AK squeeze play--good,bad, awful?

I don't like this play.

I hate the limp preflop, especially in a 6 handed game. With about $18 in the pot your now pushing in another $97. I think you take this down often enough or end up in a coinflip often enough to make this ok.

If you reraise to $40 then you are going to have a very tough decision if you miss the flop. You're probably going to have to check fold. If you flat call the raise you're going to be looking at a 4 way pot OOP and could easily go broke to a better hand even if you hit your A or K.

I think reraising to about $25 would be a good move and will probably get the pot heads up or even take it down. If you're called you still have enough to make a stab at the pot since they have to fear a big hand with the limp/raise from EP. If you're reraised all in then this is probably an easy fold.

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I'm not sure what you're getting at. AK is a drawing hand, it's supposed to be behind. Seeing a flop here is +EV because you have pot equity over your opponents (most likely) weaker holdings. If you push here you may run into a coin flip (which is not preferable or even +EV at times in cash) or be dominated.

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Snipes is thinking that he can take down this pot pre-flop often enough to make this a profitable play even when it does end up in a coin toss.

I'm not a big fan of narrow +ev plays in NL. That's a limit mentality. I try to save my big bets for situations where I'm getting a big overlay.

[unlucky513]

awful

[Finite_Risk]

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This allows me to take it down preflop or get it heads up where an A or K means i am good.


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I would not necessarily feel good if an A or K spikes on the flop. With all the action behind you, don't you think AA or KK are very possible here?

There has to be a better spot than pushing here with AK=Anna Kournikova...looks good but wins way less than it should

[GrunchCan]

I hate preflop. Open-limp in EP with AK? You either overvalue AK, or you undervalue AK. Open-limping is almost always wrong with a TP-type hand, and this is certianly no exception.

I don't know much about squeeze plays, but I know it depends on FE. You don't have enough here. Given your terrible postflop position and the fact that you aren't closing the betting here, I want to fold. I may not (or I may), but I want to.

[jsnipes28]

I agree about wanting to fold Grunch because i have zero desire to see an A 8 4 flop and me bet and get two callers. The pot is 18 so i bet 15 on the flop and get two smoothcallers, i check/fold the turn? That sucks. Here i am either going to fold and refuse to play a large, raised pot OOP or i am going to reraise which should fold out the minraiser and perhaps get it heads up with the CO who only has 50BB. At that price i certainly don't mind coinfipping for $50 with a $20 overlay and able to see all 5 cards.

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This allows me to take it down preflop or get it heads up where an A or K means i am good.

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At this price, if you get this heads up, I doubt you're good. If you get a caller you'd be lucky if they have queens or jacks. AA or KK would be more likely. This is a cash game, therefore, you don't need to run pre-flop races. Bet preflop. The way you played the hand, limping looking to reraise, I can understand that, so, reraise then, why go all in? Are you that scared to play post-flop?

Great, you risk $98 to win $16.50. Good job. HEE HAW.

[DCWildcat]

don't open limp this. hand changes from there.

[ajmargarine]

First off, I don't like the limp UTG. I've never been one to LRR and I certainly wouldn't do it with AK.

As for the push: I wouldn't say it's great, but I wouldn't say it's as bad as everyone before me is saying. CO has a shortstack so that's kind of good new/bad news. He's more likely to call, and if he calls one of the others behind him might now call as well. Plus, if you do get called by a pp, with all the preflop action, you'd have to assume that at least one of your aces or kings is in someone else's hand.

It's good that you would consider preflop pushes as a squeeze play, but this might now be the best time for one.