When we first begin to study
poker strategy, almost all of us are shocked by the amount of aggression considered “appropriate” with AK. The phrase “remember to play AK aggressively” starts to be ingrained in our playing philosophy, and we become obsessed with protecting AK hands by constantly raising our opposition. While this is normally correct, it also becomes easy to overplay AK when we connect with a good, but not great, flop. In this two part series of articles, we will discuss the correct
poker strategy of AK in Limit Hold’em and how to determine appropriate aggression.
Playing AK Preflop
Preflop, it is almost always correct
poker strategy to be extremely aggressive with AK, suited or unsuited. In early position you should always raise or reraise AK. In middle position and late position, it is also usually correct to raise or reraise.
If you are facing a reraise, or three bets, in early position with AKo, you should probably fold unless your opponents are very loose and aggressive. In this case, at least one of your opponents probably has you beat or, at best, in a “coinflip” situations. If your hand is suited, your decision will be altered slightly based on your particular opponents, table image, and the opponents left to act.
If you are facing a reraise, or three bets, in middle position you should make your decision only after taking into account the table dynamics (i.e., opponents, image, and who is left to act). In late position, you should almost always be putting in four bets with another raise, as you will usually have position throughout the hand. You also want to enter this hand with a forth raise, instead of just cold calling the reraise, to knock out the opponents still left to act. AK plays better against as few opponents as possible, so it is important to reduce the numbers of possible opponents.
Whether or not AK is suited makes some difference in how you are going to play, but don’t overestimate the power of suited hands. With two suited cards you will flop a flush draw or better 11% of the time, but only make your flush 5% of the time. While this is a significant percentage in the long run, it does not justify putting yourself into a clearly –EV situation (or a situation where you have negative expected value in the long run).
Playing AK Postflop
If you are seeing a flop with AK, you have usually shown some sort of aggression preflop. If you are the last one to be an aggressor preflop, and it is checked to you postflop, you should be betting on most flops. Again, this decision is really dependant on your opponents, but if you miss the flop you will still have overcards, and therefore a chance of some outs, so making the nearly automatic continuation bet to give your opponents a chance to fold is usually standard. If you were not the last aggressor preflop, and miss the flop, you should make your decision based of the playing style of the opponent who was the last aggressor.
While you should note that it is standard to
usually make this continuation bet, this concept does not hold true 100% of the time. If there are still a lot of opponents left to act and the board is heavy on draws, such as 8-9-10 of a suit you do not have, betting will be a mistake. Also, if you miss the flop and are facing loose opponents who will never fold for one bet, betting is a mistake. In order for this continuation bet to be correct, you need to have at least some folding equity in addition to your chances of improving.
When you hit your flop you should almost always bet
even if you were not the last aggressor . Since hitting the flop also means you have at least top pair, best kicker, you need to take control of the hand and try to immediately win the now-substantial pot. Do not try to “slowplay” hands such as top pair, best kicker unless the pot has many opponents
and the player in front of you is extremely aggressive. In this particular scenario, waiting for the turn to raise might be a better play; a flop raise will do little to limit your opposition, but a turn raise portrays much more strength.
Overplaying AK Past the Flop
AK is a tricky hand because it is so easy to play preflop and on the flop, but so hard to play on the turn and river. Most of your decisions will be “cut and dry” on the first two streets, as aggressive play will usually be appropriate. On the turn and river, however, aggressive play can be a serious mistake if you are not careful.
If you miss the flop, bet, and are raised, you are going to have to evaluate your outs. While the pot may be big, there is a good chance you can be drawing dead and, therefore, will need to fold on the turn. This is why it is important to know your opponents well and understand their particular tendencies. If you are raised by a tight player, for example, you need to be much more careful then when you are raised by a maniac.
When you hit the flop, and are raised, your first thought should be how you can get to showdown. Laying down top pair, top kicker, frequently in big pots is generally a mistake unless the situation looks to be extremely unfavorable. Again, this decision should be based off your particular opponents and other table dynamics.
Playing AK correctly postflop depends so much on the particular situation. In Part 2 we will discuss specific examples of how to play AK.
