[pzhon]

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If you go back to basics, it should be pretty simple not to overvalue AK postflop.

What do you have really? If you don't hit the flop, you have two overcards. That's six outs,


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And if you are against one player, you are likely to have the best hand. How many outs is that?

The way you play a missed AK should be very different in limit and NL. In limit, unless you see significant action, you should probably see the river, and very often you should call a bet on the river. In NL, you can still try to win if the pot is small, but you generally don't want to play a large pot, even if you pick up one pair on the turn or river. This may mean you should fold on the flop.

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And that's to get top pair, which probably is no good if there are obvious draws on the board.


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No, it is probaly good if it hits, even if there was an obvious draw or two on the board. You still suffer from reverse implied odds in many situations, but don't overestimate how easy it is for someone to beat TPTK.

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If you think about it that way, it gets easier not to overvalue the hand.

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It also becomes more difficult to get full value out of what is still a decent hand. AK also often flops a gutshot and overcards, when the flop is QJx, QTx, JTx, or 3 to a wheel. AK is much stronger on flops that are likely to have missed your opponent, such as paired flops.

AK unimproved is significantly better than 22 unimproved. AK unimproved is a slight favorite against a random hand on most flops. 22 unimproved is an underdog against a random hand on most flops.