I am really struggling right now with overplaying AK. I know it is a premium hand but how you play it postflop to a miss is getting me.
For example: I'm holding AK in my last home game and raise 4xBB. The button calls me and then smooth calls my continuation bet after I completely miss the flop. Now here is where I am stuck on what to do. The turn misses me again. Do I fire a second bullet with air? Do I try to check it down? Do I shove and hope to get a muck from my opponent?
I am much more comfortable playing AK from position but still have similar issues after missing a flop completely. Do I play it aggressively by c-betting and firing more bullets regardless of turn and river? Or do I check it down to the river?
Both of the above situations are assuming no Ace, no King, the board is not paired, no flush or strong straight draws, etc... Just plain 'ol junk on the board.
Last night I played AK UTG with pot bet preflop ($5 9 player SNG on stars). Flop comes 10 high no straight or flush draws. I am first to act of 3 and fire a c-bet of 3/4 pot. 1st opponent calls, 2nd opponent folds. Turn is a Queen putting a heart flush draw on the board. I check, opponent checks. River is 4h completing the flush draw. I push all in and get called. I show AK and he shows pocket 8's and wins. There are 2 overcards and a possible flush and he calls with pocket 8's.
I know that is an opponent I want to play against as often as possible. But my question is this: Should I have gotten away from the hand sooner? Should I have tried to check it down.
Thanks for your opinion.
Stay patient...
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7 comments:
To me, AK is a premium hand pre-flop, but needs to be played more delicately after the flop.
Much of the decision for me with the missed flop has more to do with the other(s) in the hand than anything else.
If the other person in the hand is a rock and a continuation bet doesn't faze them, consider ejecting from the hand.
If the flop strikes at the core of a hand that they like to play, especially drawing flops and a drawing player, I might consider the money spent pre-flop an interesting experiment.
The biggest thing I tell myself, I ain't dying with ace high.
Either the opponent will fold to pressure or will call you to the river. If they can beat ace high, you are screwed especially if they don't have a fold button.
Jamy, I actually disagree with your thought about the guy calling you with 88. You mentioned that's the kinda guy you want to play against. How do you know? How do you know that he didn't make a good read on you?
Your betting sequence makes no sense, you check the turn when there is a flush draw when in fact if that also gives you a flush draw, it's very likely you continue betting to show strength. The 10 high flop bet doesn't necessarily show that you have an overpair. The jam on the river makes you look weak. Maybe opponent thinks you'd make a value bet if you have the flush. If you hit the Q on the turn, you would have to bet now that you already represented strength on the flop and there's a flush to protect against.
In other words, you chalk it up to an unbelievable nonfold by opponent but you also have to think, could it be that you got outplayed?
And to answer your question about AK. Unless the villain has shown that he floats the flop bet with nothing, I would check fold the turn if I don't improve. Why go to war with A high? What do you think the villain was calling with. If you're gonna jam, you shoulda done that on the turn.
Thanks Captain. You are right that I shouldn't be "dying" with Ace high.
And you are right Alan. I got outplayed. Like I said, I am having trouble as soon as I see the AK. I overvalue it, then when I get to the turn, I get outplayed because I don't know how to proceed from there.
He did read me right with the 88, but there was a hell of a lot of hands that could have had that beat him. I was assuming the overbet for value would have him thinking I was overbetting for value. I was way overthinking it...
Jamy,
Personally, until I actually see someone pull an overbet for value with a monster hand, I never give them credit for a hand, especially if they overbet. It just looks too much like a bluff. Which is why overbet for value works so well. One thing you should note on this guy is that you have shown a big bluff so next time when you have a hand, don't value bet but rather overbet. Again, until someone successfully pulls an overbet, there's no reason to give them credit for actually being able to make that move. Knowing that move and being able to do it are two completely different animals. And it's not easy to overbet when you flop a monster...
For AK, I think if you fire 3 bullets, you take down the hand. Your check on the turn almost gave your hand away. Sure, you coulda had 99 but there's not much else that your betting makes sense with. The guy calling with 88 is definitely a thin call. But not a gross call. Question is, if you really caught the runner runner flush, do you have the balls to shove like you did or would you end up valuebetting? Honestly think about that. Whatever your choice is, that's what you should bet as a bluff. Bluff = same action as monster hand. ALWAYS.
Also, AK is a great hand in a tournament if you want to get all your chips in preflop. If you can see all 5 cards, generally speaking, at worst, you are a slight dog to a coin flip. But in a cash game where the stacks are deep and you play multiple streets, AK is no different than AQ or AJ or KQ. Unless you hit it, you gotta slow down. It's also ok to give up on the pot. With AK, you are looking more for ragged flops with an A on the board. I've folded AK many times in a cash game where the board comes AQT. If there's heavy betting, I just can't imagine what I'm beating. Again, it's all about feel and all about your opponent.
Thanks Alan. That helps a lot.
First it was AQ, now AK?
Never think someone is tricky until they have proven to you that they can be tricky. Then give them the respect, not before.
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