Big Slick – How To Play AK In Poker Tournaments
Wreckless aggression is a frequent mistake when holding Ace King. In particular by those players who do not understand how vulnerable this hand can be. Invariably in online poker tourneys whenever someone in a hand is holding ace king you are likely going to either witness or take part in an big pot.
Many beginners play big slick incorrectly, treating it as if it is a very strong hand, when it is actually only a drawing hand – mind you a very strong drawing hand. The way you play Ace King has a lot to do with circumstances in the tournament. For example, it is really not bad to push pre-flop when you are short stacked because with AK you are almost never in bad shape against anybody who decides to call. There are actually only two hands that you do not want to see flip over – pocket aces or pocket kings. Anything else and you are at worst a slight underdog against a single opponent, but you would be a huge dog against either of these.
But there are a lot of situations where ace king should be playing with caution. Early in the tournament, even with a hand as strong as ace king you still want to keep the pot small unless the board has really helped you. Top pair and top kicker is a decent hand, but it’s not necessarily a hand that you want to let your tournament ride on in the low blind levels. So if you do hit an ace or a king on the flop you are very likely leading, but if your opponents decides to hang around you need to be very concerned about straights, two pair, flushes and three of a kind. In fact, on a dangerous board in the early stages you may have to consider folding your top pair hand if the pot gets out of control.
Another situation would be where somebody with a dominated hand calls you, and you both miss the flop, however if your opponent is first to act he just may very well bet out. Then all of a sudden you’ve got a difficult decision to make because you will be calling with an ace-high hand. If you think about it, AK is really a hand that you want to see all the community cards, because you have a very good chance of hitting the turn or river and making the best hand. However, if you hit nothing on a ragged flop, you’re almost always going to be involved in a controversial situation. That is something you want to nullify in low blind tournament levels, as well as against hostile players.
Another consideration is when there are multiple limpers in the pot before you. Of course you could raise and narrow the field but with multiple players interested in the pot several other aces and kings could well be out of play reducing your outs, since at least some of those limpers probably have high cards. If you aren’t short stacked, try and get to see a affordable flop that helps you, then bet out. Calculating on what your opponent does can determine your play for the turn and river. That’s when opponent profiling can be a factor too. Ideally you want to keep big slick a paying hand for you, and only play big pots with strong flops.
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