question about AK betting...

[cryptic]

I have a question about AK (suited or not). All the books treat AK as a big hand and advise raising preflop with it. I do this as advised, usually raising 4 or 5 times the BB.

However, the maths being what they are, most of the time I miss the flop and I'm looking at absolutely nothing. Shoud I carry on betting big as if I've hit something, and if so do I bet the flop and turn, or just bail out after gettting one call?

 It doesn't feel good betting when you know a pair of twos has you beat!

 

[rivered]

Welcome to Blonde!!

Re your question, I'd ask Ironside....

[Rod Paradise]

Welcome to Blonde!!

Re your question, I'd ask Ironside....

 

[Ironside]

the answer is IT ALL DEPENDS

if your in the deep stages of a tourny i prefer to not raise preflop and dump if missed

wheras when the money is shallow i prefer to get all in with the AK preflop so i can see all 5 cards on the board

during the middle stages you have to play it dependant on the other players on your table

remember its the 3rd best hand in poker but its a slight dog to a pair of just easier to play

[matt674]

remember its the 3rd best hand in poker

surely 14th best hand in poker as every pair from AA to 22 ranks above it as a starting hand?

ok, i'd rather be dealt AK than 22 - but 22 still outranks it

[Ironside]

22 can beat AK without help but you try playing in a raised pot with 22 or in shallow money with 22 when you have to fold your 22 but AK is still a big hand

22 is coin flipping with most hands and 4-1 dog v any of the other 12 pocket pairs
AK is big dog v AA a 2-1 dog v KK coin flipping with the other 11 pairs a big favourite via any ace or any king and between 60-70% favourite via any 2 other cards

so in money terms AK is the 3rd best hand (on a par with QQ) as it should make you more money than any other hand apart from AA and KK (in the long run)

[TightEnd]

IMO the main power of AK is in your ability to show aggression pre flop, and I'm always happy to pick up the blinds/any limpers with it uncontested

If you have to see a flop when your raise is called then its horses for courses depending on position/texture of flop and the style of your opponents...do you continuation bet? Usually yes but the answer as with so many things is "it depends"


I disagree with Ironside on a couple of things...i don't move all in in the early stages...why? why risk all your stack early on on a drawing hand?

In the later stages its a great bullying hand..raise the backside out of your opponents with it

[Ironside]

if your in the deep stages of a tourny i prefer to not raise preflop and dump if missed

tightend thats what i said

[TightEnd]

Oh glad you know what you meant.....

Sorry if I misunderstood your wordsmithing

[Royal Flush]

I think Iron was taking the piss, given his AK status

[Ironside]

by deep i mean deep stacks by shallow money i mean when the stacks are shallow

ffs you would expect the english to be able to understand there own language

[Ironside]

I think Iron was taking the piss, given his AK status

what you talking about

i am the AK supremo and when you guys work out how to play it then you will be able to play poker to the same HIGH standard as me

[TightEnd]

we do understand our language, we just don't understand yours
 

Proberly.

[rivered]

   here we go.....

[stallyon]

the thing with betting with AK is that quite often you'll get rid of people with lesser starting hands so when the hand comes low chances are you'll have gotten rid of people who would have hit that flop.