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Playing Ace-King PreFlop in Texas Holdem
By Al O'Harra of AllOnlinePokerSites.com
When you have ace-king prior to the flop, you have what is commonly known as "Big Slick."
It is the best possible non-pairing hand in poker. First, I want to address a common misconception, Ace-King is not a "drawing hand," such as J/10- it is a power hand.
In a drawing hand, you want maximum callers. You go into the hand knowing you are likely dominated by one, or multiple opponents. To win the pot, you must "draw" cards to beat them. In a drawing hand you are in the pot because the pot odds (dictated by how many players are in the hand) make it a better decision to play than to fold. This article is geared toward explaining the best strategy for making the most money over the long term. It will, of course, not always maximize your profits in a hand, or in a session.
With a Power Hand like A/K or a high pocket pair, you want to isolate your opponents to 1 or 2 players. Prior to the flop, you want to bet the hand at approximately 100% of the flop, if it has already been bet- Raise.
If you hit your ace or king on the flop, you have a high likelihood of having the best hand. You can still be beat by trips or two pair, but most likely, your golden unless you are looking at 3 connectors or 3 or the same suit. Its easy to know at that point you should bet strong. Most likely, given your initial bet or raise, your bet after the flop will not fatten your bankroll much further. But thats fine, make a strong bet and drive them out. Hopefully, there is an A/J or K/Q that will pay you off.
If you miss on the flop and someone steals your thunder and bets before you, you have to decide whether he is bluffing, and your expected cost to see the next two cards. In many of these situations, it is time to muck. But now comes the hard decision, when you have missed the flop entirely and you are either first to act, or the other players have checked to you (the better/raiser).
If you are first to act after the flop and you have missed, bet strong again. Bet Ace-King like a high pair whether you have hit or missed on the flop if you have successfully reduced your opponents to only 1 or 2 remaining players in the hand at that point. Before the flop, you should bet Big Slick like you have two aces, so do the same thing after the flop. Obviously, you have to consider the connectors on the board and the suits when you bet- even if the A/K were pocket aces you would have to consider the board.
If you get a caller to the post flop bet and you miss on the turn, position is now a major factor. It is also quite likely the player(s) you are up against has you beat. If he is first to act and bets- fold the hand. You may be drawing to cards that will not win you the pot even if you hit. If he is first to act and checks, you have two choices on the turn, bet large again in an attempt to take down the pot right there without a showdown, or check and take a free card. If he has slowplayed, you can get caught with the additional bet. It is recommended you take the free card unless your read on the player is one of weakness.
If you are last to act, and you checked on the turn, and you missed again on the river card, you will now get some important information.
You have already showed him weakness (or you are setting him up with a slowplay) by checking on the turn, if he checks as first to act on the river- he likely wants a showdown. He has to assume you will check too. It is possible you already have him beat with high card, or he has you beat with a pair. On the river you got to see how good he feels about his hand, if he checks, bet large. If you are first to act, you can check or bet depending on your read on the board and the player.
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