One of the most difficult hands to play in Texas Hold’Em is AK. While a strong hand, it requires the consideration of many more factors than pocket pairs or other strong hands. How you play AK at a. AK is one of the best starting hands in 6-max No Limit Holdem Cash Game. It is a real profit-generating weapon if used correctly. In this article, I am going to share with you my guru insight and experiences on how to play.

• Rules To Play Poker
• How To Play Poker For Beginners

888 Poker has one of the easiest to beat player pools. Don't join the sharks on PokerStars, play where the real fish are!

Playing AK on a Missed Flop

AK is a really tricky hand to play after you miss the flop. A big proportion of players will overplay and over value these hands, or even start building pots and bluffing in the wrong tables positions which is extremely dangerous. However, most of the time the failure comes from players mid-reading their opponent’s hands and strength post-flop. In this article I’m going to analyse a number of scenarios and provide tips for playing AK correctly on a missed flop – both in and out of position.

Situation 1: In Position

In position against one or two opponents who called your pre-flop raise, a continuation bet is the best play on a dry flop like 6h-8h-2s. It’s very unlikely anyone will have hit with their calling range. We’re probably putting our opponents on broadway cards, high suited connectors or mid-pocket pairs.

A continuation bet ½ pot only has to work once in three times to break even, and each opponent only has a 30% chance of hitting the flop. Against a single opponent in a cash game I’m always continuation betting here, against 2 opponents I’ll need to know my table image better and the cards my opponents will be playing. Either way, with 2 checks ahead of me it’s extremely likely I’m still ahead so I’ll bet half-pot (e.g. $40 into a $75 pot).

If a player hits back at you it’s an easy fold, as he must have top pair or a set minimum – and he definitely won’t be on a draw.

If he flat-calls your raise then you’re still most likely ahead. If he’s checking the turn then again you should bet out a ½ pot bet. If his hand hasn’t improve by the turn (for instance if he’s holding QJ and still misses) then he’s folding to more action.

Barrelling the river

Let’s say your opponent calls you to the river and it brings another blank card. This is a really difficult situation because whether or not you 3-barrel the turn is all about your read. For instance, ask yourself whether a player of this quality will be calling you on the flop and turn with a flush draw. A lot of weak opponents will however against good opponents this is unlikely.

So, on a board like6h-8h-3s-10d-2d it’s very likely you’re AK has showdown value against a bad opponent. In either case I’m probably checking the river. If he’s missed his draw he’s unlikely to check-raise you, and if even if you raise the river it’s negative chip equity because you’re only going to get called by hands that beat you.

If you believe youre opponent was on a draw but might have caught a small pair with a hand like Ah3h, you can 3barrel the river. Your bet needs to be carefully weighted here and I suggest a 2/3 pot-bet is enough to fold a marginal hand, yet not too much that it looks bluffy.

Situation 2 – out of position

Playing AK out of position in is alot tougher in cash games as you only have a 30% chance of hitting a pair on the flop – and if you miss and someone else raises you there isn’t a lot of flops you can afford to call with. So against multiple opponents I’m often going to check-fold my AK out of position.

However if you fancy playing aggressively there are multiple ways to play AK on a missed flop. Depending on the texture you can raise AK first-to-act on rainbow flops like 3d-Js-7h because it’s extremely unlikely anyway will have hit. Mid to late position players calling your pre-flop raise with suited connectors or JQ/KQ type hands have no chance. Thus, on certain flops you can raise AK out of position and take it down. A bad flop to do this though would be Qh-7h-10s.

Rules To Play Poker

If you get your AK called on a 3d-Js-7h flop you need to be bold and either check-fold the turn, or be prepared to 3-barrel as mentioned above.

Lastly, on a missed flop with AK out of position you can bluff check-raise. The player in position will likely be cbetting all flops anyway and if you check-raise here he’s almost always folding. This play is very straight forward because you’re folding to a call too!

Related articles:

• $400
• $2000

Pocket queens and ace king are two hands with very similar equity. As a result of the similar equity, players often find themselves in situations where they are unsure what to do when holding QQ or AK. There will be a number of spots where your opponent too could be holding either AK or QQ.

As a general rule of thumb, it is better to have QQ than it is to have AK. If you happen to run up against AA or KK when holding AK, you don’t have the greatest of odds. Now, if you have QQ against AA or KK, you are still a sizable underdog, but catching up is within the realm of possibilities.

The true dilemmas with these two hands is almost always found pre flop. These are the borderline hands where it could be ok to go all in, but it could also be ok to fold against some major pressure. The limits and flow of the game you are in will help in determining what the proper play is, but these hands will remain tricky nonetheless.

QQ is a hand where you could think “Wow, he folded QQ?!?!,” but also think, “Why didn’t he fold QQ,” the very next hand. As is often the case with poker, QQ and AK are situational hands that depend on a number of variables.

Your Position and Your Opponent’s Position

If you are in late position and are holding QQ or AK, consider yourself lucky. Position will almost always make playing a hand that much easier. QQ or AK can be particularly dangerous when out of position because they can be bullied around. When you get to play these hands in later position you will also have the advantage of fold equity.

You could decide to go all in without worrying about having the best hand at showdown. Sometimes forcing a fold is just as good as getting a call, especially when the only hands that will call are likely to have you beat.

An Example With QQ (or AK)

Imagine that you are under the gun (first to act) and are dealt pocket queens. Your initial reaction will be that you have a great hand to play, and this would be spot on. The standard play would be to make an open raise, usually to something around 4x the big blind.

The real action, though, will come after your initial raise. If the other players simply call your raise or elect to fold and get out of the way, there isn’t a lot of thinking required on your end. When you get re raised, however, it can be quite difficult to accurately determine what the best play is.

On one hand you have pocket queens, a very strong hand, but on the other hand you will be crushed by AA or KK and are chopping the pot with AK. You need to then decide whether your opponent would re raise with nothing or a hand that you just barely have beat.

There is a very legitimate chance that a player who has position will either make a light three bet or raise your bet with a hand like TT or JJ. Your job is to identify whether you are likely ahead or behind and how you should play the remainder of the hand. If you think that you are ahead, you should try and get all of the money in the middle before the flop is even dealt.

The problem with this, though, is that you will often force a fold from the only hands that will three bet you yet still be behind pocket queens. On occasion, and depending on the particular game, you will be able to get a player all in with AQ, JJ, or even TT. These will be the only times where getting QQ is very profitable in the long run.

If you open pre flop with QQ, are three bet, and then decide to flat call, you are still going to have a lot of issues after the flop. If an ace or a king comes you will need to analyze whether or not your hand is still the best. Plus, even if it is the best hand, your opponent will be able to easily represent an ace or a king.

How To Play Poker For Beginners

In addition to this is the fact that you will now struggle to extract value from your once strong pocket pair. As you can see, there truly are never ending land mines with pocket queens. Though this example used QQ as the pre flop hand, the similarities between QQ and AK are evidenced in that AK would be played almost the exact same way. Your approach with QQ and AK should seldom be different and you will always need to adjust to the exact circumstances.

Fold Equity

QQ and AK are typically worthy of some big pre flop action regardless of whether or not you end up going all in. If you do decide to go all in pre flop, try to ensure that you are putting in the last bet. The odds of profitability increase dramatically with QQ or AK when you are the one placing the last bet or raise vs. calling the last bet or raise. The reason for this is because you will be able to force folds on occasion.

When this happens you will be able to take down the pot without any need to see the board. Beyond this, when you are the last player to make a bet you will get more calls from weaker hands. It is rare for a player to call off their stack with AK or QQ and have someone completely dominated, though it certainly does happen. In the end, you could be ahead with AK or QQ whether you are placing the last bet or calling the last bet, but your profitability and win rate will be much higher when you take the last initiative.

Further Reading:

• Also check out our post, How to Play Pocket Queens for further discussion on playing QQ.