How To Win With Big Slick In Early Position
Let's discuss how to win when you're dealt Big Slick (A-K)
in 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 strategy...
As we discussed a few days ago, 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 with a lot of players in the game.
It's usually 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 (especially if you're
short-stacked), 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
Holdem 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 A-K 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 A-J.
No matter what, I really don't care.
Because I don't want to risk all my chips on A-K 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 Don. 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 diamond 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 Don either.
If I CHECK, Don 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 A-K are just 1 in 83.
And the odds of getting A-K suited are just 1 in 332. And
that doesn't even factor in the odds related to your
positioning.
in 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 strategy...
As we discussed a few days ago, 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 with a lot of players in the game.
It's usually 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 (especially if you're
short-stacked), 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
Holdem 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 A-K 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 A-J.
No matter what, I really don't care.
Because I don't want to risk all my chips on A-K 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 Don. 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 diamond 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 Don either.
If I CHECK, Don 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 A-K are just 1 in 83.
And the odds of getting A-K suited are just 1 in 332. And
that doesn't even factor in the odds related to your
positioning.
posted by Orphee at 9:34 AM
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