Why do people overplay AK?

[marcumx]

i always see players shove all their stacks of 30+ bigs with AK and seem to steam when they get felted. Even AQ fits in here and i've yet to learn to quit calling all my stack with these two hands. what's the fascination, they're draw cards and the most overplayed hands. I'm sure there will be a lot of opinions on how to play these but IMO the only time you should be shoving is when you're 10 bigs or less and three betting when you're in early position. Me personally i like to just limp when i'm on the button, blinds, and cut off in hope if i hit the flop, it will be disguised.
Example of this is last week at the casino in 1/3 i had just sat down and got AKs on the button. Only two callers before me, no raises, and i haven't been there long enough to observe so i limp, sb folds bb options.
flop comes A 7 4 rainbow. action checks to me, i bet 10 , bb folds , UTG folds, other guy calls. turn is K. bet is 15, i call after 1.5 minutes.
river is A giving me a boat. checked to me i bet 45 , he raises to 90. this couldn't have made me happier but what did he have. i was hoping for pocket 10s so i shove my last 120 and he calls and he turns over A 4. he looked at me shocked and degraded me for not raising with AK and said i'd played it wrong and i go how so? i got your stack.
i play AK different in cash than mtts as anyone should and never do the same thing. for the rest of the session i was able to make raises with marginal hands and get small pts as well as bluff at flops bc noone could guess what i had.

 

[63burner]

AK odds probabilities good and bad...

Here are the probabilities

Common All-in Hand Match UpsApproximate ProbabilityAK vs 76 suited AK wins 60% AK vs QJ AK wins 64% AK vs 22 22 wins 51% AK vs KQ AK wins 73% AK vs AA AA wins 87% AK vs KK KK wins 66%


For me, I've lost
way more often with AK than I've won

When AK holds you feel like the odds have held true, when in fact, a lot of times, AK is the underdog, as you can see from the probablities

 

[nera75]

In the distance AK will always be in the black, but do not forget that this is not a ready hand!

 

[nera75]

 

[Micro Maven]

to get action when you have AA + KK. obviously It's always better to be the one putting in the last raise w/AK as opposed to calling but it's also hard to be dominated and you crush a lot of hands yourself.

 

[Inequitas]

Short and Sweet... AK looks So Pretty... It's like thinking "there is a Chicken!" before the egg is hatched...

That's Another Inequitas Quote there... I don't mind any one using it but give credit where credit is due... lol

Or another analogy would be... "Woohoo Thats a sweet looking chicken fillet burger right there, MmmMmm hold on i just gotst to chase it round the roost n pluck them feathers first!!! whooooweeee that there boi is what am talkin bout!!!", "Darn it I will catch that darn bird yep maybe next time round" lol

 

[Jai_R]

Just Happened

I literally was playing this hand as I was commenting on the post. UTG raises PF 12, Im BB so I call with AK- QT9 raise 9, 8 turns, checks, K river= He had pocket Ks, really couldn't bet with all that was out there. Sorry if sloppy, but I was typing as I played so I could remember. Anyway... Im kinda glad I played it the way I did because there were so many outs. But here is an example of AK suited not being the best hand preflop.

 

[Shrops]

Weak ace

I believe they do it because they want the weak ace player to call.

 

[IntenseHeat]

Why do people overplay AK? That is indeed a good question. I have frequently asked myself this very question. While I do not have an answer, I can attest to the fact that I have seen more money won and more money lost with this hand than any other. While I won't necessarily lay AK to every 3-bet shove (there was a time when I might), it's rare for me to be the one shoving with it.

 

[azforlife]

Short and Sweet... AK looks So Pretty... It's like thinking "there is a Chicken!" before the egg is hatched...

That's Another Inequitas Quote there... I don't mind any one using it but give credit where credit is due... lol

Or another analogy would be... "Woohoo Thats a sweet looking chicken fillet burger right there, MmmMmm hold on i just gotst to chase it round the roost n pluck them feathers first!!! whooooweeee that there boi is what am talkin bout!!!", "Darn it I will catch that darn bird yep maybe next time round" lol

Lmao man I gotta read more of your replies this one had me clack clack clackin myself hilarious reply hehehe in Ethiopia we've got a similar saying "I've got a cow in the sky, whose milk I never see"

 

[tame4g]

Whenever I overplay AK, it's usually due to the feeling of finally being off of a "cold run". That or my stack is small enough to warrant it, but that only applies to tournaments

 

[maxi_j]

Inpatience. Because felt in love with starting hands.
Usually overplay with AA just they get them fever less times.

 

[pentazepam]

I think Doyle Brunson used to say that he preferred AK to AA because it was easier to play post flop.

I would not go so far BUT people tend to CB to much when they miss with AK.

 

[kowrip]

I had to have a few bad experiences to get myself to stop making big mistakes with AK. I think it's hard to lay down because it's considered a very strong hand, but it's really only A high unless you hit the flop. I've made some big blunders 3-betting with AK and put myself into some really bad spots. I'm a lot more cautious with it nowadays. I prefer raising or calling to 3-betting. I think AK has great value when you are short stacked or when calling other short stacks since it dominates so many of the big broadway hands.

 

[eberetta1]

I will overplay AK because I do not want to waste another 3 to 5 hours of my valuable time. If I could make money playing poker like I do at sportsbetting it would be nice. I make a sports bet, which takes all of a couple minutes, then collect my winning without even watching the event.
That is why I overplay my AK's.

 

[TpaEnforcement]

I find a lot of players over play AK, probably cause they think they'll hit the outs. I find a lot of time , my high pairs never seem to hold against AK. If I tried over playing AK, I never seem to catch and beat high pocket pairs. I play what I feel are good cards and I feel they will win hands. If I feel myself the hand is not going to win I fold. Most of the time I find AK wins hands early on in tournaments. That's my opinion.

 

[BlackJesus]

One thing is that it is always easier to shove than to call All-in bet. So there is some benefit in collecting already existing chips on the board.
However, I wouldn't use this tactic in the long run. It is completely OK to shove with AK if being shortstack. But otherwise it is better to see that flop and remain in the tournament by folding if nothing good appears on the board.

 

[pescaofish]

Sometimes after many hands getting: 2/9, 3/10, and so on, the AK seems very nice!
:burnout:

 

[sharipov8090]

AK conflicting maps.The drawing of such maps requires special attention.An important role is played by the position and analysis of the game on the players.In the early position with them I put a triple bet in the late call raises but you always have to watch the flop and make informed decisions.Good luck to you!

 

[Vallet]

I agree with you. Players push AK and wonder how easily they lost all the chips. They run the luck roulette instead of playing.

 

[bigpappa325]

I seldom call all in with a,k unless i'm short stacks or final table short stack.

If I'm late in position i might push if everyone limps. A lot of ace:fight: rag like to limp

 

[TheDude6622]

So many people feel AK is AA. It is not a made hand and the flop changes everything.

 

[bigpappa325]

So many people feel AK is AA. It is not a made hand and the flop changes everything.

the dude knows because he was at the final table short and pushed all in on my tens and missed just last week. But luck on my side i won flip and took tourney on another similar flip.

Made hand short handed win a good bit on drawing :rock:

 

[ganbat]

I think AKo can't win AQs.

 

[Alexander Rubcov]

I do not advise playing the ACE King hand on the entire stack.Yesterday lost the tournament Sunday Storm Micro Million for $5.5 with the hand ACE King suit.Prior to this, the bounty Builder lost $0.5 in the deep c hand stage to King King vs. ACE King.This hand is good in sng tournaments or in post-flop.