Okay, here we go again. This is a .25/.50c NL online ring game.

You are on the SB and get dealt AK.
UTG folds.
UTG+1 raises to 2.50. (You have played him in another pot when he raised the same amount and won on the flop because you bet in position and he folded. He has you covered by 3 dollars, 78 - 75)
Everyone folds to you.... what do you do?

A. Re-raise
B. Call
C. ALL IN
D. Fold

*Okay, since this may be difficult for some of you.... answer this as if you were taking a test in school.

Same response as I gave to the guy with the imaginary sit-n-go question.

With you giving very little information about the hand, it's hard to give real answers. Were you playing tight? Was he? What hands had you shown down? What about this? All of these important things go into giving you a real answer.

If I had just sat down at the table, I'm calling and check-folding a flop that I miss. Reraising isn't my favorite choice since I'd be HU and OOP to villain for the whole hand if he calls. Repopping all-in is absolutely retarded. If you need me to explain why, just ask.

Folding isn't horrible either.

I was playing tight/solid. I showed down good hands a few times, I was up $25 at the table. I figured he was playing pretty solid as well. Just give me your first instinct as to what you would do. Your general play in this situation is all I'm asking for.

My general play only happens if I have no information about the players. If I know something, then it is not (nor should it be) a general response anymore.

Like I said, if I was new to the table, I'm gonna call and check-fold if I miss.

I've been thinking about situations like this or at least similar ones alot lately, what do you do when you raise with AK and are reraised when you are out of position, seems to me like there are a few possible situations:

1)you call and hit an A or K, and don't get any more money in the pot unless you are crushed
2) you call and miss and check/fold
3) you call and try and outplay your opponent out of position (not very desirable)
4) you fold
5) you put in a 3rd reraise w/ no pair


none of these seem very profitable, thoughts?

Call and bet 2.5x pot if we hit the flop.
If we take it down, that's fine.
If we get called, we inspect the board for straight and flush draws.
I don't know if we can call a reraise of a bet on any flop we hit with so many unknowns.
Depends on your style.

Well, I didn't raise with AK out of position, I called a raise. But yeah, they are similar. I will be posting the flop in here soon, once I get more replies.

I've been reading Sklansky and he seems to like putting money in pre-flop with AK. Because:
- AK is only really behind AA and KK
- if you miss on the flop you're odds tend to go way down

I think shoving into a $3 pot for $75 is borderline retarded so I take that off the table.
I'm ahead or 50/50 with the vast majority of the hands that villain opens with so I take folding off the table.

Leaving us with re-raise and call as viable options.

If we call we're looking to hit or fold but if we hit we're unlikely to get villain to pay much unless he's an idiot with AQ on a A high flop. Anything we hit is going to be an over card to most of what he holds.

If we re-raise we get more money in the pot as a likely favorite plus we pick up a lot of fold equity. If villain calls behind us odds are good that he has a big A or a mid-high pair excluding KK, AA. Since villain is likely to miss on the flop we can c-bet and likely take it down. Almost any flop is "good" for us.

I think I like re-raising.

Obviously not the same situation as OPs but interesting none the less. What you describe is so highly read dependent that it's almost impossible to give a "general" situation answer. If this is one of my first hands at the table I'm tempted to just fold. But ...

If you call and hit it is possible to get money into the pot (though not much). If villain has QQ or JJ he's likely to c-bet an A or (especially) K high flop of you check to him.

And as for putting in the 3rd raise with no pair - AK is only REALLY behind AA and KK. You're actually favored against 22 if you can see all 5 cards.

The only flops that are good for us are ones where we flop an A or K, or a flop with other big cards when he holds a pair lower, ie a QJ7 board against his 99. All other hands are bad if he does turn out to have decent pair like JJ becuase then we c-bet the flop, he calls and we have now built a big pot, out of position, with no hand, against an opponent who likely has us beaten.

I would reraise 100% of the time. What you do depepnds on your style and what you do with 99 and 78 of clubs here also.

meh, AK suited against 22 where neither 2 is of your suit is a miniscule favourite, against the REAL pairs that will stick it in, you get closer and closer to 60/40 situations and I'm not too keen on flipping coins for stacks in cash games anyway.

I've been vocalizing questions like this to some of the people i play with semi regularly and since I have I've had AK vs AA 3 times in 2 weeks (4 sessions) and laid it down to a 3rd raise twice, the 3rd time villian not having a huge stack. I also ended up laying down AK to AQ once to a giant reraise, but that guy lost his mind and it was a huge overbet.

I'm NOT folding at a .25/.50 table. Since raise is from very early position and we are OOP after this, I cold call and go to flop. Reraising seems -EV over long run because youre going OOP to a flop in which youre forced to make a healthy sized c-bet. Of course pushing is retarded here IMO.