Let's discuss how to win when you're dealt Big Slick (Ace, King) in an early position. First, let me clarify what is meant by the term "early position". If you're in an early position, it usually means you're one of the first three players to the LEFT of the dealer. Of course, if you're small blind, that means you're almost last to act before the flop, but first to act AFTER the flop. If you're big blind, that means you're last to act pre-flop, but second to act after the flop. And last but not least, if you're the THIRD player to the left, that means you are the FIRST to act before the flop, and third to act after the flop... This position is also known as "under the gun". Ok. Enough with the definitions. Re-read those four above paragraphs if you're confused. Otherwise, let's dive into the strategies...
Big Slick is a "monster" hand that most players pray for... BUT... it can actually be a TERRIBLE hand for you if you don't know what you're doing. It can be terrible if...
1. You go "all in" (or bet a substantial pile of chips) before the flop, but then don't catch anything... Or...
2. You catch an ace or king on the flop, bet a lot of chips, but then get run down by another player who gets a better hand. Since even a pair of DEUCES can beat Big Slick by itself, I recommend that you don't go all-in with Big Slick before the flop. It's just too risky. Because there are so many hands that can beat you.
Going all-in with Big Slick pre-flop is the equivalent to saying, "Hey, I'm not that confident I can win this game, so I'm going to HOPE to get LUCKY and risk all my chips on the CHANCE that an ace or king hits, or that my ace high wins."
Obviously that's not ALWAYS the case, but for the most part it's pretty accurate.
The second scenario- getting run down by another player even though you hit your ace or king- can be EXTREMELY frustrating.
For example, let's say you're holding Big Slick and the flop comes out A,K,5. You're obviously excited because you flopped top two pair... but what if Marty, that new guy who just learned how to play Hold'em a couple weeks ago, is holding a pair of fives? Chances are, he's going to clean you out for all your chips.
Your strategy then, should be to DECREASE the chances that someone at the table (like Marty) is going to get lucky on the flop. And you do that by making sure they don't even SEE the flop in the first place, by making a pre-flop raise or strong bet.
The ultimate goal should be to create "heads-up" action before the flop when you get dealt Big Slick. Force players like Marty to fold before the flop hits. That will prevent the "bad beats" and allow you to focus on a single opponent.
The most difficult way to win with Big Slick is if you're in an early position AND you don't catch anything good on the flop.
Here's how I play it: Let's say I'm "under the gun" (first to act before the flop... third player to the left of the dealer) in a no-limit cash game. I look down to see AK of diamonds. Great hand, terrible positioning. Instead of limping in and letting all the crap hands at the table see the flop, I make a raise as we discussed. "$15 to play."
Some players will limp-in with AK when they're first to act, hoping someone ELSE will make the raise for them (which gives them the chance to re-raise). I don't like this strategy. Because if someone else makes the initial raise, that means they get control over the table and betting.
For example, let's say I limp-in and Josh makes it $25 to play. Everyone else folds and then I come back over the top of him for $100 more. Without hesitation, Josh goes all-in and pushes in his stack of $350 in chips. See how this could get ugly?Josh may be holding pocket 9's for all I know... which will BEAT me if I don't catch the right cards on the flop. Then again, he might be holding a pair of face cards... or maybe just AJ. No matter what, I really don't care. Because I don't want to risk all my chips on AK and leave my night up to chance. As much as possible, I want to be in FULL CONTROL of my destiny at the card table.
There will inevitably be players who are more reckless with their chips- and these are the players who rely on LUCK more than SKILL... But not me... I know I can beat the game, which is why I don't limp-in here when I'm first to act with Big Slick.
OK, back to the hand... "$15 to play", I repeat. I'm hoping to get just one caller, or two at the most. The action goes around the table, and everyone mucks their hands... except for Drew. He splashes the pot and calls. So I've created heads-up action and taken control of the betting... exactly as I wanted to do with my monster hand in this position.
The flop hits: 2h, 9d, 7s. I'm first to act. Obviously, this flop is terrible... the best thing I've got going is a possible runner/runner diamonds draw. So what do I do now? Should I check my ace high? No. This is where you should fire AGAIN, and continue to play aggressively... Because the flop probably didn't help Drew either. If I CHECK, Drew will sense my weakness and might try to steal the pot. My bet will give him the impression I'm on on over-pair and have the best hand... so he'll probably muck his cards now. Even if he calls, I'm still in good shape. If the turn card doesn't help me, I'll back down and minimize my losses. I DON'T want to dig myself in a deeper hole and try to bluff it out. Or I may catch my top pair on the turn or river and be able to win that way.
So no matter what happens, I'm not risking too many chips and I'm putting myself in a great position to win the hand.
Now... rewind for just a moment. What if my $15 pre-flop bet had multiple callers? Having multiple players in the game would have increased the odds that someone actually benefited from the 2,9,7 flop. Which means I would NOT have made a strong bet after the flop. Instead, I would have backed down and just checked. If someone else bet strong, I would have mucked my A,K and lived to see another hand.
So THAT is how you play Big Slick under the worst of circumstances... with scraps on the board and bad positioning... and STILL have a great chance at winning a nice pot.
Of course... the chances of getting AK are just 1 in 83. And the odds of getting AK suited are just 1 in 332. And that doesn't even factor in the odds related to your positioning.
