AK EV question

[JoeyT]

When holding AK, is your EV higher when the flop comes A high or K high?

When an A comes, you will more often get paid off by having a better kicker, but you will also more often be beaten by 2 pair. When the K hits, you will sometimes get paid off by others holding an ace and 2nd or 3rd pair, but often won't get as much action.

Does the answer change depending on your position, or the texture of the game?

[crockpot]

you know, i was actually pondering this exact question in class the other day, and was going to post it on 2+2 but forgot when i got back to my computer.

i think the answer depends a lot on how aggressive the other players are. if someone who flops a lower pair of aces will put in a raise with it, i definitely like flopping the ace better. if the other ace is passive, i think i like flopping the king better, because something about a raised pot just convinces fish that they need to draw to their lonely ace overcard, and it is a lot harder for no pair to draw out on you than one pair.

against weak-tight opposition, you are better off flopping the king because it is slightly harder for them to give you credit for having them beat when the king flops than the ace.

one more consideration is that the king generally creates more gutshot draws, which will usually make you some more money unless the pot got pretty big preflop.

[Nottom]

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one more consideration is that the king generally creates more gutshot draws

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Actually, an Ace will provide more straight draws than a King. If you don't belive me, try to come up with a flop containing an ace that doesn't contain the possibility for a gutshot.

[Ray Zee]

you asked about ev-- so with an ace your ev is higher as its more likely someone else has one to be in the pot with you. as for winning % the king is ahead.

[SinCityGuy]

I've noticed that my AK loses a fair amount of the time to another ace, when the weaker kicker appears on the board for 2 pair. This happens with greater frequency in the lower limit games, where many players will play any ace. Overall, it's still a moneymaker, but I think that I'd rather see K-x-x on the flop.

[JoeyT]

AA8. muwahaha

[Nottom]

oops ... how about a non-paired flop then /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[SinCityGuy]

Here's an addition that just occured in a 15/30 game last night.

I open raise UTG with AK, MP calls, button calls.

Flop, A-5-2 rainbow.

I bet, MP folds, button raises, I 3-bet, button calls.

Turn, 7, completing rainbow. I bet, button calls.

River, 10. Bet, call. Idiot turns over A5 offsuit and takes down the pot.

[AmericanAirlines]

Hi Ray,
Did you verify this via some method? I'm curious how you came to this conclusion so I can apply whatever method it was you used too.

Sincerely,
AA

[J_V]

Ray...methods? He just knows. It's all upstairs. That's why he's one of my favorite posters. Short, sweet, opinionated.