How to Play Ace King from UTG

I have learned so many things from my poker travels. This includes how people view Ace King (AK), and how they like to play AK based on those viewpoints. Before I get to that, I would like to elaborate on my poker travels first. I’m not going to go down the list of every specific place I have been.

I would instead like to mention that many people have a misconception of my poker-playing experiences. Most people think I go to a venue, play in a few mid-major poker tournaments, and leave. This is not true.

When I travel to a new venue, I first get the lay of the land by walking around for a couple of hours (no exaggeration).
Casino

Throughout my stay, I will try to eat at all of the restaurants in order to leave a Yelp review. Over the course of every 90 days, I have approximately 86,000 people reading my reviews and 180,000 people looking at my pictures on Yelp.

This is important because I have a link to my books on there. Come to think of it, I should casually mention Poker Journal on there.

After getting the lay of the land and eating at one of the restaurants, I will foolishly play a cash game (I never play well on a travel day). I try to keep the stakes low here and play a 1/2 NL game because I know I’m tired. It also allows me to get a feel for the environment.

After that first night, I will likely play at least one 2/5 NL cash game. For simplicity purposes, let’s say this is a WSOP Circuit stop. If that’s the case, I will play a few $400 ring events, a few $135 Nightly events, and if I’m playing/running good, a $1,700 Main Event.

If you look at the big picture, this means I’m playing traditional poker games at 1/2 and 2/5 stakes, low buy-in poker tournaments, mid-level poker tournaments, and potentially one high buy-in tournament. In other words, I get to see all different types of poker play, and I meet all different types of people.

I’m telling you all of this prior to moving forward because how I play AK from Under the Gun (UTG) in one environment might be different from how I play it in another environment. You always want to adapt to the poker players around you, and the players at the 1/2 NL game are going to be very different from the players deep in a Main Event.

Translation: your poker strategy for cash games should be different from your poker strategy for tournaments.

Let’s begin with a 1/2 NL game.

How to Play AK UTG in 1/2 NL

In most places, if you’re playing 1/2 NL, you’re gambling. It’s as simple as that. You might now want to read that because I’m relatively certain that the majority of my readers play low stakes. The logical side of your mind tells you to play 1/2 NL because you can’t afford to play 2/5 NL. Another possibility is that you’re intimidated by 2/5 NL. This is where you are going wrong. Very wrong. But it’s understandable. Maybe I can help lead you in the right direction.
$1/$2 No Limit Hold’em

If you’re playing 1/2 NL in a place like Cherokee, where the max buy-in is $200 and there is a $7 rake, I would recommend stopping at a hiking trail prior to arriving at the casino. There are plenty of hiking trails in the area. When you go for a hike, make sure you remember your wallet (don’t leave it in the car) and bring a lighter.

When you’re at the end of the trail, or at the peak, take out your wallet with your left hand, remove your lighter with your right hand, and burn all the cash in your wallet. If you were going to play four hours of 1/2 NL, I just saved you four hours of your life.

“But … I won $1,400 at 1/2 NL at Cherokee last time!”

No shit? Did you really? That’s amazing. Be sure not to tell anyone that you have lost $15,000 overall in 1/2 NL at Cherokee. You cannot beat the game at that buy-in and rake at Cherokee. Sorry! If you’re going to play at Cherokee, play 2/5. That is one of the juiciest games you will find, but ONLY on the weekends!

DO NOT venture there to play 2/5 NL during the week unless the WSOPC is in town. Staying away from the 1/2 NL game in Cherokee might not fit into our poker rules for winning, but it definitely fits into our poker rules for not losing.

Getting back to 1/2 NL. Other poker rooms have better buy-in ranges and rakes, but you’re still gambling. The only way you can really play poker at a 1/2 NL game is if you go in the morning when it’s an older crowd, but they play so tight that your max potential might be $56 over the course of five hours. You will be folding most of your poker hands, which is boring.

Assuming you don’t listen to my advice and stick with 1/2 NL anyway, and assuming it’s at night when the game is loose and active, let’s take a look at how you should play AK UTG poker hands. What I’m about to write will seem odd at first, but it won’t after you ponder it.

How You Should Play AK UTG 1/2 NL

If you put in a standard raise to $6, you’re going to get several calls. Now you’re going to have to hit the flop hard. You will have to hit the flop hard because anyone who has anything on that flop is going to stick around when you bet out on the flop. Now what do you do? You’re stuck. This is just gambling.

If you raise to $12 pre-flop with AK UTG, then you will likely get 1-2 callers. I know this is ludicrous, but I’m just reporting the facts. The problem with this scenario is that whoever called you is going to put you on AA, KK, QQ, AK due to the size of your raise. If you hit the flop and you bet out, they’re going to fold. You made a little money, but it’s not enough to cover your losses, the rake, and your expenses. You need to look at the big picture.

Believe it or not, in my opinion, if you REALLY want to win in 1/2 NL (not easy), then you should open-jam with AK UTG. I know this sounds completely absurd, and it’s not something I would ever do at higher levels or in a tournament (unless short-stacked). However, the reason is simple.

If you get a call and win, it’s pretty much a winning session from that point forward, assuming you play disciplined. You can now apply pressure in the right situations, play more relaxed, and enjoy yourself. If you get called and lose in this situation, so be it. You were going to lose anyway. You would have either lost to your opponents, or you would have lost to the rake over the long haul.

If everyone folds to your massive pre-flop raise, so what? You can win just as many chips with 98s on one of the next hands. Too many people think: Oh my God! I have a premium hand! This is my chance! MY ONLY CHANCE! Stop thinking that.

Overall, I would recommend playing 2/5 NL instead of 1/2 NL. That fits into our poker rules for winning.

How to Play AK in 2/5 NL

Now we’re playing real poker. Your pre-flop raises will actually be respected. However, a lot is going to depend on your table, which will likely depend on when you’re playing. Let’s first take a look at a Saturday night game.

If you’re playing on a Saturday night, the game is going to be on the loose side. A lot of people are there to have a good time. At least half the table will fit into one of the following categories: here with friends to play some poker, here alone to play some poker, here to play in the casino and decided to play a little poker, here with family, here to see a concert, here for a vacation.

If more than half your table is regs (regulars), you’re at the wrong table. Request a table change. I’m not kidding. Request a table change. If more than half the table is regs, you’re up against a lot more experience. Eliminate Ego and go where the fish are swimming.

Assuming you find the right table and you’re dealt AKo UTG, if you raise to $15 in this game (3x BB), you’re likely to get several callers. This is not what you want. With AKo out of position, I want to isolate. Two callers tops. Once you have three opponents, bluffing becomes very difficult. You need that option because you can’t always rely on hitting the flop.

Another factor that is often overlooked is that if you attempt a bluff in a multiway pot, you’re more likely to have to show your cards. We don’t want that. We want the image of a tight player who never bluffs. If you can keep these situations to heads-up, you’re going to get a lot more bluffs through, which means you don’t need to show your cards. It’s a more methodical approach, but it’s highly effective.

In this 2/5 NL game, if you raise to $20, you’re likely to isolate. I think $20 is a good number because you don’t want to balloon the pot too much on one hand. Also be careful not to give away your hands. Some people will raise to $15 pre-flop with KQ, $20 with AK, and to $25 with KK or AA. I recommend the same bet on all of those hands so your opponents won’t read your patterns.

If you can get the heads-up action, it’s an automatic c-bet. There is something I have implemented recently that has been highly effective in these spots. I have been betting in the dark on c-bets. It’s a great play because now your opponent has no clue what to think. I can literally see the confusion in their eyes.

The same goes for the dealer in many situations, which is entertaining. I have been using this play my last two stops. I don’t use it all the time (never do that with any play). Would guesstimate that I have used it ten times. Of those ten times, it has worked nine times. I like that return.

Before moving to poker strategy for tournaments, if you happen to play in a much tighter game in the morning, every play should be standard. It’s ABC poker. The most disciplined player who runs good will win. If someone just calls in this game, it’s a monster. Use caution.

The older players don’t call with middle pair on the flop. Therefore, if they call, it’s a monster. We know their calling ranges. They think they’re being slick by slow-playing it, but since we know their calling poker ranges, they’re giving us the answers.

Playing AK UTG in Nightly Tourney

I love these poker tournaments. They’re a lot of fun. I know some of you will say the rake is too high. The rake is indeed high, but you are paying a premium for playing against such a soft field.

In Tunica, you don’t need to pay for alcohol as long as it’s delivered to you while you’re playing. On two nights, I got red wine in a plastic cup. It was very relaxing. I won’t drink beer when playing poker because I get too happy. Red wine chills me out and makes me a different kind of happy.

Anyway, if you think you can’t beat the rake in the Nightly poker tournaments, you probably shouldn’t be playing poker. These fields are incredibly soft. Not the softest I have seen (save that for St. Maarten and Bossier City), but they are soft. You also start with 15k chips. It’s a turbo, which I also love (unlike most players). If I can play a turbo, I have more time to do other things. You can rebuy into this event through the end of the first break.

As far as how to play ace-king UTG in a Nightly, that’s easy as pie. You find a way to get it all in the middle. If you win, you only need two more big pots to have a good shot at the final table. If you lose, you rebuy. Simple as that. Since these tables play so loose, I recommend limp-raise-jamming. You are very likely to get called. Be fearless about it. That’s what you want. This brings me to another HUGE point!

You know those guys that win a lot of rings? Do you think they do it by winning a lot of small pots every time? Negative. Prior to the end of the rebuy period, they’re trying to get as many of their chips in the middle as possible in good spots. Their goal is to win 4-5 of these races (or better than races). If they run good and win all 4-5 of those races, they are now coasting to the money, and many times the final table. It’s a tight-fearless approach, and it’s how you win the big money.

I’ll put it to you this way. If any of those multi-ring winners was playing in a Nightly and had AKo UTG prior to the rebuy period being over, they wouldn’t hesitate to get it all-in whatsoever. It’s what they want.

How to Play AK UTG In a $400 Ring Event

This will completely depend on the table. In these events, the table draw means so much. Some days, you will be sitting with many farmers who are there to have a good time. On other days, you will be sitting with almost all professional players. On most days, it will be a mix.

If I told you a black & white way for how to play AKo UTG in these events, it would be a lie, and I don’t lie to my readers. In these events, you must figure out the opponents at your table and their style of play prior to doing anything. One thing I do know is that if you’re UTG and you raise, you’re likely to get a caller.

Some players will call simply because they have position, which makes sense. If you want to scare away the stronger players, limp from UTG. They will anticipate a limp-raise and will only call/raise if they have a monster. They will usually fold.

If you play it standard by putting in a 2.5x-3.5x BB pre-flop raise and get one-two callers, you need to fire on that flop no matter what. Forget about the cards. You’re now repping an overpair or whatever is on that board. Whether they buy it or not is out of your control. And it’s even more out of your control than you think.

A lot of people think they pull off amazing bluffs, but it’s often about timing, as in: Did your opponent have anything? So, just fire. If they don’t have anything, they will fold. Sometimes you’re good with ace-high here anyway, but you don’t want them pairing-up on the turn. If they call and you whiff the turn, give it up. This wasn’t a big investment. Eliminate Ego. Minimize your losses.

Playing AK UTG In WSOPC Main Events

This is a much different environment, which means the poker tips above don’t apply. The poker strategy for playing AKo UTG here is actually the simplest. Put in a bigger-than-average pre-flop raise to indicate that you’re holding strength. Your opponents will respect it and fold.

If someone raises, expect QQ, KK, AA. Possibly JJ. If someone flats, you either have them dominated or their set-mining. Another possibility is a hand like QJs, JTs, which many pros like to play because of the flush and straight possibilities. These hands can lead to them getting paid because they know you like your hand.

Final Thoughts

The correct way to play AK UTG depends on your environment. There is no universal poker strategy for anything in this game. Some people would disagree with me. I respect that. Feel free to play like a robot if you please, but keep in mind that since you never really know what your opponent is holding, there are no absolutes in poker, which means the most important factor is to try to figure out what our opponent is holding (and to deceive them in regards to what you’re holding).

It’s possible that you think the poker tips above aren’t for you. That’s cool. I’m just telling you what I have learned based on my travels and experiences. I don’t play the most tournaments, and I don’t travel the most, but I do think it’s possible that I have traveled to the most different places for poker. I don’t know anyone else who mixes up their destinations and levels of play as much as me. But I could be wrong.

In today’s environment, many people view Texas Hold’em Poker as a science. I definitely agree that there is a science to Hold’em Poker. No doubt about it. But many of these people have forgotten that there is also an art to this game. For instance, the correct answer for how to play ace-king UTG cannot be applied the same way to all situations. Therefore, it’s not just a science. The same can be said for all poker hands.

I hope the information above helps you in some way, whether that be in traditional poker games or poker tournaments. See you at the WSOP!

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