How to Play A-K

One of the strongest starting hands, AK suited, also known as Big Slick, can be a poker player’s best friend and/or worst nightmare. In terms of hand rankings, Ace King suited is ranked as the 4th best starting hand (pre-flop), however, it is not a ‘made hand’, and as such, it can deteriorate into a worthless hand very quickly. On the other hand, Ace King suited is considered to be the single best drawing hand, making it one of the most interesting starting hands in the game of Hold ‘Em.

Playing A-K Preflop

AK suited
Odds to Win:

2 Players

3 Players

4 Players

5 players

6 Players

7 Players

8 Players

9 Players

67%

50,7%

41,4%

35,4%

31,1%

27,7%

25%

22,7%

 

AK suited
Odds to Lose:

2 Players

3 Players

4 Players

5 players

6 Players

7 Players

8 Players

9 Players

33%

49,3%

58,6%

64,6%

68,9%

72,3%

75%

77,3%

Considering the value that AK suited has when less players are seeing the flop, it becomes evident that the main value lies in isolating a few callers, or shaking out the limpers. Keeping in mind that AK is not a made hand, losing approximately 88% of the time in one on one match-ups to AA, 65% vs. KK, 53% vs. QQ, and approximately 51% of the time versus any pocket pair, a big pre-flop move that shakes out would-be callers, can also draw in callers whose odds still favor them over AK.

The strategy used to play AK will therefore vary, depending on a number of factors.
First, and foremost, how well are you positioned in the hand. Second, how committed do you want to be with AK pre-flop? Third, how loose are the callers, and what is the likelihood of them pushing you all-in, for example, in a last act of desperation in a tournament, where the players yet to act may shove all in to double up or go home.

Avoid Commitment

Although the circumstances vary, the best approach to take with AK suited is that similar to the Tight Aggressive style. Avoid overplaying your hand by committing heavily in the pre-flop raising stages. While you want to shake-out the limpers and bad hands, you don’t want to find yourself committed against stronger hands. Recognize that “all bets are off” as soon as the flop comes. If you have a strong flush draw, or a good chance at the straight, then continue to play. If the flop completely misses you, then you may want to consider bailing before the damages get worse. Avoiding commitment starts with your ability to first recognize that AK suited looks great on paper, but can become completely neutralized at the flop (unlike AA which still holds value all the way through the river). Second, a hand like AK is sometimes easy to spot. If a player puts you on AK, based on your aggressive pre-flop raise, and the flop reveals neither ace nor king, your next move could be costly. Are you committed enough, mentally, to follow a blown flop with a continuation bet? If you don’t, would that confirm that you are drawing on AK, just like your opponent suspected?

In short, the fewer chips that you commit up front, the more successful you can become with AK in the long run. That said, there is nothing like a good old bully bet with AK and a huge chip stack lead late in the tournament, but the point is, you may not get to the later rounds if you bust early by over committing on AK.

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