($16) AK from the BB

[2Fast2Furious]

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I also raise 77 here.


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I probably limp from MP this early and fold to any raise if there's more than one caller ahead of me

[gumpzilla]

Given that you didn't raise PF, it's going to be pretty hard to figure out what's going on here. I'll just comment that this kind of board can be a disaster for AK, particularly out of position, since there are 1 billion draws, lots of ways for weirdo two pair hands to be out there (any two broadway seems like it's in the limping range of a pretty large number of low buyin SNG players, in my experience), and 88 (EDIT: 77, a middling pocket pair that doesn't actually make a set, is more what I meant.) is less likely to be hanging around and paying you off on these kinds of boards. Your plan of trying to show down relatively cheaply seems good, and is more or less what I'd do.

[curtains]

The hand is reasonable....folding the river is probably an option but you never know what these guys will turn over, so I dont have a problem with calling either.

[pergesu]

You really should be raising this out of the BB. Don't say "I don't want to play AK OOP." Raise it bigger than you normally would, because you almost certainly have the best hand, but you need to charge your opponent for the privilege of having position on you for the rest of the hand. Make him seriously consider if it's worth it or not.

If he limp/calls with Ax it'll be EASIER to stack him on an ace high flop than when you check. He got involved to hit his ace...so you really think he's going anywhere if you put pressure on him? Nope, he's gladly getting stacked when he pairs his ace - that's why he's involved in the first place. If you pop it to like t75 preflop, you can lead for the pot on the flop, and if he calls there's a pot of t450 on the turn. There you could do something fun like overbet push and force him to make a big mistake.

I go either way on calling the river..probably call since you're getting such good odds. He probably has a big hand (flush is most likely, but maybe he flopped a straight), or crap like a K9 or a small PP. There's no reason for him to bet a marginal hand on the river. Any hand that could win at showdown is going to take it cheap, unless it's quite strong and looking for a VB. Considering that these guys are donks and you're getting better than 4-1 on a call I'm happy to call and pick off a potential bluff.

[11t]

To be honest, I do raise here a good portion of the time with AK but not so often with AQ.

I just don't play by like a set standard of rules where I raise with AK here 100% of the time, you know what I mean?

Very good quote though: "you need to charge your opponent for the privilege of having position on you for the rest of the hand. Make him seriously consider if it's worth it or not."

a blatant raise to me preflop