Bigbearaaa

What's going on with all the people slow playing AK as though it were pocket aces or pocket kings? I've noticed this going on over the last while and I'm finding it more than a bit odd. I always thought you should try to take down the pot with AK, AQ preflop if possible. Was I wrong?

BoyBlue

Too many people think that if u hit AK u need to go all in pre-flop. this is just wrong. AK still loses to small poket pair and it will alwas be 50 50 preflop. its best get see the flop before u commit urself. ( unless ur short stacked and got a good read of the table.) basicly u get in if u dont it u can escape with little damage or hit big and properly play it to maximize ur chip count.

BBC Z

The AK slowplayers enjoy missing flops and getting bluffed out by any two. They also enjoy winning the minimum and losing the maximum when an ace flops.

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m_dolens

i would argue that there are some scenarios in which limping with AK could be quite beneficial (ex. i'm on the button. it's folded to me. the blinds are notorious for their aggressive style and if i limp i know i'll get raised. i'd have no problem pushing back over the top of them.)

that being said, i almost always come in for a raise preflop with AK. i find that it is by far the best way to play the hand. you have to create a pot that's worth playing with it. if i miss the flop (depending on the cards) i'll probably throw out a continuation bet about 70% of the time. in other words, i'll most likely play AK fairly aggressively. limping with AK and allowing others (with medium to low strength hands) to see a cheap flop is probably the worst thing you can do.

DrTyore

FACT

Limping with AK causes cancer

Mark

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JohnnieH

and not the good cancer either......

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Gamblor

In games with generally very bad players, AK is worth a raise in almost any situation preflop. In games with good players, or even the kind who decide you have AK if you raise preflop, it is worth a limp in early position. If you raise in EP and get reraised (assuming deep stacks), you have to fold preflop due to reverse implied odds. Limping in EP lets you do lots of things if it gets raised behind you. If you have a short-mid stack, you can put in a big reraise, or if its a tightish preflop raiser, you can fold without putting in any more than your limp.

It does, however, make it more difficult to play postflop, especially with deep stacks. Use your hand reading skills.

Use it as a balancing play to make your opponents wary and less likely to raise preflop if you limp from EP with like 66 or QJs

From late position, against a tight early position preflop raiser it may be a fold.

From late position, against a single tight-aggressive preflop raiser, i'll call and take a flop to maximize my positional advantage. If I reraise, a good player will either rereraise better hands, or fold worse hands, and that takes my good position and throws it out the window.

On the other hand, if there is a middle position raise and a call, it's usually worth a reraise to take an ok-sized pot down right there and avoid trouble if you flop a second best hand.

Gamblor

limping with AK from the button is terrible in any case. You have position and likely the best hand. Standard big pot scenario. Make the pot bigger. If a good player open limps from the button i am very wary and raise almost nothing out of the blinds. No reason to build a pot out of position unless you're bluffing, and there's no value to bluffing that tiny pot.

You raise to limit the field and build a pot with the best hand. Not to create a pot worth playing. AK will most often make one pair on the flop, which is not a big pot hand if you are multiway.

I agree with playing AK aggressively, but be careful about building big pots out of position. If I raise preflop I'll often check the flop regardless of what comes to keep my opponents off balance, thus mitigating a bit of their positional advantage. Given that, however, I will of course c-bet most of the time.

How big a pot do you want with one pair, out of position, against tough, aggressive, opponents?

fdart17

Only limp if you know someone else will raise!

schabs

I dont mind limping with AK, when I know there are aggressive players raising almost every hand. So when they do raise, If im shortstacked, I push....If im deep...i'll put something signifigant up like 4X or 5X what they raised. Usually works very well. Pushes them out, or makes them push.

-ev

Ya, you definitely want to call a push with AK when you are deepstacked.

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