The Horrors of Ace King
12/11/2005

Everyone is well aware of the strength of the starting hand Ace King, or sometimes better known as "big slick." Whether your playing in a ring game, or a tournament you usually want to come out firing with a substantial pre-flop raise. More often than not you will be holding the best hand. But as the saying goes in Texas Hold'em, "any two cards can win."

The way one plays Ace King can drastically change depending on if you are playing online, in person, fixed limit, or no limit. There might be a very wreckless player at your table that you have been "eyeing" that  would call with any two cards. When playing Ace King one needs to take into consideration all these factors and  then some.

Generally, one wants to go to the flop with no more than two other players. Of course the more players that go to  the flop, the greater the chance AK might not hold up as the best hand. With the way poker has exploded over the last few years the tables are swarmed with "newbie" players willing to put their money in with any possible hand.  So when the flop comes something like 9 7 3, it is not unlikely that someone might have outdrawn one of the best starting hands in the game.

When missing the flop while holding AK, it is important to make a bet that is not too big, but not too small either. This is typically called a "feeler bet" by most poker players. It is a bet that is big enough to make a stab at taking
down the pot, but also small enough in which if one were to get re-raised it would be possible to get out of the hand and cut short one's losses. This does not mean if there is a re-raise to the "feeler bet" to run away and fold, but it may make one re-assess the strength of Ace high with King kicker.

Of course the most difficult time for a poker player to hold AK is during an all-in "coin flip" situation. It pains many players to flip over their cards and see that they are up against a pocket pair or even worse two live cards.  Sometimes when big slick loses one may say they will fold AK the next time around, but few end up doing so. Some players can sit at a table for hours and not even see an Ace much less Ace King. Players often get caught up in the beauty of Ace King and as a result don't take into consideration all the possible hands that can destroy AK.

So the next time you get dealt Ace King remember to play it strong, but also play it intelligently. Don't get wrapped up in its beauty (especially if it is suited). Remember to evaluate your players and consider all the possible situations. It is happening over and over again, Ace King gets outdrawn all the time, and can very quickly turn into a horrific hand.