Ranking of AK among best starting hands

[saskaman]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Doyle Brunson tells stories of $500 coinflips with 22 and his opponent holding AK. His opponents usually gave up after losing a few thousand.

[/ QUOTE ]

this clearly proves 22 is the better starting hand IMO

[/ QUOTE ]

That was not my point. AK is only as good as the player that plays it. 22 is only as good as the player that plays it. AK is great for PFR and 3 betting, but generally plays very poorly after flop when both hands are face up and AK misses.

[Gonso]

[ QUOTE ]
That was not my point. AK is only as good as the player that plays it. 22 is only as good as the player that plays it. AK is great for PFR and 3 betting, but generally plays very poorly after flop when both hands are face up and AK misses.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd say that's backwards. AK still has some value when it misses, but an unimproved pair of deuces can stand very little heat. When every card on the board is an overcard to your pair, you don't ever really know if you're ahead. Plus it gets counterfeit a lot.

I'd say 22 is certainly easier to play in most cases, since generally I'm playing for set value. Now and again it's reasonable to turn it into a bluffing hand on the flop, but for the most part fit or fold keeps this hand simple.

[Paul McSwizzle]

[ QUOTE ]
Doyle Brunson tells stories of $500 coinflips with 22 and his opponent holding AK. His opponents usually gave up after losing a few thousand.

[/ QUOTE ]

Have you ever heard of "hot and cold"?

[Ray Zee]

if played well it does best in shorthanded pots. id rank it beweteen third and fifth depending on who is in the pot with you.

with lots of players in it goes down as you need to hit it harder.

[mistere45]

I love this thread. People are actually debating whether 2-2 or A-K is better? lol. AK is a premium hand, 2-2 is surely not. For many reasons. 2-2 is crushed by any pair higher than it. 2-2 is even an underdog to any suited-connected over-cards higher than 6. i.e. 2 gapped and even 3 gapped suited connectors like. Jc-7c is favored over 2-2. Can 2-2 be played any other way than for set-value? There are guranteed three over cards on the flop, how far you going to play a pair of twos. This whole arguement is ridiculous.

BTW - the doyle example was with AK (unsuited). AK suited has the edge. And all five cards are always seen, so no "poker" was being played. Also, someone stated AK was the best drawing hand. Maybe he meant because you were drawing to the nuts. But J-10 or 10-9 suited is statistically the best drawing hand to a straight or flush.