getting all the money in PF with AK

[dark_horse]

is there ever a time when it's appropriate to do this? AK plays itself in a limit game but in NL i'm a bit confused. i've played a few pots on the PP NL50 tables where it wasn't clear to me what the correct action was with my AK. here are those pots. interestingly, i was in the SB both times. flame away if i've made some horrible mistakes..

hand 1

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (9 handed) converter

Hero ($41)
BB ($72.85)
UTG ($40.79)
UTG+1 ($26.1)
MP1 ($72.1)
MP2 ($13.2)
MP3 ($32.3)
CO ($49.25)
Button ($93.9)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. Hero posts a blind of $0.25.
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, UTG+1 calls $0.50, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 raises to $1</font>, MP3 calls $1, CO calls $1, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero (poster) raises to $9.75</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, UTG+1 calls $25.60 (All-In), MP2 calls $12.20 (All-In), MP3 folds, CO folds, Hero calls $16.10.

Final Pot: $67.90

hand 2

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (10 handed) converter

CO ($33.05)
Button ($64.65)
Hero ($30.75)
BB ($26.1)
UTG ($53)
UTG+1 ($48)
UTG+2 ($64.2)
MP1 ($64.35)
MP2 ($66.1)
MP3 ($34.95)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. Hero posts a blind of $0.25.
<font color="#666666">3 folds</font>, MP1 calls $0.50, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, MP3 calls $0.50, <font color="#CC3333">CO raises to $2.75</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, Hero (poster) calls $2.50, BB calls $25.60 (All-In), MP1 folds, MP3 folds, CO folds, Hero calls $23.35.

Final Pot: $55.95

my first instinct tells me my call in hand 1 was correct, while my call in hand 2 was a pure gamble, hoping for a coinflip at best. but i was getting better than 1:1 odds on the second hand, so wasn't the call correct if i was sure my opponent didn't have AA or KK?

thanks for advice on this ridiculously simple concept.

[empty]

I will never call an all-in preflop with AK unless they are a short stack just finding a weak A and pushing (playing like a damn tourney).

I've had KK run into AA so many times to preflop all-ins, that I occasionally fold KK to a strong re-raise preflop, so I definitely don't call AK all-in preflop. This is JMO, but I think that when you are ahead preflop with AK, you can still get beaten fairly easily, so I try to wait for better spots to get my entire stack in.

[amoeba]

how sure is sure that he doesn't have AA/KK?

is he more likely to have a hand like AA/KK or a hand like AQ/AJ?

the thing with AK is that its good to reraise and push with it as you pick up folding equity against hands you are coinflip against but its not that great to call a reraise or push with as people rarely push with hands you dominate in nontourney situations.

[dark_horse]

very true. but on hand 1, once action comes back around to me, isn't it an auto-call based on how much is in the pot? best scenario is if everyone has QQ or lower, or a dominated A or K. aren't i priced in even if i'm up against KK and another non-ace hand?

[amoeba]

yes, hand one is fine call.

I think I would have folded hand 2 though.

[subzero]

I like to attack/isolate a small stack when I've got AK. From the BB/SB, I sometimes go all-in with AK in an unraised pot with several callers. A lot of times, you'll take down the pot right there.

[amoeba]

yes, although I prefer just making a 10xBB raise which I also make with AA-QQ.

[subzero]

If you're against KK and 99, you're a 3:1 dog. You're getting 3.2:1 on your call so it's a marginal call (in this case).

cards win %win
Ks Ah 350902 25.60
Kc Kd 744115 54.29
9s 9h 265003 19.33

[subzero]

[ QUOTE ]
yes, although I prefer just making a 10xBB raise which I also make with AA-QQ.

[/ QUOTE ]
Good point. Why go all-in if a smaller bet will do the trick? Plus, someone with AA or KK could be limp-reraising.

[meow_meow]

Hand 1 is fine.
Hand 2 is very read dependent, although the fact that villain has about 1/2 buy-in makes calling much more attractive (as shorties will often push pf with Ax or worse).