AK - PF raise or call?

[HY77]

I'm a bit confused about AK. It is a drawing hand, so you might be inflating a pot you won't win by raising. But then again, by calling you aren't narrowing the field and could get stacked with a high pair vs a set or other hands that get to see the flop for cheap.

Here are 3 recent threads relating to AK for more background on this topic.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...e=0&gonew=1
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...=1#Post10991098
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...part=1&vc=1

I have a couple questions:
1) Generally, should you be raising AK with limpers with tiny blinds or calling?
2) Does them being suited or unsuited affect your play significantly?

I understand that these questions are really general, but hopefully someone has a good answer.

I have always played AK very hard PF. I've done pretty well by dominating weaker aces. BTW, I'm generally a low stakes player, so if the advice differs please include some low stakes advice as well.

[HY77]

?

[Check2TheLady]

Hey, I realise that this is quite an old thread, but thought I'd add my tuppence-worth anyway...

I almost always put in a pot sized raise or reraise pre-flop with AK, suited or unsuited, particularly if there are limpers in front of me. More often than not I just take down the pot there and then. If I am reraised, I can be pretty sure that they have a monster starting hand (although would not always fold - it would depend on the pot odds and how aggressive the player is - if I could put him on a range that would include QQ-10 10 and AQ or less, I might call or re-raise, but as a rule would probably chuck it) If I am called I would probably play aggressively on the flop as my opponent is probably looking to hit it and probably wont.

Hope this helps [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[cougar62]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm a bit confused about AK. It is a drawing hand, so you might be inflating a pot you won't win by raising. But then again, by calling you aren't narrowing the field and could get stacked with a high pair vs a set or other hands that get to see the flop for cheap.

Here are 3 recent threads relating to AK for more background on this topic.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...e=0&gonew=1
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...=1#Post10991098
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...part=1&vc=1

I have a couple questions:
1) Generally, should you be raising AK with limpers with tiny blinds or calling?
2) Does them being suited or unsuited affect your play significantly?

I understand that these questions are really general, but hopefully someone has a good answer.

I have always played AK very hard PF. I've done pretty well by dominating weaker aces. BTW, I'm generally a low stakes player, so if the advice differs please include some low stakes advice as well.

[/ QUOTE ]

lol I knew one of those threads had to be one of mine, I'll bet half my threads are about AK. Checked my PT db and was surprised that I do quite well with AKs and AKo winning 2.53 and 2.01 BB/100 over 32,000 hands with 6 or more players, so I must be doing something right [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

My pfr % for both is around 87% (again filtering 6 players or more). About the only time I don't is if I'm OOP to the raiser or reraiser. You have to develop the ability to be able to raise or reraise with these and still get away from it when beaten. They are the trickiest hands to play along with JJ IMO, and they come up a lot more often than JJ. I know the regs at the higher levels generally don't get into strat posts but hopefully they'll jump in here and share some wisdom [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

Being suited or unsuited doesn't affect my play, but maybe I should look into that since so far I'm winning a lot more with suited AK. Suited probably becomes more and more important as the # of players in the pot grows.

[Shillx]

Fold? I honestly don't remember the last time I won a big pot with AK.

[cougar62]

Looked at my thread and of course that was one where I called instead of reraising. I had position, but if the raise comes from UTG and I don't have a read my default read is they are very strong. And you rarely fold AK pf at the lower levels, there's just too many donks willing to get all in with AJ and KQ.

[HY77]

So does anyone else have an opinion? I think I recall Pudge saying to limp with AK.

[HY77]

Or maybe wrong forum?