Top Pair Top Kicker - AK and AQ

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Playing AK or AQ - Top Pair, Top Kicker

Article provided by Jazzsports.com

Often in Texas Hold'em it’s enough to have one pair to win a hand, especially in a one on one pot. As the number of players increases in a hand a better hand is often necessary; the little pair is not so good anymore and we have to throw ourselves at them. Bad poker players are characterized by not knowing when to pull a pair when the circumstances make it so clear that it’s better to leave the hand, unless their opponents were bluffing.

When you are in hand to hand against an opponent, getting a “top pair top kicker” (top pair on the flop and with the highest kicker) is quite an achievement and we must use it well. If the opponent also has the same pair but is worse supported, you will probably get enough money from that hand.

The best hands for these situations are AQ and AK. Players tend to overestimate the potential of hands like KQ, KJ, and QJ. And when both players have the same pair, your best selection of a hand will make you lots of money. This also happens when you arrange an ace on the flop, you take money from players with worse as AJ, AT, or A9, especially if there is a possibility of a project and they think that you have it.

When you pay several players a raise before the flop, although it was linked to a high pair, you must proceed with caution. Bet between half and ¾ of the pot after the flop. Ideally, several players will leave the hand and you will stand only against one player. Otherwise, you should be going after the turn because the pot is already so big that it is useless to keep betting to kick players. In addition, you run the risk of someone re-raising the bet, and you don’t know if he has a better hand than you or not.

In pots with several players, if you completed a possible flush or a possible straight, it isn't worth it to keep betting because it is easy for someone else to get in. Against only one player you can make a new bet after the turn and see how he reacts, or pass and bet on the river. Sometimes you can beat players who have a worse kicker than you on a game, like: AK vs. AQ, AQ vs. AJ vs. KQ AK.

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