.5/1 AK mega draw

[tagtastic]

This is definitely a preflop raise 100% of the time and probably a post-flop 3-barrel hand for me. Hit the flop with your usual continuation bet, 1/2-2/3 pot on the turn and something like 1/3-1/2 pot bluff on the river to get other draws to fold. If you get called down, so be it - imo all these bets are +EV in the long run. I don't mind making a big pot here since your A and K are likely live outs as well.

I wouldn't be opposed to playing more passively if you were in position, but out of position a flop bet / turn check invites steals w/ little or no hands on the turn/river like no other play. As is I'm sure you're beat given this unraised pot, a bigish river bluff would be your only possible move, and that's incredibly opponent dependent.

I think not raising AKs from the BB a small percentage of time is alright to mix it up against good opponents. That being said, I don't think it's a good idea to let it go to the flop four handed. It's better to raise preflop and then pot the flop when it comes this way. If you get played back at, then you pray for that club to fall.

[Exitonly]

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and something like 1/3-1/2 pot bluff on the river to get other draws to fold.

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woah. If you're betting the river, it's because you think you can get made hands to fold, not draws. Be careful bluffing AK on the river. if you think they're on draws, check-call. induce a bluff from them. Don't just make them fold hands that are worse than your ace high.

You can get carreid away with betting, because you'll see that your river bets w/ ace high are winning the pot often, well thats because villain probably can't beat ace high, so you made a bad bet.

This is more important in limit i think thuogh, but my point stands.

[tagtastic]

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This is more important in limit i think thuogh, but my point stands.

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I think it's very important in limit and almost completely inapplicable with A high in NL games outside of heads up. If I'm semi-bluffing a big draw on the flop & turn, a river "value bet" bluff is an excellent way to get draws who still have you beat to fold (for example pair + draw or turn/river small pair w/ draw from the flop), or at the very least eliminate a difficult river call with Ace high. If I have made hand here I'll check this river often to induce a bluff that I will most definitely call. Ace high is not exactly showdown material the vast majority of the time in any NL game outside of heads up imo. Big difference from limit.

[soah]

Busted draws will usually check behind at these stakes against players who fired twice.

[tagtastic]

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Busted draws will usually check behind at these stakes against players who fired twice.

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I agree, but busted draws who happen to pair will likely fold to a bet (and those who don't pair will fold as well). This is read dependent though, river betting into a call station here is a bad idea, as he'll likely call with a small pair, but a decent player will often fold a hand that would beat an unimproved AK.

[soah]

The non-clubs on the board are 5, 3, and 2. The A, K, and Q of clubs are all accounted for. Unless he is playing any two suited, he is going to have a pair with a flush draw just about never. Stealing a $26 pot successfully 5% of the time and giving away another $15 95% of the time is ridiculously -EV.