A-K in No-limit Texas Hold'em Tournaments
vendredi, avril 09 2004Since this is my first article for UltimateBet, I thought that I would tackle one of the most important hands in hold'em - A-K. In most small buy-in no-limit hold'em poker tournaments ($300 or less), you almost never throw away A-K before the flop, but that doesn't mean that within most no-limit hold'em events there won't be a time in which you would want to throw this hand away.
Confused yet? I contend that if you are an average to pretty good no-limit hold'em player, then you should almost never throw A-K away before the flop. It's just not worth it. Your opponent could have A-Q, A-J or a bluff? In that case you are a pretty big favorite over him, at most about 5 to 2. Even if he has a pair other then A-A or K-K, then you are only a 12 to 10 underdog, and with the extra chips already in the pot, you are about even money.
If you are a champion poker player some situations may come up where you know that you are supposed to throw this hand away. For example, player 1 raises and then player 2 moves all-in for a lot of chips late in a poker tournament. You know that player 2 is playing extremely tight, and that he most likely has your hand at least tied and maybe even badly beat with K-K or A-A. So you throw away your hand and wait for a better spot to put your chips into the pot. However, if you are an average poker player this is a good place to put your chips in. You are probably against a pair of queens or jacks, in which case you are about a 12 to 10 underdog with your hand. Occasionally, of course, you find out that player 2 has only A-Q which makes you a 5 to 2 favorite. Even if you are a 12 to 10 underdog, the extra money in the pot often makes the call here right for you.
A champion knows something that the average person doesn't. He knows that a favorable situation will come up for him soon enough and he knows when he is in that situation. Of course, when player 1 raises, player 2 moves all-in and then player 3 calls, it is time for everyone to throw away their A-K, whether they are average, bad or a champion poker player!
