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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Playing Poker Against Awful Players

So you might be new yourself at poker, but you don\’t view yourself to be an sorry player. Maybe you aren\’t special but you\’re heading towards good and the biggest problem you face is losing to awful players who simply do not comprehend the game.

Playing against such weak players you might feel entitled to their cash because of their frequent misplays. If you\’ve taken the time to learn the game from the numerous resources available to you, then you can see how many errors they make, but are also puzzled at how they are winning at the table, and your bankroll is not. This is normal, and it\’s even more normal to experience some of your biggest beats online due to players who have no hint as to what they are doing. They didn\’t read any books, watch any videos, and care little about bankroll management. Thus they will not be playing position, odds, or hole card strength.

Let\’s come to terms with this, horrible bad beats are going to happen to you and they are usually at the hands of these types players. Now obviously, they did not invest in training time like you did and as a result have a very different view of poker than you do. They will not be playing in a fashion that can make any sense to you. At least you figured out that they don\’t recognize what they\’re doing, and that\’s truly all you require to start getting their money. It\’s best to try and avoid these players unless you have a quality hand that you can value that against them. There are definitely strategies to use against these players while not putting your own stack at high chance against them.

Pot size management. It\’s critical to not let the size of the pot run away from you until you know you have the strongest hand, or even the nuts. Weak players will play any two cards so you won\’t be able to estimate what they will have, which leaves the burden on you to make sure you are ahead before your chips goes in. That\’s when you make the suckers pay, otherwise don\’t get involved in big pots with players who can beat you holding 83 offsuit.

Mucking your cards pre-flop. This is even more important if you\’re out of position to the antagonist, but even with medium strength hands you\’re still going to be arbitrarily guessing what he has. That can be a problem playing post flop with an freakish player.

Be patient grashopper. As terrible as they play, you may not get the cards to take him down – at least this time. Be certain though, that player is like thousands of others waiting to give you their money. If not him, patience will grant you with another sorry player that will accommodate.

Table position. You don\’t want to get caught in front of these players with \”potential\” hands. Your blinds will get burned away and cause you to make irriational plays because of a dwindling, discouraging game. See low-priced flops against slow maniacal players.

Don\’t bluff them a story. They cannot read the \”poker story\” you are trying to communicate. The board may have numerous overcards to their pocket 6\’s and they will still call you. Save yourself some grief and coin, do NOT bluff poker suckers.

Rope a donkey by the tail. Once you do get a lousy player in the good situation, then you need to do your best to trap him for all his money. He may want to bluff you, but he may also call a lot off too. You need to know what kind of fool he is by profiling.

Losing pots to clueless players can be aggravating, but the fact is you DO KNOW they are losers even if they are ahead right now. If they don\’t give it back soon, they will give it back eventually, all you have to do is wait for your place.

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