AKs in the BB - Standard?

[BadgerAle]

Ok, this has been mentioned but i thought i would spell it out.
I think some of you HAVE weak tight ideas on how to play this.
AK will hit 1/3 of the time so if you get more than 2 callers you are making money as the 1/3rd of a time you take down the pot is more than the cost of the times you miss(+EV). The times you are up against a better hand should be more than compansated by the times you dominate (AQ ect.)
If you get just 1 caller you will likely be a favorite so that is fine as well.

If you miss then it is a judgement call wether or not to fire off a bet and is completly situation dependant- don't feel that you have to win the pot at any cost.

Also raising pre-flop will get rid of a lot of speculative hands that may get you in trouble.

Thats how i see it anyway

[BradleyT]

Plus you have fold equity which more than compensates for those times you're a slight dog to an underpair.

[jacobsta]

Ok, there is some good discussion here. We have 6 players in the pot. Meaning that average equity should be 16.66%. Given the decent but not great hand scenario, you have 18.8% equity. Therefore, a raise would be guaranteed profitable if either A) Everyone would call an all-in raise. or B) You could play perfectly after the flop.
I think that the problem is that IF you raise, Playing well after the flop becomes difficult. On any flop that you like, the other players are going to either have virtually nothing (generally bottom pair or an underpair), or they are going to have a monster. That is a recipe for disaster- I think you don't raise here because you have NEGATIVE IMPLIED ODDS, because your advantage in pot equity is marginal and you have a hand that is unlikely to flop better than top pair/top kicker. I think that most players would agree that AA is a negative implied odds hands - that is one of the reasons you play it strongly preflop and on the flop - because opponents are making a large mistake preflop and if you play it fast enough the implied odds do not make up for the times they miss. If you play AK like that, when they call preflop they are making a minor mistake at best - so they are right to take the chance if they have good implied odds.

[Kaz The Original]

Always thought it ment tight and passive. Am I wrong?

[kurto]

You do have to raise. (mind you I posted a loss yesterday where I didn't raise and might have if I did.)

1) You have to drive out the weaker hands.
2) You might take the pot right there.

Think of it another way... if you were going to bet $3 on the flop (even though you missed it), what if you had bet that same $3 preflop? You still gave up the same money, the difference is (1) you may have won the pot there, (2) you may have driven out the person who won it (who maybe had 9-J and would have folded it to a raise) (3) your flop bet could have represented an overpair.

Second- If you're not going to raise AK preflop, you sure as heck shouldn't bet it out of position when you've missed the flop completely!!! That's a 'button play', not an early position play.

[kurto]

I don't think showing examples where it doesn't work means its the wrong play.

If I raise with pocket Kings and get beat by the person who played pocket 2s and hit his set on the river... doesn't that mean you should never raise with pocket Ks?

I have won more raising AK in the blinds then lost. I'm raising for both value (the 1/3 times I do hit) and for bluff value (which also allows me to win postflop uncontested enough to be +EV)

[kurto]

"As an example, I called yesterday from MP2 with AK and flopped K55. MP1 bet pot, I raised, he reraised, and I laid down. He showed his K5 and I patted myself on the back."

Except if you raised, more often then not, the K5 would have folded preflop.

[kurto]

"I think you're missing the point that raising out of the BB stands a good chance of NOT narrowing the field."

Where are you playing? I play at PS (either .10 or .25 BB)... You regularly see 4-9 limpers in an unraised pot. If anyone raises 3-6x the BB, half those limpers usually fold.

[kurto]

"The problem is that an UTG limper is often a hand that will call a raise from the BB." Again... not at my tables.

You have to also consider... if someone's raising into a field from the BB, a thinking player has to give them credit for a decent hand. Someone limping with A5s for 1BB will likely fold it to a 5BB bet, preflop.

[ihardlyknowher]

I don't understand how one of the best drawing hands (AKs is probably the BEST drawing hand) can have negative implied odds.