How To Play Ace King in Poker

Joel Wald
27 Jul 2025
Intermediate
This material is for medium-skilled players
Strategy

This comprehensive guide reveals the top 5 mistakes players make with Ace King and how to fix them. Learn proper aggression levels, when to bluff with missed flops, and crucial fold decisions against recreational players to maximize your AK profits.

Ace King requires balanced aggression - avoid passive play preflop but recognize when ranges are too strong for four-betting or bluffing.

Big Slick Mastery: Common AK Mistakes:

  • Passive Preflop Play - Don't limp-call or flat AK when you can three-bet for value and position
  • Overcalling Three-Bets - Cold-calling from blinds puts you in terrible spots out of position
  • Reckless Four-Betting - Against tight players, jamming 200bb with AK often accomplishes nothing
  • Poor Bluff Selection - Consider board texture, position, and range width when deciding to c-bet missed flops
  • Stubborn Top Pair - Find exploitative folds against recreational players who rarely bluff ace-high boards
  • Range Awareness - Your preflop range determines whether AK should bluff or check back on dry boards
  • Recreational Reads - Rec players expect you to call with top pair, making their aggression heavily value-weighted
About the Author
avatar
Joel Wald Professional No-Limit Hold’em Cash Games Player & Coach

Joel Wald is a professional poker coach and player with over five years of experience making a living from poker, mainly playing $5/10 to $10/25 No-Limit Hold’em. He has coached more than 150 students, many of whom went on to win major tournaments or significantly increase their hourly earnings. Joel teaches both live and online strategy, mental game, bankroll planning, HUD analysis, and the balance between GTO and exploitative play. He shares clear, data-driven lessons using tools like Flopzilla, PioSolver, and PokerSnowie.

Comments
Getcoach
There are no comments here yet, you can be the first!