AK and you don't hit. What now? | Poker Strategy

It is a fact that you will only flop a pair 1 in 3 times when holding AK. So How to play AK 'correctly' if you don't flop. In this article we will be looking at different situations that you may encounter if your AK doesn't improve.

Situation 1

You're on the button. Three players in front of you limp and you raise to 4xBB with (A-Spades)

. One player folds but two players call. The first thing you need to do now is think about the possible hands your opponents might be holding.

This will obviously depend on previous hands these players have played, but let's just assume that player 1 is a solid player and player 2 is a slightly looser player.

Player 1 could be holding a low to middle pair, so maybe pocket 5's or 6's, maybe even AQ or AJ. Player 2 has a much wider range of potential hands. Ax suited, KQ suited and off suit, TJ suited, other suited connectors or low pocket pairs.

The flop: (J-Spades)

Both players in front of you check and you place a standard continuation bet of 2/3 the pot size. And then it happens: both players call! What now?

Player 1 didn't take control after the flop, so it's unlikely he's holding AJ. Maybe a pair of 8's, which would give him a gut shot in addition to his pair. A good player could assume that you missed the flop here and that he is still holding the best hand. It could also be possible that he is holding Ahxh and wants to see the turn card to maybe hit his flush.

As mentioned before, player 2 could be holding a wide range of hands, and this is also the player you need to watch out for. It is very likely that this player will keep on calling you with hands like QJ, KJ, Q9, K9, T9, and every combination of hearts that give him a flush draw.

The Turn is a (Q-Diamonds)

.

You are done with the hand. If your opponents check, you check as well, as betting won't help you very much in this situation. This card helps you a little bit as you now have a gut shot straight draw and your opponents are offering you a free card. Take this free card, as it might be that one of your opponents just hit is straight on the turn and is waiting for you to bet so he can check raise you. If that happens, you can say goodbye to the river card.

Situation 2

You open the pot in middle position with a 3xBB raise with (A-Spades)

. Again you get two callers, the button and the big blind.
Again you try to profile your opponents to find out what they could be holding. The button has been playing pretty tight until now, but does try to exploit his position. He knows you have been playing pretty tight so far so it is unlikely that he will be calling here with Ax, as he knows there is a big chance of his Ace being dominated. I'm thinking more along the lines of suited connectors or pocket pairs from 55-99. I am definitely putting him on two live cards (cards I'm not holding in my hand).

The big blind, on the other hand, is a complete beginner. He calls solely for the reason that he has already invested money in the pot. He has never heard of something called 'position' and he could be playing almost anything, as you've already seen him win pots with hands like K2.

The flop shows (6-Spades)

.

The big blind checks and it's your turn to act. This flop isn't too bad in your eyes. Only one face card and no flush draw. Again you decide to bet 2/3 of the pot. This is usually enough to get the missers out of the hand.

The button raises and the big blind folds. So there you are now with AK. What can this player possibly be holding? He most likely assumes that you missed the flop and is now wondering where he stands with his hand. The player on the button could be holding 99, 57 for and open-end straight draw, or maybe he even flopped his set and you're already drawing dead. You only have one option and that is to fold.

Situation 3

You get (A-Spades)

again (man, how lucky are you!). This time you're in the big blind. A good player in middle position makes it 3xBB and everyone folds to you. Calling is not an option as you are sitting in a bad position. These are the times when you should re-raise. By re-raising you achieve two things:

1. Your opponent might fold his hand
2. You get more information

If the player folds he was probably holding a hand like AJ or AT and doesn't want to battle with AQ or AK.

If the player re-raises you again, you are most likely up against AA, KK or QQ, and you need to be very careful with your hand if you decide to call.

If the player only calls, it is likely he is holding a pocket pair. Your opponent calls.

The flop shows: (Q-Diamonds)

.

You missed the flop, but not completely. If you check now, your opponent will bet and you have no other option but to fold your hand. My advice is therefore to take the initiative in the hand and bet out. If your opponent is holding pocket 10's he simply cannot call you. If he does call you, you still have outs to win the hand: A, K or a T.

If your opponent calls and the turn card doesn't help you, you could bet once more to try and get him out of the pot. If he is holding a Q he might be getting worried now, as you could easily be holding AA or KK the way you played the hand so far.

Conclusion

How you play AK depends on a number of different factors. Just pushing all-in with the hand is only reserved for the absolute beginners or if you happen to be a short stack.

Always pay attention to your position and use your bets to get information about what your opponents are holding. Always make sure to not show any kind of weakness, as you will often have an opponent in the hand who will try and bluff you out of the pot with a worse hand. By betting correctly and profiling your opponent you can gather enough information to make the right move. Also make sure not to fall in love with your hand too much if you don't flop; all you have then is simply an Ace-high.