AKs in the BB - Standard?

[mason55]

I think this hand is very situation dependent. Raising 5 limpers from the big blind is a lot different from raising, say, the CO and the SB who completes. Or raising at a level where your raises are respected. At these levels all you're doing is building a big pot out of position with the HOPE of hitting TPTK. Doesn't sound like a great plan to me. Maybe I'm weak tight.

[TheWorstPlayer]

Not sure if you really meant to respond to me or not, but I agree with you 100%. And you're not weak/tight, you're smart.

[DBowling]

This is how ive been playing AK in crappy position against a field. I think you played it fine. If there were fewer limpers you could raise.

[mason55]

Yes i did mean to reply to you because I was agreeing with you. Figured yours was the best post to reply to because I was elaborating on what you said. I always have trouble deciding when I'm being smart and when i'm being weak-tight [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

[warlockjd]

arm yourself and raise preflop to 3 minimum

then pot the flop....

[mason55]

What do you do when SB leads into you like he did in this hand and all you have is 2 overs, a BD straight draw and a BD flush draw? Betting the pot seems a little ridiculous in this situation, especially with so many to act after you. Calling is just spewing chips. Maybe if you raise preflop you eliminate some people, but at this level most are likely to call after a limp unless you raise a ridiculous amount that puts you in a bad situation. Why not take a free card and try to hit (and that's not a rhetorical question, I really would like to hear some reasoning because I've thought about this exact situation a LOT the past few days)

[PoBoy321]

I think that raising pre-flop to say $3 or so would considerably narrow the field, even at these levels. As for why you would bet the flop, it's because you might have the best hand at that point and don't want to give free cards to worse hands that could outdraw you. Also, you can not take a free card from early position, you can only check and get a free card. Betting, however, serves the function of picking up pots from other hands that missed the flop as well as keeping worse hands from bluffing you off the pot.

Once the SB leads into you in this hand, you have to fold as it is highly unlikely that your AK high is good, so it is safe to fold. Raising pre-flop, however, may have caused him to fold his hand.

[TheWorstPlayer]

Look at my hand. I raised to 2.25, not 3 granted, but I got, what, 6 callers? And no one was folding top pair there, so there is NO chance I am taking it down by betting on the flop.

[PoBoy321]

Your hand was also .25 BB. So your 2.25 raise was actually even more substantial relative to the blind structure. Maybe I'm giving too much credit to players for being able to fold to a raise after limping, but isn't checking AKs giving up too much equity? I mean, even if you only hit your hand 1/3 of the time on the flop, if you're getting 6 callers, that's still +EV, right?

Also, I thought I said this, but you should bet AK unimproved into a narrow field. If it's down to 2 or 3 seeing the flop, there is a much greater chance that your AK is good, especially if the the flop comes bricks. If you're getting 6 to the flop, yes, I completely agree that check/folding unimproved is the right line.

I still think that you're giving up too much equity by not raising AK pre-flop though.

[TheWorstPlayer]

The problem is that an UTG limper is often a hand that will call a raise from the BB. Once he does, then UTG+1 says "Oh, I'm smelling implied odds, I'm gonna call, too." And then everyone is calling. And then you're in trouble. I am pretty convinced that at these stakes the best play with several limpers is to check/complete and then check/raise a hit.