Everyone who competes in Texas Holdem knows that Ace-King is one of the greatest opening hands. But, it’s just that, a beginning hand. It is just two cards of a seven-card formula. In nearly every situation, you’ll want to come out guns blaring with Ace-King as your hole cards. When the flop arrives, you have to reassess your hand and think things through before you just presume your overcards are the greatest.
Like most other circumstances in Texas Holdem, understanding your rivals will help you gauge your position when you have A-K and observe a flop like 9-8-2. After you bet preflop and were called, you presume your opponent is also possessing good cards and the flop might have by-passed them as badly as it missed you. Your assuming will often times be right. Also, don’t forget that most lousy gamblers wouldn’t understand great cards if they tripped over them and could have called with Ace-x and paired the table.
If your opposing player checks, you could check and observe a free card or make a bet and attempt to pick the pot up right then. If they bet, you could raise to observe if they are for real or fold. What you want to avoid is basically calling your opponent’s wager to observe what the turn gives rise to. If any card other than and Ace or King is shown, you won’t know any more information than you did following the flop. Now let’s say the turn brings a four and your opposition bets again, what will you do? To call a wager on the flop you need to anticipate your hand was the greatest, so you have to truly believe it remains so. So, you call a bet on the turn and 1 more on the river to find out that your opposition has a hand of ten-eight and just a second pair after the flop. At that point, it hits you that a raise the bet after the flop could have won the pot right there.
A-K is a wonderful thing to find in your hole cards. Just be sure you play them astutely and they will bring you amazing happiness at the poker table.
