Posted Thu Feb 01, 2007 8:52 pm GMT by Ciso_B
A new way to play AK........
Okay, as you guys know I am mainly a tournament player. Well, I want to propose a way of playing AK that has been winning me chips lately- that might not other players.
I like to play smaller pots, so when someone brings in a raise, and I have A-k and we both even reasonable stacks, I will flat call, and heres why – If I re raise , A with lower kicker is likely to fold, occasionally someone with AQ will call but generally they ll fold. Now, someone with 10-10 –AA can often re re raise if I re raise and we have to “race” for a lot of chips, something I am not a fan of unless I am short stacked. So, I propose peeling off a flop, If A comes, you can really stack someone with A9 + etc cos they figure you will re raise with a big ace , a good player will drop A10 etc but a lot of the times they wont drop the ace.
Now , if the flop comes 9 hi and mr QQ bets, you can lay your AK and lost only a little where as had you re raised pre flop you know most people will play the Q-Q and you done your stack in.
Lately I even been playing AK really soft, limp/calling hoping to catch top pair. Course, you got to be able to manoeuvre fairly well post flop, say A J 8 comes down and you re raised and hes gone all in . Now, hes likely to have AJ,JJ ,88 or even AA..
Try playing AK a bit softer and see if it rewards you as it has me, If you like racing for chips then go ahead and re raise all in (even if deep stacked) . I hear so many people saying they hate AK, don’t always commit so much pre flop …and maybe you’ll like it.
Ciso
Did you know that participating in a poker forum can help you improve your own game? Be it by sharing experiences or simply asking for help, participation in a forum helps you focus and keep 'on topic' which will help you improve your game. You can learn from other players feedback and from their experiences. Why the THP poker forums? We offer one of the best managed texas holdem poker forums available, and the community within is far more friendly than those typicaly found on other sites. We've made a 'lurkers edition' of the poker forum available here on Holdem Poker Online, but we encourage all visitors to register and join in on the conversations on TexasHoldem-Poker.com
Posted Thu Feb 01, 2007 10:22 pm GMT by supafrey
This is pretty valid in MTTs. In cash games I'd say the opposite.
Posted Thu Feb 01, 2007 10:46 pm GMT by Ensano
i'm mainly a cash game player and to control pot size I've been cold calling raises with AK (only when I know i'ma be heads up.. if there's other people to act its a reraise situation) and I've noticed the same thing as you... even if you take the lead with TPTK... someone with AQ will think he's going to get paid and call you down...
Posted Fri Feb 02, 2007 1:09 am GMT by xDiamond_CutteRx
How I play AK is one of those situations where almost everything depends on who is at the table and what the game is like.
But for tournaments, my general thought is that if you're going to play a big pot early, you might as well get it all in and get 5 cards rather than risk having to fold. Otherwise, it's often better to keep the pot small. Good post, Ciso.
Posted Fri Feb 02, 2007 6:59 am GMT by Jernej Zorec
| supafrey wrote: | | This is pretty valid in MTTs. In cash games I'd say the opposite. |
quoted for you know what.
Posted Sat Feb 03, 2007 1:05 am GMT by exit music
How about AK UTG?
How about AK in MP after 2 limpers?
How about AK in LP after a 3xBB raise, then a pot sized re-raise by the chipleader?
Lets assume you have 18K chips in the 55K GTD on pokerstars immediately after the add-on period, blinds at 100/200 give or take, you are one of your tables chipleaders and haven't played a pot in 7-8 hands.
Daniel negreanu has been saying how he almost never re-raises preflop in tournament no matter what he's got assuming everyone is still deepstacked. Such is the magic of small-ball.
Posted Sat Feb 03, 2007 1:58 am GMT by Ciso_B
AK - UTG , vary - often limp, then someone with A10 + will raise and when I flat call will think I am very weak.
AK after 2 limpers - I prefer a raise here to be honest. I want to get a better idea of what they might hold and charge something, I assume I am in position here too.
AK - Raise and a big re raise- I actually think theres a case for folding here. Unless its like Lp/Button Raised, sb re raises - Then I might come over the top of both. Or If I have a read on my opponents that I could be in front a high proportion of the time.
I prefer smallball too tbh, if you confident at the level you're playing and can play post flop well - I think its the most profitable way and very very difficult for opponents to defeat.
|
|
