How To Play Ace-King In Hold 'Em Poker
by Dougie Goguen | Nov 22 2011
Ace-King is one of the strongest hands you can be dealt, but how can you ensure that you get the most out of it?It's been a dull night of poker, the cards are cold and your stack is about the same as it was when you first started. Then it happens: AK is delivered unto you as if from on high. Great! Now what?
Play online poker at Bodog today!Basic AK Strategy
This is the main thing you want to remember when you're holding AK: you want to make sure that you eliminate as many other players from the pot as quickly as possible and instead concentrate on one. The worst thing that can happen to a player with AK is being stuck in a multi-way pot because AK is a drawing hand and you'll need to build something that can win and that's much more likely to happen if you're just taking on a single opponent. Even if they've got a pair, you have a strong likelihood of getting top pair with a strong kicker if an A or K hits the board.
In fact, if the betting gets too thick early on when you're holding AK, I recommend simply walking away. That said, if you play as strongly as possible and keep yourself from getting sucked into a raise war, you'd likely be able to take control of the flop. Don't be afraid to play aggressively, raise from position to thin the field, and work to face down just a single opponent.
AK and Stack Size
Your stack size is critical when you're playing AK. If you've got a small stack and are looking to grab more chips without much risk, it's often your best move to go all-in preflop. This forces the raiser and other callers to pick if they're going to fold immediately and give you the blinds and whatever bets have been made. If you are called, though, the odds are with you: they've likely got a pair lower than either of your potential draws and you're going to be able to see all five board cards to improve your hand. AK gives you odds of just a little less than 50% to win and the increased pot equity is on your side.
However, deep stack players can find that a re-raise before the flop can give them valuable intelligence on what their opponent has. If you re-raise and you get three-betted, it's a likely possibility that they're holding Aces or Kings themselves, either a pair or both, but if they're only calling, it's more likely that they're running QQ or lower. This little bit of work on your part helps define their hand and gives you control of the board.
Take advantage of the best online poker deposit bonus out there!To get the most out of AK, you're going to want to learn how to control the board with it. Short stack play means you've got nothing to lose, especially if you're in a tournament and if you're rolling deep, then you can afford to get more intelligence and draw out the opposition a bit more before crushing them.
