There’s no doubting that Ace-King is BIG, but is it slick? Whole poker books have been written on how to play this hand in various situations.

Big Slick is the hand that looks oh so strong, but actually can be tricky to play – and proves the end of the line for many players.  It’s an easy hand to get stuck on and, if you play it often enough, and push it hard enough, you will get burned. People have dubbed it “Anna Kournikova” because “it looks great, but never wins”!

Have a look at the table of percentage chances for the Big Slick to win against a range of hands. You’ll see that the only time you’re really in grim shape is when you run into A-A or K-K. If you’re a-K is drawing a lot of heat, it’s probably already badly dominated.

Some Golden Rules:

1. Don’t get carried away – it’s only a drawing hand.
2. Make strong raises to drive others out.
3. Call raises when in position.
4. Be careful not to overplay A-K in a raising war.
5. When you’re short-stacked move all-in – it’s a great chance to double up.
6. If you’re a big stack you can call short stacks at very little cost.
7. Be cautious with a medium stack – you can push too hard
8. A-K is not worth going broke for.

Kishan Nielsen

Practice your Big Slick play online at BetOnline Poker. Top rated, US friendly online poker room with some excellent play features to help you get a better read on the game.