Advice for playing AK

**Marty_73** · 03-20-2008

I think it was Roland De Wulfe that I heard recently saying that playing AK well was a significant part of winning at poker. It's an area that I don't think I'm good at.

If anyone has advice on situations where they think re-raising or flat-calling is best I'd appreciate it. I generally flat call when in position and re-raise out of position. Although it depends on stack sizes and reads to some extent. Generally I don't think I re-raise enough.

If you have a raise and call in front of you, is that a mandatory re-raise?. What about a raise and a re-raise in front of you?.

I appreciate that play is situation dependant, but I'm after general advice on what people consider when making decisions on how to play AK.

Just to clarify: I'm particularly interested in hands where someone has already raised the pot.

**Kayos** · 03-20-2008

If nobody raises in front of me I will always raise AK. usually 4-5x. If there is a raise in front of me and no re-raise. I will re-raise 3x there bet. If there is a raise and then a re-raise usually I will call but depending on the situation sometimes fold. Regardless of the flop if you showed the most aggresion pre-flop and there are no raises in front of you always continuation bet the flop.

**abominable** · 04-06-2008

No offense, Kayos, but I just don't buy that technique. Always re raising AK, and then making the C bet, has got to be costing you money.

**bluffwithoutcuase** · 05-04-2008

If you get an allin think about folding unless a player is loose becuase AA or KK normally wins but if think they don't have AA or KK then I might call it. In tournies it will depend on chip stack and how far into the tournie I am. In cash games I check stacks and how much in profit I will be IF I LOSE.

Of course gamblers will not agree with me but thats ok.

**tarath** · 05-27-2008

Preflop I would suggest always raising if its limped/folded to you, always 3-betting if theres raises and callers in front of you, but 3bet pot when in position and 1.25 * pot out of position. Postflop your going to need to play poker.

In position, in 3 bet pots, I cbet frequently, about 70%, but you need to evaluate the board texture and how hard it hit your opponents range. Out of position in 3bet [pts I mix it up between cbetting, c/f and crai depending on the opponent and the flop texture.

In raised pots you just need to play solid postflop poker. In position I would still cbet a lot, but I would c/f a lot out of position.

**sk8freak_21** · 05-28-2008

you failed to ask about folding AK

Full Tilt Poker
No Limit Holdem Tournament
Blinds: t120/t240
(Ante: t25)
9 players
Converter

Stack sizes:
Hero: t35202
UTG+1: t17280
MP1: t14754
MP2: t6225
MP3: t9055
CO: t20975
Button: t9885
SB: t16648
BB: t7790

Pre-flop: (9 players) Hero is UTG with

Hero raises to t600, 4 folds, CO calls t600 (pot was t1185), Button raises all-in t9860, 2 folds, Hero folds, CO calls t9260 (pot was t11645).

Flop:

(t20905, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: t20905)

Turn:

(t20905, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: t20905)

River:

(t20905, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: t20905)

Results:
Final pot: t20905
CO showed Ah Qd
Button showed Qc Qs

**tightagressive** · 05-28-2008

the advice is this thread is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo bad

**sk8freak_21** · 05-28-2008

well, its not possible to give "general" advice about how to play 2 specific hole cards

**tightagressive** · 05-28-2008

Originally Posted by sk8freak_21

well, its not possible to give "general" advice about how to play 2 specific hole cards

its bad in so many different ways. OP does not specify if hes talking about playing AK in a cash game, sng, or tournament. also, regardless of what you are playing, your play is always going to depend on stack sizes, who raised/their raising range, your image, their image, etc etc etc etc etc etc.

Everyone who is saying they "always" do this with ak vs raises and calls or limps or whatver is retarded.

but in general, regardless of what game you are playing and the stack sizes, the advice in this thread is pretty terrible regardless.

**tightagressive** · 05-28-2008

also sk8 I stack off in your hand every single time

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