Why do people overplay AK?

[Riversalmon]

I think it's a player trying to isolate another player playing an ace with a weaker kicker. In the end it doesnt usually work out haha the A7 player usually hits his 7

 

[MattRyder]

I don't know.

I always lose with AK v any other lower Ax,

or, AQ v any other lower Ax,
or, AJ v any other lower Ax,
or, AT v any other lower Ax.​

 

[Dailon Arroyo Blandon]

Precisely for having such a high percentage of post-civilities to win a hand ... It is that many players assume that they will win the hand and bet very high ... even if they have not connected anything on the flop ... they keep making continuation bets very high ... I've seen many times players get eliminated by overvaluing this "AK" hand

 

[Unbustable]

Everyone had their reasons for doing what they do.. all in all when you consider that A,K, is the strongest starting hand next to a p.p. and is still 50/50 against all but 2 p.p. that makes it good odds to send it in and defend it.. but In my opinion most people that do without being short stacked or have a good read on the table or position are donks

 

[ROYALROAD]

AK

It's because a specialist says "AK is good.".

A lot, I was tricked, too.

 

[GWU73]

With stacks much below 100 bb you usually have enough equity to get all in pre flop. When you don't it's close. - in a cash game. You generally want to push, not call, so you have fold equity.

Pay flop - your starting cards don't matter as much as your current hand.

No comment on tournament. That not really my thing.

 

[Datdude1]

To most players AK is a strong starting hand and a good hand to push preflop. However if you don't get a A or K on the flop it can become very problematic for you if someone starts off with a pair...be careful.

 

[amniasti]

hi

hi i dont say thats just with AK people playing or going all in this maybe can make it in freerolls tournament but in big buy in tournament i have make folld and with AK beacose i have win and i can go all time with AK beacose the opponent go all in with example pairs 88 and this is problem beacose many times in table you are seeing example AK AQ A8 A9 and now its time to make ,,FOLD,,

 

[TeUnit]

I think limping the button with AK is a much bigger error than shoving it with 30bbs.

 

[rj_montana]

I agree with TeUnit.

Raise/folding AK really sucks so it's a great candidate for a shove w. <=25bb. Most people play AQ, 88+ the same way here and start trapping with JJ+.

The benefit in this play is (hopefully) folding out 22-77.

 

[Hemified]

Usually all depends really on my stack and opponents. But I slow roll alot,,,sometimes its good, sometimes its bad.

 

[lcid86]

AK gets lots of TV time. Tends to influence players that you need to push it when you are short-stacked.

 

[Psycho]

By the way you describe it, it sounds like you played the hand perfectly. You got max value so how could that be wrong?

 

[Pete Ski]

AK is a great starting hand but that is all it is. You are on a draw when facing any pair. I see people shoving in freerolls trying to double up with nothing really risked.

 

[German629]

Hello, the All CardsChat Community! I'm agree with the many players, that AK, especially of different suits, is an overrated hand,
since this is only AK... Often I see, when two players go all-in with AK (sometimes and of one suit), and third player doing call
with 22, or another small pair, and win a Big Bank , and sometimes and the tournament! Funny!..

 

[BrewCrewWI]

You're right. Overplaying the hand. AK is a great starting hand. But it's not 30X the blind great. I sometimes feel that an AK hand is overplayed because of getting bad beat so often. Similar to JJ where that kind of bet is trying to just take the pot down right then and there with the caveat that if it puts somebody allin or calls with a worse starting hand, you can call them a donk for their play. It just reaps of "Nobody Call" and or "Look I was bad beat" when called and bad beat. Or running in to high PPs. Almost feeding that play to believe they made the right move and the opponent not holding AA made the wrong move calling.

It's a great starting hand that I don't want more than 2 other players seeing a flop against. It's the willingness to get away from the hand when missing the flop that gets hard. Often I raise to reduce the number of players seeing the flop, but then when I miss and fire again it's always so painful when a player calls because they caught on that flop. And then I always have to pay their value bets off because it always seems I have a top straight or flush draw after the turn. Just so easy to remember the hurt over the joy. Especially when AQ or AJ outdraws you.

 

[Watcheman]

Man, you played right I mean you must play as you want.
So winners are not judged.
But in your example you were lucky because AK very often are turns into garbage.

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.

 

[Watcheman]

But sometimes when you call his with 22 they find Aces or something like street

Hello, the All CardsChat Community! I'm agree with the many players, that AK, especially of different suits, is an overrated hand,
since this is only AK... Often I see, when two players go all-in with AK (sometimes and of one suit), and third player doing call
with 22, or another small pair, and win a Big Bank , and sometimes and the tournament! Funny!..

 

[digdug0037]

AK definatly brings out the worst play in people. I feel way more comfortable playing AK is there are only a few players at a table. I have pushed AK many times myself at a full table just to get beat by a 7 10 or worse. If they are suited it is a little better but I still dont feel that great with it. I guess appearance is everything to a lot of people so when they see the 2 big dogs they feel pretty confident. Fact is a 22 is ahead from the get go.

 

[Shooter74]

In my opinion AK is a premium hand...but i never go all in with 30bb

 

[deeznutzz]

The problem with AK is that if you go all in wih it you most likely will get called by players holding pocket pairs. Even if your AK is suited you would still be at a disadvantage against against any pair. You will almost always need the cards to flop right in order for you to win. In that case you're not really playing poker as much as youre just gambling. Throw your cards in and hope for the best. I find the best way to play AK is to use one as a kicker when you and your opponent both flop a made pair. Then I check/call the turn and check the river trying to make it look like I'm holding a middle pair. It works best when you raise on the flop without a A or K then check when one of them comes on the river. When they raise I slow call. After the turn I quickly check. As primitive as this strategy may be it has made me a lot a money against loose players

 

[VictorOd]

I think players are afraid to lose and go all-in with AK too often. Many years ago I read in old book (can't remember book's name) that you should go all-in with AK if your stack size is less or 5x pot size. I think we should make standard raise with AK and watch the flop in normal (non turbo) game.

 

[AntA_KO_v]

I think it's a player trying to isolate another player playing an ace with a weaker kicker. In the end it doesnt usually work out haha the A7 player usually hits his 7

that is exactly what I wanted to write =) thanks! in addition: limp with AK on PF is a bad idea because of BB with some J7 or T6 can get cheapest two pairs... 2,5x raise i think better =)

 

[kowrip]

I share the same view as you. I usually don't even 3-bet with AK. I'll raise for sure, but I tend to get in trouble when I 3-bet. Early on, I made a lot of mistakes with AK. It's taken me time to learn not to get too attached to it. I find that AK has great value later in the tournament because it dominates so many short stack shoving hands and is still a coin flip against nearly all pairs. Like you, I don't understand people shoving with AK with super deep stacks. I also don't understand calling all-ins with AK when it's early in a tournament. Other players are usually only shoving pairs or AK. How often do you see players shoving AQ or worse early in a tournament ? Very rarely !

 

[CriesuaID]

I don't think A-K is a hand that you should always accept all-in like many players do, but often playing this hand results in a big pot when your opponent who has A-? hits an ace pair on the river. However, there are no exact rules when playing poker.