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Danc1u
Rock Star
Silver Level
good thincking,in a late tournament bounty UTG i raised 2,1 ,got a shove from UTG+1 all table folds till me and i called his all in with 30-35 BB behind me,he covers me,KK in my AK,and lose...was a very bad call i thinck.....since we were almost to ft....now i play AK out of position same as you
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Danc1u
Rock Star
Silver Level
3 bet all-in and all will be well
not all the time...depends of the tournament,if its a bounty1 ppl are calling with any small pairs,22-33-44...and sometimes u get a dry board
usualy is a powerfull hand when u have a good position...
Amanda A
Legend
Bronze Level
Just played a tourney where I was down to less than 10 BB so I shoved from early position pre flop with AK of spades. It looked so pretty! I ran into one call from AA which held up. Oh well. I don't think I did anything wrong, did I?
shody
Rock Star
Silver Level
I ussually raise 2-3bbs and if someone raise all in then i fold,never all in,i know is hard to fold AK but i have learned in time that must be folded,i have lost a lot of times with this all in preflop is just bingo,so dont go all in.
Senneville
Visionary
Silver Level
Agressifffffffly bet raise and re-raise to not be call by A-2-3-4-5- off or minus pair. Good to go for me. Always play that hand in BB in limp situation if 2-3 call before me. Like to play also in first situation ( utg 1)
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Dedulia
Enthusiast
Silver Level
I understand you, I also often lose this hand I just started it raises a lot for example, do not 3 bet and 6-9 Beth and close al in you know and I started to win don't know what it is but something like this but sometimes I do it off the radar
cranberry
Legend
Silver Level
On the flop of AK it is very strong, but this is not a pocket-sized hand, which is to go all-in (from personal experience ). Almost always I try to reraise the initial raiser, if I have AK.
You can also just call with AA, if you do not want to seriously mess with the other player. Call with AK before the flop and more cunning move, because after the flop, you can easily get, if not caught any matches.
Hand AK looks impressive, but it can easily lose.
). Almost always I try to reraise the initial raiser, if I have AK.You can also just call with AA, if you do not want to seriously mess with the other player. Call with AK before the flop and more cunning move, because after the flop, you can easily get, if not caught any matches.
Hand AK looks impressive, but it can easily lose.
yelmopoker01
Rock Star
Silver Level
The biggest mistake I see is called overplay: playing with AK as if with an unbeatable hand, as if it were AA. Whoever has read Sklansky knows that AK is ranked among the first groups in greatness, but this is no guarantee of victory, as the Aces are not either. Many err when pushing all-in preflop when the situation would call for a smaller reraise. Another mistake is to go all-in on a low flop, when the best bet is a continuation-bet or even check-fold.
So that's it, GL on the tables !!!
yelmopoker01
So that's it, GL on the tables !!!
yelmopoker01
TheBigFinn
Visionary
Bronze Level
The only definite play with AK is when you are short stacked: Push AI. The rest depend on the table you're on, bets in front and your position.
I always open, even in early position,
I 3-bet in position from the button and high jack.
In the blinds I call mostly, but will 3-bet if needed to reduce the field.
I always open, even in early position,
I 3-bet in position from the button and high jack.
In the blinds I call mostly, but will 3-bet if needed to reduce the field.
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risky101
Enthusiast
Silver Level
i like to min raise, however playing AK with anything less than 20 bb is ok to min raise looking to get it all in especially against a loose player. if i have 18 or less bb im open shoving or reraising all in on any lose player
mcgregor_415
Rock Star
Silver Level
The position and the stage of the game are very important how you would play AK. It's always good to clear the field with 3 or even 4-bet if you have several limps before you. However you must consider your closest goal and your stack in a tournament to select if you can afford to be more aggressive or not.
Mathematically AK against pair is a pretty much a coin flip, but against more than one opponent you've got the advantage, because the chance of hitting A or K will give you double advantage against a pocket pairs.
Mathematically AK against pair is a pretty much a coin flip, but against more than one opponent you've got the advantage, because the chance of hitting A or K will give you double advantage against a pocket pairs.
Amanda A
Legend
Bronze Level
Definitely open with a raise, it gets tricky if you don't hit the flop and someone bets. At some point you got to be able to let it go. I've seen many players go all the way with AK calling bets even when they don't hit anything. They end up losing a lot.
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Daniljev
Enthusiast
Silver Level
This tactic is not always true. Play should be the enemy, and not on the cards.
Svyat66556
Rock Star
Silver Level
I agree that the tactic is not always true but it is necessary to do so raise before the flop to knock out players with small cards,
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smilezzz
Rising Star
Bronze Level
AK is harder to play then people think
Never just ship anything pre flop unless it is AA, KK, QQ. Even QQ tho should be wary about facing a five bet to your 3 bet. Depending on if you are in Early, Middle, Or Last position depends on how you should play it. The AK being suited or not should also be a factor. A non suited AK is actually a group 2 hand when played in early position so you would not want to over play it. For instance in early position, if it is not suited, you would want to 3-bet it and then fold to any 4x or 5x raise. Especially since there are so many people calling behind you. Depending on how many BB you feel like rumbling for. If a small stack shoves then you could call but never try to isolate from early position by re shoving. If you are in Middle position a 3-bet and call after a 5-bet is acceptable from late position raisers as they will most of the time have a wider range. Tournaments have a unique strategy to them as you are not trying to just get all the chips in play but you are also trying to survive the blinds. Room for error is very very low. Not letting go of AK, Especially when not suited, Pre flop is a mistake i see alot of people make.
Never just ship anything pre flop unless it is AA, KK, QQ. Even QQ tho should be wary about facing a five bet to your 3 bet. Depending on if you are in Early, Middle, Or Last position depends on how you should play it. The AK being suited or not should also be a factor. A non suited AK is actually a group 2 hand when played in early position so you would not want to over play it. For instance in early position, if it is not suited, you would want to 3-bet it and then fold to any 4x or 5x raise. Especially since there are so many people calling behind you. Depending on how many BB you feel like rumbling for. If a small stack shoves then you could call but never try to isolate from early position by re shoving. If you are in Middle position a 3-bet and call after a 5-bet is acceptable from late position raisers as they will most of the time have a wider range. Tournaments have a unique strategy to them as you are not trying to just get all the chips in play but you are also trying to survive the blinds. Room for error is very very low. Not letting go of AK, Especially when not suited, Pre flop is a mistake i see alot of people make.
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SofaKingCool
Rising Star
Bronze Level
I'm sure everyone knows...
We all [should] know that, of course how you should play AK depends on many factors. But the there are two factors that I have not seen talked about in this thread:
1) equity
2) your skill level, strengths, and weaknesses compared to those of your opponents.
1- equity is so important that I'm surprised not many people talk about it directly. People often talk about some of the things that effect equity. But not the thing itself. Equity is THE #1 factor that differentiates a tournament from a cash game. For those who aren't familiar with equity, it is basically the cash value of your chair in a poker tournament giving consideration to all factors that could/do affect your chances of turning that seat into real money. Some of the major factors are: stack, amount of people remaining, your skill level compared to opponents, pay structure, ect. So the way this effects how you should play AK is based on the idea that in a tournament, your goal is not to win chips, but to win equity. And when you make a play, you are risking equity in hopes of gaining a return on that risk. If you want to be able to make good plays with AK, you have to think not in terms of chips, but in terms of equity. If you have a higher equity, then your stack is worth more than if you had a low equity. So risking your whole stack becomes much less appealing. And obviously the inverse is also true.
2- Skill level, strengths and weaknesses are actually a subset of equity, but one that hasn't been discussed as a decision making factor thus far in this thread. If I know that my post flop play is weak, it is better to raise big and limit the field. Win early through aggressive play. But if I feel like I have an edge over my opponents because I'm better at making post flop decisions, then controlling the size of the pot and giving your opponents a chance to make a huge costly mistake with something like AQ or AJ is better. It's important to Know where you are strong and where you are weak. A player skilled at making good post flop reads should play the hand much differently than a player who couldn't make a read against a toddler caught in the cookie jar.
And obviously these two factors need to be considered along WITH all other factors. I just feel like these two were far too important and overlooked to not mention.
We all [should] know that, of course how you should play AK depends on many factors. But the there are two factors that I have not seen talked about in this thread:
1) equity
2) your skill level, strengths, and weaknesses compared to those of your opponents.
1- equity is so important that I'm surprised not many people talk about it directly. People often talk about some of the things that effect equity. But not the thing itself. Equity is THE #1 factor that differentiates a tournament from a cash game. For those who aren't familiar with equity, it is basically the cash value of your chair in a poker tournament giving consideration to all factors that could/do affect your chances of turning that seat into real money. Some of the major factors are: stack, amount of people remaining, your skill level compared to opponents, pay structure, ect. So the way this effects how you should play AK is based on the idea that in a tournament, your goal is not to win chips, but to win equity. And when you make a play, you are risking equity in hopes of gaining a return on that risk. If you want to be able to make good plays with AK, you have to think not in terms of chips, but in terms of equity. If you have a higher equity, then your stack is worth more than if you had a low equity. So risking your whole stack becomes much less appealing. And obviously the inverse is also true.
2- Skill level, strengths and weaknesses are actually a subset of equity, but one that hasn't been discussed as a decision making factor thus far in this thread. If I know that my post flop play is weak, it is better to raise big and limit the field. Win early through aggressive play. But if I feel like I have an edge over my opponents because I'm better at making post flop decisions, then controlling the size of the pot and giving your opponents a chance to make a huge costly mistake with something like AQ or AJ is better. It's important to Know where you are strong and where you are weak. A player skilled at making good post flop reads should play the hand much differently than a player who couldn't make a read against a toddler caught in the cookie jar.
And obviously these two factors need to be considered along WITH all other factors. I just feel like these two were far too important and overlooked to not mention.
