Playing AK or AKs

I'm looking for some tips on how to play AK. I use PT and am consistently losing w/AK. After 5000 hands, I am -1.55BB/100 AKs and -.83BB/100 AKos. I raise it up 5-6x BB pre flop ($25 NL tables) and usually get 1-2 callers. I will hit it with a pot sized bet if I get my flop (A or K) and then usually fold if I get re-raised and smell a set. If someone bets out, i will raise them and see what happens. Again, if re-raised I usually fold unless the player is a donk which in that case he usually is holding A-rag or K-rag and thinks his hand is good. I've taken a few stacks and also lost a few (bad read--thought the guy was a donk so I called and he had a set once). But, after reviewing my HH, I've lost many showdowns because somebody hit 2pr on me, obviously with a vastly inferior hand (JT, KQ, T8....)--sucking out on the turn or river. Again, I don't make draws cheap and make sure they don't have the pot odds to draw on me but they always seem to do it. So, any tips?

Bob Ciaffone on Cardplayer describes various ways of playing AK, with regards to position and stack depth.

http://www.cardplayer.com/poker_maga...=12995&m_id=49

Enjoy

Personally, I see AK as a bit of a shell game. It's in my raising range, it's in my calling range, sometimes I'll even re-raise with it or hammer out of the blinds with it. However, I'm generally not looking to get paid off big when I hit the board. If I hit and get action, either someone is on a draw, full of crap, is a kicker or two down the food chain, is an idiot or I'm in a lot of trouble. Take your pick. However, if I didn't play AK like that, then repping becomes transaparent when/if they see how I really play AK.

Hence, I'm pretty much settled on around 2/3 to 3/4 pot as my standard bet size. Potting by default does bad things for my game. When I hit top pair on the board sometimes I'll just check behind the turn and play a river, it really depends effective stack sizes and what I think of the other guy's calling standards + aggression.

The spot where I really make my money in the games I play in is when I raise it up with something like 22, get called by big cards, hit a set on the flop or turn and get to put in the 3rd bet on a post-flop street.

...this is why I mock people who post HHs without reads.

Fnord, what do you think about occassional limp-push from EP? With AA/KK mixed, in order to keep them guessing.

Pokerstove says that even KK is a high variance marginal call against that range...

Board:
Dead:

equity (%) win (%) tie (%)
Hand 1: 52.6912 % 50.62% 03.60% { KK+, AKs, AKo }
Hand 2: 47.3088 % 45.08% 03.60% { KK }

Besides, AK is as good against AQ/AJ as KK, I had plenty of calls even with AT against my slick, there are guys even on $50NL that think AQ is good enough for playing for stacks. They just defend their raises too much.

Originally Posted by Vrax

Fnord, what do you think about occassional limp-push from EP?

I think raise and folding to a re-raise (from the majority of players in these games) is a better line. You also need to sell me on limping from EP being a good idea outside of very particular table textures.

Just in case anyone gets any ideas, if I know you know who I am, I'm well aware of my need to make defensive calls like AKo OOP.

You also need to sell me on limping from EP being a good idea outside of very particular table textures.

Table texture description:
- Lots of limpers preflop (and dead money if no one reopen the gate well we have to make a hand )
- One or two idiots that minraise any "playable" hand (like JQs)
- Another donk that is happy to cold-call triple reraise with his AJ SOOTED (max value of AK, stack against stack with 3:1 edge)
- Couple of nits with deep stacks, that know limp-reraise move and release their non AA/KK pairs
- Two shorties with very wide calling range, they get pairs less often than two broadways

Typical crazy lowest of low stakes game.

My typical table texture:

2-4 multi-tablers of various capacity to actually play poker.
1-3 single/double tablers trying to play well. Probably have a limit perspective on the game and make lots of juicy big bet mistakes.
2-4 horrible players on the short stack
1-2 horrible players on a full stack (often on a rush of cards)

Personally I feel that AKs is my favorite hand;I tend to get off them quicker then my Aces or Kings when I've been beat after the flop.

As for opponents-I'll take 9 donkeys anyday.