NLHTP#29 Concepts&Weapons: 21-22

wallenborn · #1 03-30-2007, 10:45 AM

Concept #21: Sometimes you can try for a deep check-raise with the nuts (or close to it).

For instance, you flop a small set in a multiway pot, and several players check to you. You can sometimes check as well, hoping someone behind you bets and gets a call or two.

Concept #22: Ace-king is a powerful "move-in" hand, and frequently moving in preflop is by far the best play with it.

Ace-king is unlikely to be in big trouble preflop, but often has limited value after the flop, it's often best by far to make a big preflop raise with it. Against observant opponents, however, you might have a problem, because ace-king is usually the only hand that's correct to move in with in that situation. The optimal balancing strategy is complicated, but a simple approximation such as moving in half the time with your pocket kings should suffice.

wallenborn · #2 03-30-2007, 06:12 PM

I don't buy #22 when stacks are >30BB. In tournaments, yes. In cash games, maybe among shorties the blind stealing makes up for the times you get called with AA/KK. But with even moderately deep stacks a deliberate preflop push looks so suspicious, it's only getting called by hands that beat it. Pushing AK as a general concept seems wrong to me.

LearningCurve · #3 03-30-2007, 08:07 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I don't buy #22 when stacks are >30BB. In tournaments, yes. In cash games, maybe among shorties the blind stealing makes up for the times you get called with AA/KK. But with even moderately deep stacks a deliberate preflop push looks so suspicious, it's only getting called by hands that beat it. Pushing AK as a general concept seems wrong to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I agree with you. At 10NL, open pushing AK pre-flop is probably going to get a caller. And unfortunately, it's one of those hands that seems really great in theory, but it rarely performs as well as I'd hope in reality.