PokerWorks

A walk back to Houston, A-K, or Anna Kournikova (looks good but never wins), it doesn't matter what you call it, A-K as a starting hand in Hold'em, probably gets and deserves more “meaningful” discussion than any other starting hand. Although weaker than Q-Q, J-J, or even 10-10 and an underdog to lowly 2-2, Big Slick is still included by most with the premium hands A-A, and K-K.

Simply put, the EV (Expected Value) for A-K is higher if you play it like A-A and raise, than if you limp and see the flop. A-K just plays better against few opponents, and only by raising will you get your opponents to fold. This isn't the final and authoritative discussion of A-K but it does address your options and when and why you should consider one over the others. Of course everything in poker is situational but the number of possible situations really is finite and we can look at the most frequent. Let's look at the options in order of the amount of discussion generated by each.

Fold? Although the hand may not be as good as the rating it receives, it does have a good winning percentage and positive EV. It is a drawing hand, after all, that hits on the flop 32% of the time. We really want to play A-K and most of us give an internal smile when we find it in our hand. Folding A-K is usually restricted to those special circumstances associated with tournament play. The situations in cash games are really based on some very accurate reads, like you saw the other guy’s hand and he holds A-A.

Raise! The best way to play A-K is raise. Your chances, of winning the pot, decrease significantly with every opponent that enters the pot. You want to give them every motivation to fold. Simply put , you win more money with the hand if you raise, than call. Most of the strength of A-K is predicated on the ability to win the hand when the board misses everyone and the fewer everyones the better. There is an additional benefit garnered by disguising your bigger hands like A-A, K-K, and Q-Q. Opponents tend to put you on hands they can beat, and most will automatically put you on A-K instead one of a big pocket pair. That said, if you are in a “No Fold'em” type game where your opponents can be expected to call your raise, you might consider the third alternative.

Call? Limping with A-K has a smaller EV than raising but in some situations, and in the interest of varying your play, limping might be more cost effective. Here are most of the situations where you should at least consider slow playing, calling, Big Slick.

1. If you have several opponents and they can be expected to call your raise, you should probably call and see the flop before you put more money in the pot.
2. If there has already been a raise and most of the remaining players can be expected to fold to that raise, a peek at the flop might be the best option and trap the raiser if you hit.
3. From early position with a highly aggressive player yet to act, you should consider a call and subsequent re-raise. Remember playing A-K like A-A, does have some deception advantages.
4. With A-K suited the additional flush possibilities may pay off best if you allow many opponents into the pot for the increased pot odds.
5. From the blinds with two or three players already in the pot, seeing the flop and trapping when you hit should be considered, depending on the game,

Finally, what tends to cost the most money is the play after the flop. Do you make the continuation bet when you miss? I remember back in the 60’s when Bobby Fisher wrote an article, “The Queen's Gambit is dead.” It changed the view of many chess players. Well for me, a statement by TJ Cloutier provided the same epiphany, “If you don't hit the flop, toss them in the muck.”

If you do not hit an Ace or King on the flop, any bet/raise you make is simply a bluff and should be treated accordingly. If a bluff won't work, do not make the continuation bet. Of course there is another alternative. You might hit the flop with either an Ace or King. Now you have a totally different set of problems. You have top pair with best kicker, but those other two cards could have given your opponent a second pair to go with his Ace. Like any pair on the flop, these hands should be played cautiously and always aware that you only have a pair, even if it is top pair. Always be prepared to lay it down if the situation or significant resistance indicates that you are beaten.

Good Luck
jb