An Ace-King is undoubtedly a very strong hand to start in poker. You need to connect with the cards on the board though or it will only be all good for an ace-high. This kind of scenario makes life difficult for a poker player who thought he got a monster.

Basic strategy

Ace-King is the kind of starting hand you do not want to have when playing against multiple opponents or when you miss out the flop. If these happens, the hand should be folded especially when serious betting occurs.

The ace-king is a drawing hand which you need to improve on so you can win. It has a good potential of becoming the best hand since any ace or king that will come will make what you have a top pair plus a top kicker. You should therefore play an ace-king aggressively until the scenario becomes unfavorable.

If you have an ace-king it will be ideal to play it aggressive prior to the flop. Raise so you can thin out the field of opponents. It is ideal to limit the pot between you and another player.

Stack sizes

This is another very important factor when playing ace-king. When playing against short stacks, you need to try and push it all in prior to the flop. This will allow you to take a good size of pot when the pre-flop raiser decides to fold. In case you are called, you will have a good chance of improving your hand.

When against deep stacks, it will be best to raise before the flop to get some information from your opponents. If you encounter 3-bets along the way, be very careful since your opponent might be holding kings or aces.

When you have a good hand, possibly a winning hand, you want to get as much money as possible from the other players on the poker table. You call it maximizing the value of your hand when you squeeze out more money from your opponents.

The way you rake in more is how you play your hand so your opponents will put more money into the pot. You gain value with your hand when other players bet.

To get more money out of their stacks, you need to bet yourself and re-raise which a lot of players fail to execute properly

One big mistake that you may commit when you have a good hand is just to check or call when it is your turn. This attitude will not get you more money into the pot. It is counter productive to slow down the play by calling or checking.

What will you when you a pair 7 and on the flop you get A-10-7. You now have a set. What do you do after an opponent bets and it’s your turn? Will you call? If you answered yes then you are missing a big opportunity to win some chips. Don’t throw the chance away and raise!  Don’t wait for the turn when things can go better for their hand.

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In every game, you should remember that you should not only know yourself but also know your opponent. In a round of Texas Hold’em, you should be aware of your stack size and the size of the stack of the other players.

Take note that at any moment during a game, there is a chance that you may need to put all of your chips at risk.

How much your chips is and how much are your opponents will somehow dictate how the game will be played. The effect of the poker stack size on the game is not only mathematical but also psychological.

So how do you know the size of the poker stack?

The size of the stack is in relation to the blinds during a game. A $2000 stack may sound big but it will be very small if you have blinds of $100-$200. Here’s a glimpse of how a stack is gauged:

• Deep – when you have 199 big blind or higher
• Big – 96 BB or more
• Medium – 36 to 95 BB
• Small – 35 BB or less

Let’s say you have as short stack, then it will be more difficult for you to be creative with your plays and bluffs because you don’t have to enough chips to intimidate your opponents.

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