Why am I losing with AK?

[Pokerho]

AK is a losing hand for me. Why? I have about 15,000 hands logged.

Standard move for me is to raise with it from any position. If I hit an A or a K, I'll make a pot sized bet. I'll probably raise any bet that comes before me, unless for some reason I think the bet is something big like a set.

If I miss, I often make a pot sized stab at it in late position. If I miss from early or middle position, I'll check and fold to any bet I think is real unless there are a ton of callers.

Any thoughts?

[eleventy]

Do you just have a couple of times where you have gotten burned big? This is the case for me with like JJ where I lost to set over set big and a str8 and just makes JJ return look really bad in PT.

[Pokerho]

It's possible.

I don't have it in front of me, but it seems like my average hand is :

I raise 4 BB, get 2-3 callers, and I miss. Someone bets in front of me and I fold, or I bluff with 2 overcards and get 2 callers, THEN I fold to a bet later.

I suppose it could just be a sample size issue. It wouldn't take too many big losses to make it negative. I just wanted to make sure I was playing it more or less correctly.

Can anyone spot a leak based on my description?

[beta1607]

Try posting specific hand histories from poker tracker that will make it easier for people to post some suggestions. Also be wary of a couple of big loses that could throw off your stats.

[schwza]

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If I miss from early or middle position, I'll check and fold to any bet I think is real unless there are a ton of callers.


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whaaaa? you don't want to be calling a bet with AK if there are many callers. it makes it all the more likely that hitting an ace will give someone else aces up, and so even if you do hit, you can't play it strongly. not to mention a slowplayed set...

in a heads up or 3 way pot, i'll usually take a stab with AK from any position after raising preflop, and will almost never call a bet unimproved.

[sourbeaver]

I'd say first, don't bluff with AK.

Second, the raise builds the pot and increases the chance of you calling your whole stack when someone makes a hand better than yours.

Third, don't call bets on the flop if you don't hit.

I'm not Jesus but that should help. AK is a winning hand for me.

[ZManODS]

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you don't want to be calling a bet with AK if there are many callers. it makes it all the more likely that hitting an ace will give someone else aces up,

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Can you please explain your reasoning behind this?

[Ghazban]

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you don't want to be calling a bet with AK if there are many callers. it makes it all the more likely that hitting an ace will give someone else aces up,

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Can you please explain your reasoning behind this?

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At low stakes, people play any ace, often for a raise. If somebody bets or calls a bet on the flop, there's a good chance they have Ax where x is something on the board. You have entered reverse-dominated land at this point and an ace falling will make your hand look good (TPTK) but in fact be drawing fairly slim.

[PoBoy321]

I don't necessarily think that taking a stab at a pot from late position with AK unimproved is necessarily a bad decision, so long as the conditions permit it. If you're on the button with AK and 4 limpers check to you, there's no way that you're betting them all out of the pot with a bet, especially if there's ANY type of draw on the board. If it's heads up, that's a different matter, but still, I like to see a river for free if I can when all I have is A high, even if I think it's the best hand.

[Sadico]

I usually bet the flop even if I missed it