For a long time, AK was one of the most difficult hands for me to play.  It seems like I could never quite get it right.  I'd read everywhere that you're supposed to play AK strong by raising and 3-betting with it preflop, but I always ended up lost after the flop.

Here's a common scenario: I'd be in the big blind with AK and someone in front of me would put in a normal preflop raise of 4BB with whatever they've got.  When the action got around to me, I would make a 3-bet (because that's what all the strategy articles said) to about 10BB and that person would call.

The flop would come something like 233 and I would make a large continuation bet, hoping to take it down right there.  Instead the opponent would flat call my flop bet and I'd be lost from there on.  Does this scenario sound familiar?

Here you are, out of position in a huge pot without any sort of hand.  It's not a good place to be in so naturally you're not happy.  So then the next time you get AK, you're reluctant to raise it preflop or 3-bet with it because you figure you'll just get stuck in the same situation again.

Well I'm here to tell you that you're not alone.  AK always has been and always will be a tricky hand to play.  There will always be difficult decisions with AK but as a poker player, it's your job to face those decisions, not run from them.

Preflop

You should be raising and 3-betting AK preflop every chance you get.  No, it's not a made hand, but it is one of the top starting hands so you want to get more money in the pot.  The more money you can get into the pot preflop with AK, the more you'll profit over the long run because AK wins more than its fair share of pots.

AK won't win every pot for you, but it will win more often than the hands your opponents play.  By raising AK preflop, you are accomplishing the simple goal of getting your opponents to put money in the middle with inferior hands.

That said, AK is not an all-in preflop hand.  This might sound backwards after my last two paragraphs saying how great AK is but it's true. AK is a great hand and all, but it is not as good as AA, KK, QQ, which are the most common hands your opponents will play for all-in bets preflop.

Your opponents will be willing to call preflop raises with trashy hands, but it takes a lot for your opponents to get it all-in with you.  If you end up all-in against your average opponent, the odds are he has something that is either crushing AK or coin-flipping with it.

There are always going to be exceptions, so don't be afraid to get it all in against someone who's getting out of line.  If you have a maniac who's trying to push everyone around, AK is a good hand to make a stand with.

Post Flop

You will only hit a pair with AK 1 time out of 3, so be prepared to play a lot of flops with nothing more than an ace high.  The good news is that since you raised preflop you have the momentum of aggression on your side so a bet on the flop will usually win the pot for you.

If you do hit a pair, it's usually going to be the best hand.  You want to value bet as much as possible and hopefully get calls from weaker hands.  But remember, a pair is only a pair, no matter what your starting cards were.  If you start getting more action than you're comfortable with, be ready to fold.

It seems like when people get AK they feel all this pressure to play it strong, to play it like a real man, not like a little girl.  Don't worry about all that.  Just play your AK as you would any other pair: play it with aggression and be cautious.

There's no simple rule regarding big pairs in no limit games.  It requires a full analysis of the situation for you to make an informed guess as to whether your big pair is good or not.  If you're up against the table maniac, you're probably in better shape than if the table rock suddenly raises you.

Some times you'll get lucky and flop a nice draw with AK.  If the flop comes with two cards of your suit or it brings QJx, you have a nice shot at winning the pot.  Not only do you have strong draws to the nuts with these hands, but you have additional outs in the form of aces and kings that may be enough to win the hand for you.

I try to play these hands extra aggressive because it gives me two ways to win the pot.  I can win by making the opponent fold or I could win by hitting one of my outs.  Either way is a fine scenario for me so I like to play these hands fast by betting and raising.  I won't call all-ins with these draws, however, because then I only have one way to win the pot: by hitting an out.

Conclusion

AK is a great starting hand, but don't get all caught up trying to overplay it.  Most of the strategy you read out there says "you're not aggressive enough you little girl!" but it doesn't really help you play post flop.  That kind of talk is just going to get you into more trouble so don't listen to it.

Just play your normal solid, aggressive game with AK and you will do fine.  Raise it preflop, don't get it all in preflop and play it with aggression and caution post flop.  If you follow those three simple rules, you will be in great shape.