From Novice to Pro: The Ultimate Guide on How to Play Ace-King
There is an adage in the poker world that while the stud is a game of live cards, hold ’em is a game of high cards. There is a great deal of truth to that saying, and it helps explain the love affair between hold’em players and Ace-King – known throughout the poker world as “Big Slick” – and also what many call a suited AK, “Super Slick.”
Many poker players struggle to distinguish any difference between Ace-King and what David Sklansky refers to as “Group 1” hands, such as AA, KK, QQ, JJ, and AK suited. He relegates an unsuited AK to his “Group 2” list. While AK, done or not, is a nice starting hand, some overvalue it. The good news is you can get a starting hand on AK in many more ways than any of the other top starters, as we’ll outline next.
Sixteen Ways for Ace-King
There are sixteen ways for the four Aces and four Kings to get together and make Big Slick, which means you will see it more often than Aces or Kings combined.
Is Ace-King almost as good as Aces or Kings? The answer is a resounding no. Let’s check out the stats. As you can see, Ace-King offsuit (Big Slick) is a huge underdog to a pair of Aces:
Ace-King suited (Super Slick) is better, but it still gets crushed:
And here are the combined stats, showing unsurprisingly that a pair of Aces is a massive favorite against Ace-King:
Ace-King does do better when matched up against a team of Kings:
When it’s Ace-King suited, the equity gap closes to 34% vs. 66% compared with 30% vs. 70% for an unsuited Ace-King.
The fact that Ace-King is nowhere near as good as Aces or Kings shouldn’t come as a surprise since both of the top pairs are made hands while in contrast, although big slick can win in a showdown unimproved, the majority of the time, you will need improvement for it to prevail. It’s not all doom and gloom, though.
The Beauty of Ace-King in Tournaments
Ace-King is a favorite tournament hand with which many players like to get all their chips into the middle, especially pre-flop. They feel that Aces and Kings are the only prohibitive favorites against it, so it’s a hand with which it is worth gambling.
Even the lesser big pairs, such as JJ and QQ, are only slight favorites to AK:
The beauty of AK is that it dominates the typical hand’s players tend to push all-in late in tournaments, namely AQ, AJ, etc.
Ace-King is Overvalued by Many Players
There is a love affair out there for Ace-King. However, the strength of this hand is overvalued by many poker players – and they end up going broke. Playing AK late in tournaments is fairly easy, where pre-flop aggression and all-in moves are commonplace. But the real difficulty with playing AK is in the early stages of a deep-stake no-limit tournament and cash games. In such situations, it’s probably prudent to keep the pot small, treat your AK as a drawing hand, and take more of a wait-and-see strategy. Trapping others for bets makes for a big pool that ties opponents to it. The bigger the pool, the harder it becomes for opponents to fold their holdings.
Advantages of Keeping the Pot Small
There are two main advantages to keeping the pot small in no-limit. First, you won’t be as tied to the hand when you flop a pair, but it becomes obvious an opponent has dropped two couples or a set. Secondly, you will disguise your hand by playing more conservatively, as most players tend to jam with AK. This second advantage will help you get action when you flop top pair, and an opponent has a weaker kicker. Another player who may be holding AQ will become aggressive, not believing you would not have raised holding AK pre-flop.
There is a whole legion of poker players out there that raise big with Big Slick from any position all the time, and what they always do is what they think everyone else does. This behavior can provide an opportunity to trap these conventional thinkers for extra bets did you know that AK flops a flush draw 11% of the time?
The new book Optimizing Ace King has a complete chapter on playing draws (along with chapters on playing pairs, turn & river play, and even ideal lines when AK misses the board).
As a bonus for being a Pokerology reader, use code POKEROLOGY at checkout to save $5 when you pick up your copy.
The ‘Wait and See’ Strategy isn’t Slow Playing
It would be best not to confuse this ‘wait and see’ strategy with slow-playing Ace King. It would be best if you certainly were raising to thin the field. It’s a vulnerable hand that needs protecting, but this doesn’t mean you should go overboard.
It’s also very difficult to know where you stand with AK because even if you hit an Ace or King on the flop, you might think you have a good hand, but you can’t be too sure. This is why your position at the table has to be a key consideration when playing Big Slick. Having worked on your opponents makes this hand easier to play but still far from straightforward.
The next time you see a flop and you’re holding AK, take a moment to acknowledge what other hands might be lurking around the table.
Conclusion
While AK represents a favorite starting hand for many, putting its value into proper perspective is best. The elements that need to be evaluated to recognize its value are your position, the number of opponents you face, the betting, and, of course, the playing tendencies of your foes. One should generally acknowledge AK as a drawing hand when facing four or more opponents and play it like a powerhouse when up against a short field or heads up.
Related Lessons
- How to Play Aces
- How to Play Kings
- How to Play Small Pairs
- How to Play Medium Pairs
- Starting Hand Selection in Hold ’em
