This is Why You Should Just CALL With Ace King (AMATEUR MISTAKE!!)

[@BlackRain79Poker]

Do you flat call or raise with AK here? Also, check out my latest video on how to make $1000 a month playing poker: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnLJd6Wpp6uDfMU

[@philster5918]

If they fold the range you give them at 3:07, they are overfolding to a 3x 3bet (54 combos out of 81) and we are auto-profiting before we even consider our postflop equity and playability... seems like the perfect spot to 3bet then...? If they are folding TT, 99, getting them to fold those flips is huge.

[@bobroth1951]

I learned to flat with A-K pre-flop. I used to lose more money with A-K than any other hand. Also, very easy to fold a missed flop. A lot of players where I play raise with A-K and then get mad when they lose to a pair of 4's.

[@111Jango]

In my opinion. Utg at NL2 will not open/fold AJs, AQs, KQs, AQo ever. So this is an easy 3 bet at these stakes in my opinion. We also take the pot heads up and we have the betting lead so we dont have to hit the flop. (You have to hit the flop in multiway pots). So this is a Squeeze pre in my humble opinion.

[@pokergeniusordonkey6517]

Good analysis. I play mostly full ring. These situations happen a lot. Many nit players will flat with something strong like Villain 13 did with the KK, and on the other end of the spectrum many players go bonkers with AQ, like villain 13 did. Full ring at the micros can be a minefield, on both ends of the spectrum, using caution in multi player pots is advisable. I also made note of Villain 12 in the BB with a 90 BB stack, a slightly fishy sign. He might be the kind of player who calls too much, even 3 bets, and he would completely ruin the squeeze play if he calls it, by bloating the pot. Similarly even if Villain 13 didn't go all in, even if he had just called, and bloated the pot, it makes the situation terrible in a 3 way 2 SPR pot. (SPR Stack to Pot Ratio)

[@BlackRain79Poker]

Thanks PGoD, I think understanding the full ring dynamic here is very important. Nits gonna nit! haha

[@vladsavchenko9176]

Both calling and 3-betting are reasonable, as ranges are really tight and there's not much value to be had anyways. The problem I have with flatting is that if we don't raise our AK, our 3-bet range is most likely KK+, maybe with a couple bluffs, and I try to avoid these kinds of situations this early in the hand. Maybe you could mix it up, but the point remains - both options are reasonable. After facing a call and backjam I'm calling. We're only crushed by KK+, which neither opponent should have almost ever, plus we block half of these combos. Both KK and AQ are a bit unexpected holdings to see here, but the hand is a complete mess anyways, so there's not much to be gained by over-analyzing it.

[@BlackRain79Poker]

Thanks for your thoughts Vlad :)

[@fundiver198]

I think, Hero just got a bit unlucky here to get caught up between a nitty player not 4-betting KK, and a fish going crazy with whatever. The fish dragged Hero down with him, which is something, that will happen from time to time.

[@smdrocker]

I have to agree with you in the fold. I can get behind a 3 bet when it gets to us. But when villian shoves, I have to say make a crying fold. Great hand, but not good enough to ship with a player left to act.

[@CanadianLoveKnot]

At NL2 these guys are more likely opening with 47suited than KK

[@marksimpson2321]

Great upload as ever! Interesting to hear you say most players are not recreational these days. I play on Stars and while 1/2c is far far tougher than in the past, depending on when you play , there are loads of plays that are odd/bad. I would generally be inclined to call unless I'm the one betting allin with AK with fold equity.

[@orbitaLrecon]

Great video as always! I prefer just flat calling with Ace King here too. It's better to just play a small pot and use position.

[@BlackRain79Poker]

Thanks orb!

[@flavienadjovi]

Well first and foremost I'd like to try and put my opponents on a range as quickly as possible, with mp flatting that helps me. I put him on TTs up to QQs, since I hold an Ace i try not to stress Ace high hands in vill2 range. That being said i flat (regardless of stakes, game format or ring size)since I'm confident in the range i placed the first caller on, and giving the blinds a better price to complete will make it harder for the other oops to play post flop imo (not gto but fuck it). Yo, do you have any content or advice on mastering the art of multitabling? I'm struggling and dont know where to start.

[@B0bi_007]

Call and go at least 3-way to the flop... Sure. Not.

[@BlackRain79Poker]

Thanks for your thoughts lol!

[@jodianderson2033]

I agree with you. I'm flatting a raise from early, and I'm letting go when I don't hit the flop.

[@mikeb3700]

Great vid Nathan! Would you have called or 3B AK OOP?

[@BlackRain79Poker]

Thanks Mike! I would be more inclined to 3Bet if I was OOP.

[@mrchii4908]

I would call that raise then on the flop I would raise aggressive and if they call or re-raise me I would know am in troubles, as you alway says , when a player in the micros raise aggressive , he is not messing around. But yeah I have seen a lot of newbies playing AK like if it where AA

[@brandondorsey7204]

The multi way nature of this makes the analysis tricky. In a heads up pot, I agree with just flatting with AKo. In a multi way pot with capped dead money in the middle, I disagree with flatting with AK. Your reasoning that you would flat because of your perceived post flop edge is unlikely to be applicable to a multi way pot. Because of the three bet, there were only three players in the pot, but if hero just flats, the big blind is getting a price to call extremely wide. More times than not, if hero flats that pot is being played four ways. I think that any post flop edge that anyone assumes that they have in a multi way pot is likely exaggerated since the nature of multi way flops results in fewer profitable bluffing and thin value betting opportunities. In short, I agree with hero's 3-bet. I think that he has to fold to the jam, because he is likely up against at least one pair, and the other player either also has a pair or has an ace or a king, blocking his outs. Really annoying spot because of the fishy play from villain two.

[@BlackRain79Poker]

I agree multi-way always changes things a lot in poker. Thanks for your thoughts Brandon!

[@elmariaci7637]

Is it a new wave to call preflop with premium hands in nl2? OK, I can admit that flat calling with AA or KK has some sense but AK is kinda semi- bluff hand and we need to hit the flop so I think squeeze preflop is a good play and having both of the players folded is not a pretty bad income.

[@BlackRain79Poker]

Hey El, na just calling with a hand like AK versus an EP raise in full ring is pretty standard at any limit.

[@cata9223]

Possibly if he opens loose and the other guy doesn’t believe home and you squeeze would make an easy steal right.

[@romanb.8420]

Nasty Hand... Couple things I like to add/discuss: 1. I think V15 did a decent play when you think about it. Hes obv. semi bluffing here but V13 did not 4bet himself. So like you sad his range looks very capped 88-JJ, AJs/o, AQs/o... He puts Hero and V13 in a bad spot where we're either flipping or crushed by AA. 2. I don't like flatting at all here because we don't want the Button to flat in position. We prefer to be in position against two capped ranges(V15 didn't 3bet himself, propably has lots of small pairs, suited broadways, suited aces, worse aces. 3. I'd just call it off i think. Obv. with reads on the villans(V13 Tight passive, V15 Loose splashiy, almost maniac) it would be a different story. Afterwards you're always smarter. What do you guys think?

[@dominictang9328]

I think I'd play exactly as hero did. Merit of 3betting is that we knock out bn and blinds. We are really looking for a fold but if we get called then so be it, play a 3b pot. When we get called then villains have a capped range (haha, not here!). We'll flop A or K nearly 1/3rd of the time but will also be playing in position. Unfortunate to be up against KK. But the guy who calls an open and then 4b shoves is really unlikely to have AA or KK. And the KK hand only flat against our 3b so we don't put him on AA or KK. So I think the AQ guy has

[@gscott4791]

I can get on board with your wanting to flat call the AK, but I think your range assessment for a 1/2 cent nlh game is incredibly tight versus the real world which is fine if you’re playing nitty. All in all I can see merit for your line especially with zero player info. I would’ve either done the same or raised to re-raised to 23 and probably would’ve ultimately folded because of the lack of info. Your way saved money this time 👍

[@TheFairway8]

Depending on how disciplined hero is here ie folding a gutshot I’d imagine the money would be all in on that flop anyway

[@kbinferno]

love the content and analysis, love how you mix in uploads of common hands/situations, only small suggestion maybe show a different situation as the thumbnail so we can go in a bit more blind

[@BlackRain79Poker]

Thanks kb, glad my videos help you!

[@KleinmeisterPang]

For me with the big slick here... Autofold even if it hurts

[@shivasirons6159]

Its hard to fold AK when you consider the metaphysical game, if you fold AK its 75% an Ace hits the board. Thats a law!

[@johndarrenkamp]

What about AKs against a 60/13/5 which was my situation? I was on the button he was in the blind. I 3 bet everyone folds but him, he raises I shove. (All preflop) he had Q7o hit the Q on the flop and it held up. Was it a mistake to shove? I think I had his range figured out, he had done this before to another villian.

[@shivasirons6159]

Jd, im pretty new to poker, the 60%. Tells me no matter what i have hes going to call, might as well try to play it cheap and see what develop s.

[@KinDaSKILLZZz]

Hello Nathan, really like your analysis viceos. I wanted to ask you, what is your opinion about ALL IN CASH OUT option that is now availible on pokerstars? Since its there. isn't it better nowaydays to just go all in with pocket aces everytime preflop? This way you will always have an option to cash out if you want to instead of being in a situation when the flop shows up, you do a conbet, and then the guy reraises you and turns out he had pocket 6 and got a set off a flop and now you lost.

[@fundiver198]

The option to cash out does not make it any more attractive to be all in. It just mean, you can select to reduce your variance in these spots by paying a 1% fee. But in the long run you win nothing more, because you cash out, so it should not change your strategy. Ideally we would like to get all the money in preflop with AA, but unless our opponents are really bad, they will not allow us to do so without missing a lot of value. If for instance we ship in 100BB over a standard open, we might only get action from KK and lose all the other hands, that could have paid us off, if we made a normal 3-bet to 10BB. And yes sometimes those hands will draw out on us, but other times they will catch up and pay off. They will flop top pair, a worse overpair, or even a worse set. So AA is still a great hand to have postflop on most boards. Its just, that we need to realise, that sometimes it has to be folded like any other hand. The problem for a lot of players is, that they go on entitlement tilt, when they have AA. They get married to AA and can not accept, that it has changed from the nuts to just a bluff catcher.

[@BlackRain79Poker]

Glad my videos help! Been asked that so many times lol. I don't have an opinion on it yet. When I do I will probably write an article about it :)

[@marksimpson2321]

@@BlackRain79Poker I often cash out when I'm a favourite because I feel the 1% I lose by paying to do more than makes up for what I think is a small but significantly worse effect of losing. If I'm an underdog, I have never cashed out as the effect of drawing out on a favourite is likely to tilt my opponents! In an abstract context, cashing out is silly as you're losing 1% ev every time but I find the fact that you needn't worry makes up for it.

[@dominictang9328]

I would never cash out, because in the long run I win less money than my equity is worth. However the question regarding strategy is interesting..... some players may choose to shove and go for fold equity because if they get called then their backup plan is to cash out for their equity (less 1%). I'm not saying this is a good strategy, but could be what AQ does here. So do we have to call more when this happens??? And AK would be fine to call if this is so

[@bsd613bh]

amazing videos thank you

[@BlackRain79Poker]

Glad my videos help you DDM, thanks for watching!

[@smarkovits3908]

Just discovered your channel. Excellent for us aspiring online grinders that are starting at the bottom. Would be sick if you could stream 2 or 5 nl zoom.

[@BlackRain79Poker]

Hey S, thanks for the sub, glad my videos are helping you!

[@nicks210684]

Hero was kind of unlucky here with the specific player tendencies. I think if UTG 4 bets he could get away. When UTG just flats his KK, I think most players would flat or even fold AQo and then hero probably doesn’t lose too much more.

[@willguggn2]

3-bet/fold sometimes is quite okay? We still have 39% vs. JJ+; AK and are in position; even more if villain 4bets KK+ a portion of the time.

[@BlackRain79Poker]

I would rather just not even 3bet in the first place if we are thinking of 3bet/fold. Because our hand plays amazingly well IP and is so well disguised.

[@mbtadhl]

The bottom line with micros is you never know what anybody has. They are erratic and illogical. Everyone has to start somewhere. So many of them play an "any two will do" game.

[@EduardBobrik]

Hi all, my question is “would you fold the KK” in EP at this scenario?! AS for AK, flat call, no hit - run:) K,Q on the board... probably fold to bet, with the A cheapest showdown as possible, am I wrong here?

[@B0bi_007]

dafuq

[@fundiver198]

Personally I am snap calling as UTG with KK. I dont give a ton of credit to that back-raise, so I am really only worried about Hero, who 3-bet me.

[@nat2r]

Man I disagree with this video. We should be 3b iso'ing with AK and we should snapcall vs the guy shipping it with anything 55+ and AQ AJ KQs.

[@nat2r]

Just finished it and saw that he had AQ which I'm not surprised to see at all. KK was unfortunate but given the way he played it, can't do much but reload and move on.

[@nicks210684]

55+? I’m not even 3 betting 55 much less calling a backraise jam.

[@eduardoandre2103]

Hi guys, yesterday I was in the same spot with AKo, preflop. Well, the utg had KJo, the fish shipped A4o, and the utg nailled his Jack on the turn lol

[@BlackRain79Poker]

The ranges will definitely change if there is a known fish in the hand.

[@fundiver198]

I think, there are merits to both flat calling and 3-betting here, and against good players its probably good to mix it up. Flat calling gives us a hand, they never expect to see, and we can win a big pot, when we cooler their AQ or AJ on a A high board. 3-betting however deny a lot of equity and takes away some reverse implied odds. If they have a pocket pair, we want them to fold, because the pot will only get big, when we have top pair, and they have a set. Its just important to understand, that AK is mostly a 3-bet as a bluff in this situation. We are looking for opponents, who will fold, and we are using the hand, because it has great blockers. We have no reads here, but if UTG is nitty and only opening like 8-9% from EP, then I agree with flatting. If he is wider, and if the caller is a fish, then I am 3-betting all day. As for the backraise AQ is a little surpricing, but a huge percentage of the time this will be something like 66-TT. Trying to setmine, and since this is not profitable in a 3-bet pot, he goes crazy and turns it into a bluff. We are getting the right odds against that kind of hand, we block KK and AA, and UTG would typically have 4-bet those hands. So I am also calling here as played.

[@BlackRain79Poker]

Good points Fundiver thanks for your analysis!

[@catchdafever]

Hi, i'm from the futur and poker is still the thing...

[@roccoVAL]

playing at these poverty stakes I'll open ship it every hand lol

[@HardDie]

Haa! Thats a hillariously funny way of describing the stake😂😂 I actually L o L ed. Very funny indeed👍👍

[@nat2r]

Yeah, i find that people will open QJo from EP at 2/5/10nl and will call 3bs because they have broadways

[@HardDie]

@@nat2r yum yummy

[@HardDie]

@Hunter fair enough, im assuming you mean good enough to consistently beat the poverty stakes and move up to the next level where 1 would start all over correct?

[@MrJesseQuinn]

Generally if I have position I'll 3 bet if not then flat.

[@RJ-ox3nb]

Shouldn’t it be the other way around? In position, you have inherent advantage postflop so calling is fine. Out of position though, you’d want to 3bet to show strength and hopefully force a fold preflop

[@gregorykelly8000]

Mention pot odds?? Thank you sincerely and respectfully

[@BlackRain79Poker]

I don't find pot odds to be particularly important when ranges are incredibly narrow like this. In fact, they are basically irrelevant here.

[@trrccccrrt2123]

NL2 is sick, I have lose a 4bet preflop allin with AA VS J5(o)............... So sick but also a kind of funny :( :D

[@paulhamilton5420]

I would have just flatted but I play tighter

[@evilmonarch6721]

Ak here is definitely a squeeze here 100% of the time, not squeezing here would be a mistake in this spot instead solver agrees too

[@evilmonarch6721]

Flatting only makes sense here to mix it up and protect your range against decent opponents like 1-2% of the time

[@evilmonarch6721]

And as you said we have 0 reads on either villain so why do you automatically asume utg always has a reasonable range? He might just be opening weaker pocket pairs and broadways aswell

[@evilmonarch6721]

And its micostakes mostly weak fish play there

[@tobi2841]

AK is overplayed sooo bad. It’s a religion tho, I don’t like taking flips even against 22 and basically being dominated by AA and KK (which happens quite often). But not 3 betting is inviting people into the pot, especially the BB. I don’t like the variance. (I’m not a cash game player, I’m tournament player) I wouldn’t 3 bet AK deep (100 bb+), so I still have strong hands in my flatting range and if people decide to squeeze you still have a strong hand. But often times it’s hard to get away from AK on a board like J/T/K. When you realize you are quite often dominated by AQ, JT and basically every pocket pair from T to A expect Q and sometimes even KT. Tricky hand to say at least, but definitely not worth risking my tournament live while I’m deep.

[@Kishancooldude902]

I like to fold ak preflop,what a crappy hand ,looses to 7-2

[@B0bi_007]

I would play the hand exactly like our hero

[@albertoacebedo8720]

The opponents would be happy to have you there along with villain 15

[@B0bi_007]

@@albertoacebedo8720 go home nit

[@albertoacebedo8720]

@@B0bi_007 lol better tell me what your nick is and I look for u in the tables, there's where I'd go

[@shivasirons6159]

No way would utg or ep fold AQ, AJ AT. Or 88.

[@shivasirons6159]

I didn't say Should, i said would, they love seeing flops!

[@markemmerson1383]

You need 67% equity to call here profitably. Against 99s and higher pairs and AK you have 41%. Even if you give him some weird hands like Aq and Aj in that range you still are not profitable. (even queens are slightly losing but maybe I would spite call that)

[@fundiver198]

You can never need more than 50% equity to call.

[@markemmerson1383]

I figured out why good input. 44%?

[@mealatus]

Line taken by Hero was perfect. Villain played his KK well by calling the raise. UTG+2 makes an obvious fish move by flatting UTG, then shipping it in for no reason. Nothing to be done about this?

[@jfduques]

I'd have probably min raised. Thanks for the videos. New sub 👍🏻

[@BlackRain79Poker]

Thanks for the sub!

[@lozgod]

It’s only a 9000 hand sample since I moved and started on a new site but AKs is a losing hand for me right now. I play on a fishy loose site that plays like live 1/2. Playing it aggressively vs players only 3 and 4 betting JJ plus has cost me a good amount of my winrate. Facing a raise from a good reg changes things as well as it being a great squeezing hand but it’s not the nuts when players will only commit with the nuts.

[@BlackRain79Poker]

9,000 probably isn't a good enough sample yet but I agree that playing AK slower is usually more profitable for me at the micros.

[@fundiver198]

I have not done a ton of database analysis to back it up, but my impression is, that in tight full ring games its usually profitable to 3-bet and 4-bet AK, because you get a lot of folds, but if you face a 4-bet or 5-bet, you should often let it go. For a lot of players in these games a 4-bet+ still means AA or KK. Its a little different at 6-max, and even at full ring, if its a late position battle against a LAG.

[@lozgod]

fundiver198 I’m definitely having a bad run with it but I think the value of AK is overstated in sticky cash games. Theres a 30% chance you’ll have a pair on the flop and less than a 50% chance you’ll have a pair by the river. It’s a hand you have to be ok raise folding a lot. People see how it plays in a tournament hand and bring that to cash tables. It’s value shoots through the roof 20bbs deep as opposed to 100+. It has great blocker effects but if someone is holding JJ they aren’t considering my range or that I may be holding AA or KK with my 4bet. They just start mashing buttons.

[@paulhamilton5420]

I would have just flatted

[@nomore1371]

I'd fold for sure

[@horenzodipartendo8225]

WPN is not rigged but the rng is suspect, forces action to increase rake gaurantee. I know coding and i can tell this rng is fishy. You can say “you’re just bad” all you want but you cannot prove me wrong because WPN does not show their rng code.

[@henrykjankowski1952]

So you propose having a 3B range in this scenario of what? QQ/KK/AA? Surprised you don't squeeze AK at a stake where population tendency is to call too many hands. Also surprised you have a flatting range in CO rather than treating it as a 3B or fold position.

[@camsnow9822]

Assuming 2 unknown microstakers id tke utg's open seriously. either its a reg which means he understands position, that its full ring, something about starting hands etc, and his range is tight, or utg is a rec player. most rec players are too loose and too passive so when they do raise, i tend to take that seriously. That being said I don't think 3 betting is a total disaster, if my opponent is folding medium pp's when hes getting better than 2-1 on a call im thrilled. if hes the kind of guy that will call with broadways that I dominate, im thrilled. i think there is merit to both plays. in this exact scenario id probably flat bc im getting a nice price, i have position and probably have a skill edge. Now once MP back shoves, id fold bc player 1 is still acting behind me and a lot of guys would take the line in the hand so far with AK, KK, and QQ. if i 3 bet and utg folded, id snap off mp. why? at micro stakes when i see this, it's almost never AA or KK. Its almost always a medium pair, a broadway, or a rag ace that they just have no idea what to do with, and they panic shove.

[@BlackRain79Poker]

Thanks for your thoughts Dale, agreed!

[@OleguitoSwagbucks]

fold pre :)

[@gerhardmoeller774]

Vid title is just stupid. You did little to prove your title point. Crush poker.... you are not!

[@robinhoodhustsle1356]

Disagree

[@cosmicray6227]

dude you need help 5 min preflop, I am bored silly write a script. obviously not a subscriber

[@paulhamilton5420]

I would have just flatted but I play tighter

[@paulhamilton5420]

I would have just flatted