Free Poker Strategy

Poker Strategy: In terms of hand rankings, (A,K) ranks right up there near the top, and so any player is happy to be dealt this hand. The problem with this hand is that however great the potential to be dominating an opponent who opens with a raise, Ace king is still only ace high. Furthermore, it is entirely possible that after having built a pot preflop, you will miss the flop and still have ace high.

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When it comes to pocket aces or kings, you can often afford to play it slightly slower because you are near certain you are in front preflop, and so you would not want to force out hands such as (A,J) (K,Q) or smaller pairs. When it comes to (A,K) it is often beneficial to bet out strongly preflop, as any reraise will tell you more about your opponents hand, because of the initial strength of your own raise. The other advantage of playing (A,K) fast preflop, is that as soon as a poker opponent flat calls, you can be pretty certain you are not in bad shape, and are most likely against a smaller ace or an underpair.

Some poker players seem to make aggressive bets on a harmless looking board after missing hands such as (A,K).  Unless your opponent has an overpair or a flopped set, betting out first in this way will often get through to earn you the pot, but you must beware of how much of your stack you are commiting to (A,K) once you miss it. If of course you hit your (A,K) on the flop, your main concerns are Flush, Straight, or even two pair potential for your opponent by the time the turn falls, and this should help to shape your decision on how to play your hand from there.