I hate a/k !!!!!!

[michaelkozlowski]

Does anyone else have problems with A/K suited or off?? This hand is KILLING me lately. I just cannot catch a flop wit this pair and it is usually all-in. I have tried to slow-play it and in that way I do save some chips, but in mid-to-late tournaments, I push and it is useless. In the book, "Making the Final Table" by Erick Lindgren, he goes through the EXCELLENT odds that A/K holds and he says this is one of his favorite starting hands. I see the math, but for me it is useless. I have been taken down by 2-2, 3-3 you name it when I show my MIGHTY A-K. Maybe just a phase, but when I see A-K I get the jitters.

Opinions?

[Alnoble]

AK is always a pre flop raise in my opinion but not all in unless short stacked. Post flop play with it is very dependant on position and the other players and of course the flop.

Against a low flop be careful as many weak kickers can pair. At the end of the day AK is only Ace high. A lot of players forget that and see it beaten.

i've had AK beaten even with a flop of 8KA. a 10 J called my all in and hit the Q on the river.

More and more I find myself playing fewer of the big potential starting hands too strongly and looking for the suited conectors etc and looking to see what the flop can bring. I would say I win more chips at PS with straights than any of the big hands.

I think you need to be flexible with your game and vary it dependant on the stakes and size of field you are playing. Play some of the 4kp games and you will find a better class of play than PS micro stakes and it will improve your game. It has mine.

[spowers454]

I don't put much stock in ak, yea I raise preflop with it 3-4 times the bb but unless I am shortstacked not all-in. Even though AK is the best starting DRAWING HAND it is still a drawing hand. AK off vs 22 of the same suits is still around a 5% dog. People love to use the coinflip saying but all the same a slight dog is still an underdog. I really hate when people put so much stake in AK suited or not. So many people reraise with it and find themselves behind and in need of help. Play semi small with it atleast till you see the flop, I like to sit down when I am not in the mood to play and click on random hands on calculators just to see odds. What I have learned is put more stake in pairs and suited connectors and less on ace hands. I was watching WSOP europe tourny last year and it was funny to hear them talk about how much stake people put on an ace, to be fair online I tend to put a little more stock in them just cause they seem to hit more than when I am playing live but all the same I still know that unless I get help I have ace high and that don't win many pots and wins very few when there is more than 2 people in the hand. AK is not an instant all-in if that is the case let me know I will be happy to call with any pair and hope that the 5%+ better chance that I have will win this time. One the same note. If I just called a raise and about any high card hit and you raised you would prob be able to push me out, make a little but not risking a lot on draw and behind.

[Alnoble]

I have a perfect example of someone over valuing AK tonight.

Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: alnoble (5220 in chips) BB
Seat 5: 4990 in chips)
Dealt to alnoble [5d 5c]
Seat 5: raises 60 to 80
Seat 6:: calls 70
alnoble: calls 60
Seat 3: calls 60
*** FLOP *** [7c 4c 2s]
Seat 6: checks
alnoble: checks
Seat 3: checks
Seat 5: bets 220
Seat 6: folds
alnoble: calls 220
Seat 3: folds
*** TURN *** [7c 4c 2s] [6s]
alnoble: checks
Seat 5: bets 400
alnoble: calls 400
*** RIVER *** [7c 4c 2s 6s] [8s]
alnoble: checks
Seat 5: bets 4290 and is all-in
alnoble: calls 4290
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Seat 5: shows [Kc Ac] (high card Ace)
alnoble: shows [5d 5c] (a straight, Four to Eight)
alnoble collected 10140 from pot

I know you could say why did I call the all in with a possible spade flush on the board and only having the straight. All in was too strong a bet it looked suspicious. Had they bet more on the turn I probally taken it more seriously.

I took time to think and decided they missed and they couldn't knock me out. It was still early, only hand 10 and blinds at 10 and 20. I didn't need the straight as my pocket pair was good all the way.

[xxmommaxx]

AK is always a pre flop raise in my opinion but not all in unless short stacked. Post flop play with it is very dependant on position and the other players and of course the flop.

Against a low flop be careful as many weak kickers can pair. At the end of the day AK is only Ace high. A lot of players forget that and see it beaten.

i've had AK beaten even with a flop of 8KA. a 10 J called my all in and hit the Q on the river.

More and more I find myself playing fewer of the big potential starting hands too strongly and looking for the suited conectors etc and looking to see what the flop can bring. I would say I win more chips at PS with straights than any of the big hands.

I think you need to be flexible with your game and vary it dependant on the stakes and size of field you are playing. Play some of the 4kp games and you will find a better class of play than PS micro stakes and it will improve your game. It has mine.

"Ditto." We seem to think a lot alike al.

When I am dealt AK, generally I have learned to look at it as Ace/rag and have saved myself time and time again. Of course, there are those days when I have waited and waited for a hand and AK comes along and all of a sudden I am going All-in with a vengence. lol.. usually end up losing to some poo like 9, 3... lol

But, then I am usually reminded to get my head back on track and play AK more hesitantly, even if it is the best hand I've hand in an hour. Good Luck.

[eberetta1]

So funny, this is probably as bad as a QQ hand. I have seen too many tourneys where an Ace-rag won against the AK. And where the AK loses to a 22. The insult being the person get trip 2's. It's like, you are telling me I have 2 chances, either get an ace or a king, and this other sap picks up a 1 in 13 chance and pops a 2 on the table to make my AK look really bad.
This weekend I was the BB, and had A4. On the flop an A 9 4 shows up, so I pushed all in knowing only trips or A9 were better hands at the time than my 2 pairs. 5 on the turn, K on the river. The dude has an AK to take me down.

Good luck with your AK's, mine win about 47 percent of the time.

[Peteyweestro]

the reason i hate A/K is because usually when i play it then absolutely no other aces or kings hit the table but if i don't play it then the flop is usually something like like this AKK,lol

[Washerwoman]

I agree with you, eberetta, it's about half and half for me too with AK.

The if you fold it it flops and if you play it it loses to a small pair also happens quite a bit!!

I once tried a game only playing lowish, non-paired cards which worked for a while...but not for long!!...just wanted to see what could happen.

I think scrawnybob's statement about not playing poker if u aren't in the mood is the best advice for me...think the cards must sense your isn't in it!!!

[kingmotan]

the reason i hate A/K is because usually when i play it then absolutely no other aces or kings hit the table

I have to disagree

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to kingmotan [Kd As]
tof68 has timed out
tof68: folds
kingmotan: raises $0.07 to $0.09
GoldBerg265: calls $0.09
BinskiVFL: calls $0.09
suburbanfunk: folds
Sheepo1977: folds
NipAction: folds
sanyalta: folds
obmanul: folds
*** FLOP *** [Qd Tc Ah]
kingmotan: bets $0.24
GoldBerg265: calls $0.24
BinskiVFL: calls $0.24
*** TURN *** [Qd Tc Ah] [7d]
kingmotan: bets $1.61 and is all-in
GoldBerg265: calls $1.61
BinskiVFL: folds
*** RIVER *** [Qd Tc Ah 7d] [Qh]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
kingmotan: shows [Kd As] (two pair, Aces and Queens)
GoldBerg265: shows [Ad Ac] (a full house, Aces full of Queens)
GoldBerg265 collected $4.04 from pot

P.S. I hate ppl that slow play They suck

[Limey777]

I have a perfect example of someone over valuing AK tonight.

Me too! see previous post