Ace King is a great hand in Texas holdem, there is no doubt about it. Where there is dispute, however, is whether or not AK plays well out of position. As with all things in poker, the particular player in question plays a large role in determining whether or not a certain hand can be played profitability. The problem with AK is that it is not a made hand. More often that not, when AK is all in pre flop, it needs to hit something on the board in order to win.
In addition to this, many of AK’s outs are often stolen by it’s opponent’s hand. For example, AK is often all in pre flop against hands like KK and AA, both of which dramatically reduce AK’s odds of winning. Against certain players, AK is the virtual nuts. If you are playing with someone who is likely to stack off with AJ, you might even be ahead before the board even runs out. Your opponent’s playing style should always be a primary consideration when determining the correct play with AK. Don’t be afraid to fold, but don’t be afraid to shove all in, either.
Pot Limit Omaha is very similar to Texas Holdem, but it is not the same. As players begin to transition from the Holdem tables to the Omaha tables, they are forced to learn some new skill sets. Putting other players on a range of hands is vital in hand reading. It is near impossible to pinpoint the exact holdings of any given player, save for some rare situations, but it is fairly easy to put players on defined ranges.
In Omaha, this can be very tricky. As Omaha is played with four cards as opposed to\two, extra consideration must be given to each hand. Someone could have a big pocket pair, but they might also have a suited connector. This is the beauty of Omaha, the ability to play multiple hands within one. This is also the reason why Omaha is much more difficult than most other games. When it comes down to it, however, putting your opponents on a range of hands is not rocket science. Through the analyzation of some context clues, and a little bit of history, any reasonable player can effectively narrow down the hands that their opponent most likely has.
Pre flop play is largely a mastered skill. No one is ever going to be able to play perfectly pre flop, but most players have a pretty good idea of what they are doing. Because of this, it can be quite difficult to gain an edge by exploiting pre flop weaknesses. Players often struggle with which hands are worthy of an “all in” pre flop. Sometimes, QQ is an instant all in, but other times it can be an easy fold.
There are many different variables that should be considered in these spots. An easy to understand and apply dynamic is your opponent’s general playing style. If you are facing someone who tends to stack off quite lightly, it is easier to get the money in the middle with a relatively weak hand. On the other hand, a tight opponent might only go all in pre flop with KK or AA. In this situation, you need to carefully think about how you play your big hands. Beyond opponent’s playing styles, it is also important to consider factors like your position, the limits you are playing at, and your table image. If you can take all of these factors into account when making a decision, it becomes that much easier to make effective pre flop plays with big hands.
If you decide to move down in limits in order to mass multi table, be prepared for a shift in playing styles. Multi tabling does not allow players to make unique decisions with each hand that they play. For the most part, one hand should be played the same as the next. If you are folding QK UTG in a 6-Max game one time, but then raise it the next, you are going to confuse yourself.
Multi tabling play, especially mass multi tabling, calls for a systematic approach to the game. Generally, this is not going to be the most profitable strategy when playing poker, but when multi tabling, it is. If you are playing a few tables, your strategy should be very different than if you were playing 12 or more tables. 12 tables is rapid fire poker that leaves little time for decision making. A few tables, however, leaves ample time for critical decisions. If your goal is to earn a set rate, mass multi tabling can work just fine. If you want to move up in limits, without an end in sight, multi tabling is not the best option.
Floating is a profitable strategy in many different types of poker. Whether you are playing limit or no limit holdem, or even Omaha, floating is an effective way to pick off your opponent’s bluffs. A float is when a player calls their opponents bet on one street because they think they are bluffing. The call is made not only because they think their opponent is bluffing, but so a bet can be made to push them off their hand later on.
For example, pretend you are playing a pot in position and didn’t flop much of anything. Your opponent had raised pre flop, but the flop came 2h 6d 7s. If your opponent leads out on the flop, there is a legitimate chance that they are making a continuation bet and don’t really have a made hand. In order to combat this c-bet, you can either raise, or call and try to take the pot away on a later street. Raising would be an OK option, but it can also be quite risky. If you raise and get called, there is little wiggle room on later streets. If you raise and get re raised, your bluffing suspicions might have been correct, or they might be very wrong. As you can see, raising in a spot like this is very tricky and risky. The better play is to simply call and float.
Comments Off - Click Here to Speak Up