Playing AK in a v.loose cash game

Duff Man Jr.

I've been thinking a lot about how to play it recently. Its 1/2 PL, Most hands about 5 people limp someone from late position makes it 15 and Everyone calls. It's very rare that a pot is won without a showdown.

With AK in late position would it be a good idea to raise to 15 here or just limp and get out early if i miss the flop. But if i hit the flop and make it 60 to go people will still call on bottom pair, a mid pocket pair or even a gutshot. but if i limp for 2 and hit people would still call the ten with anything.

The other option is to limp-raise to 50, this usually gets it heads up, but its pretty hard to put most people there on a hand, and 50 is a lot with a drawing hand. If i hit and fire out 100, it most likely would be called with a flush draw, open ender, any pair or mid pocket pair. Also Ace/King rag is a strong possabilty so you cant help but worry about them hitting their kicker. A strong continuation bet if you miss here would be called too often to make it a profitable move.

What would peoples play be here?

ollyk1

I'm no cash expert so take my advice whatever way you like but if a game is very loose why fight it?

Limp with a wide range of hands and call reasonable raises and nut peddle when you hit. Don't get creative get rich. When they eventually catch on to this and you stop getting action then start raising with AK and the like. In a very loose game I only raise with KK and AA. Every other pair is played for set value, I play suited connectors straight draws etc. and I play to tank a player rather than chip away. I've seen lots of guys in very loose games feel the need to keep pumping pots with their overpairs and TPTK hands and this is really dangerous imho. AK is a good drawing hand get the money in when you hit because thats the beauty of a loose table you still get action. Just my very humble opinoin.

RoundTower

How much are the stacks normally?

No matter what you answer I probably raise the pot from whatever position it gets to me. I would hate to limp reraise to €50 out of position if I was playing any more than €120. Just overplay it once you hit top pair and you should be fine if you are really consistently getting called by bottom pair.

ollyk1 wrote:

I've seen lots of guys in very loose games feel the need to keep pumping pots with their overpairs and TPTK hands and this is really dangerous imho. AK is a good drawing hand get the money in when you hit because thats the beauty of a loose table you still get action.

I don't really understand what you mean: when you "hit" with AK you will have top pair top kicker 90% of the time, so should you get the money in or not? I think you should in this kind of game: for every time you get done by a set or two pair, three times you stack somebody with top pair lower kicker or a smaller pair.

cardshark202

On loose tables, especially in the fiitz for example, I will raise/reraise with AK about 95% of the time. I like playing big pots with big hands. Its a high variance strategy at times but I prefer AK in a two-way or three-way pot rather than a 6 or 7 way pot because even if you hit you could be behind to some random two pair.

Conclusion: AK is not a limping hand, raise with it in almost every occasion.

Marq

"Pot"

"Pot"

"Pot"

"Pot"

"Pot"

"Pot"

"Pot"

"Pot"

"Pot"

fuzzbox

In these games I have seen players who try to get their money in preflop as quickly as possible with hands like AJo.

Thus - I would like to accomodate them, when I have AK.

I pot.

smurph

Marq wrote:

"Pot"

"Pot"

"Pot"

"Pot"

"Pot"

"Pot"

"Pot"

"Pot"

"Pot"

Sorry Marq but when do you sleep??? Some serious hours being put in i feel, Hope it is going well for your though (ps this is written by me in work)

ianmc38

This sounds very like the SE cash game. Every hand has a standard 10000 limpers in the pot.

With AK, pot it every time. UTG or UTG+1, i sometimes limp-raise. As for flushes, noone in the SE can be chased from a flush draw on the flop. Open-enders aren't overplayed quite as much. If you pot it for €100 with TP TK, there are very few in the SE that will call you with only bottom pair and the ones that do make that call are the ones who go their to lose some money after Lillies.

Hectorjelly

I think limping with AK is fine from time to time, especially out of position.

Samba

Hectorjelly wrote:

I think limping with AK is fine from time to time, especially out of position.

Agreed, it makes it so much easier to muck, so many people play AK like they are holding AA (i've done it myself so many times).

There is the flip side, which Fuzzbox has pointed out, you are letting the likes of AQ/AJ off very lightly..


Vary it. I don't like swelling pots with drawing hands however. If you raise a good chunk of your stack and completely miss the flop, you can often be caught in no mans land. It's a tough hand to play in cash games, it can be very troublesome.

I.e a good player might decide to get in the pot with a pp for value, knowing at least one of his opponents will be holding Ax. Hit a set on an A high flop and anyone playing the A will inevitably pay him off as they have invested a sizeable amount of their stack in to the pot.

RoundTower

Hectorjelly wrote:

I think limping with AK is fine from time to time, especially out of position.

In a cash game like the OP described I think you are losing out on a huge amount of value by doing this.

ianmc38

If the OP is talking about the SE cash game, then I am raising 95% of the time. I may call or check from the BB, but rarely ever do i do this. 47 suited is ok in there for people to call a €45 PFR with. No joke.

Duff Man Jr.

ianmc38 wrote:

If the OP is talking about the SE cash game, then I am raising 95% of the time. I may call or check from the BB, but rarely ever do i do this. 47 suited is ok in there for people to call a €45 PFR with. No joke.

No but in Limerick its much the same. I got it 3 times in 4 hands the other night and limped/folded the first two. the third time i made it about 120 PF, flop was Jxx. i pushed all in for about 280 some guy instantly calls with 1010. I never played with him before and was a rock for a few hrs beforehand. i know if he keeps doing this its good for anyone else, but now i think to limp pot/fold is the best way to play it.