think AK is a strong hand, but not to go all in pre flop, raise and see the flop, would consider my position to play those cards, my stack, etc.
I also play different if it is a tournament or if cash tables.
Often saw lose a whole stack or be out of a tournament by go all in preflop, AK is over played, i like to play them carefully.

I gained more than I lost this hand. So I enjoy when I go out with these cards

Big slick definitely tends to get overplayed. I like to see flops with it before I get too crazy and out of line.

Preflop its too strong to not play almost always. MB in very deepstack early stage in tournament... but than still...

most of the player over play AK...but its a hand that if you dont have many chip you need to play aggresive