What's up with all the slow playing of AK?
What's going on with all the people slow playing AK as though it were pocket aces or pocket kings? I've noticed this going on over the last while and I'm finding it more than a bit odd. I always thought you should try to take down the pot with AK, AQ preflop if possible. Was I wrong?
Comments
The AK slowplayers enjoy missing flops and getting bluffed out by any two. They also enjoy winning the minimum and losing the maximum when an ace flops.
that being said, i almost always come in for a raise preflop with AK. i find that it is by far the best way to play the hand. you have to create a pot that's worth playing with it. if i miss the flop (depending on the cards) i'll probably throw out a continuation bet about 70% of the time. in other words, i'll most likely play AK fairly aggressively. limping with AK and allowing others (with medium to low strength hands) to see a cheap flop is probably the worst thing you can do.
Limping with AK causes cancer
Mark
and not the good cancer either......
It does, however, make it more difficult to play postflop, especially with deep stacks. Use your hand reading skills.
Use it as a balancing play to make your opponents wary and less likely to raise preflop if you limp from EP with like 66 or QJs
From late position, against a tight early position preflop raiser it may be a fold.
From late position, against a single tight-aggressive preflop raiser, i'll call and take a flop to maximize my positional advantage. If I reraise, a good player will either rereraise better hands, or fold worse hands, and that takes my good position and throws it out the window.
On the other hand, if there is a middle position raise and a call, it's usually worth a reraise to take an ok-sized pot down right there and avoid trouble if you flop a second best hand.
limping with AK from the button is terrible in any case. You have position and likely the best hand. Standard big pot scenario. Make the pot bigger. If a good player open limps from the button i am very wary and raise almost nothing out of the blinds. No reason to build a pot out of position unless you're bluffing, and there's no value to bluffing that tiny pot.
You raise to limit the field and build a pot with the best hand. Not to create a pot worth playing. AK will most often make one pair on the flop, which is not a big pot hand if you are multiway.
I agree with playing AK aggressively, but be careful about building big pots out of position. If I raise preflop I'll often check the flop regardless of what comes to keep my opponents off balance, thus mitigating a bit of their positional advantage. Given that, however, I will of course c-bet most of the time.
How big a pot do you want with one pair, out of position, against tough, aggressive, opponents?