How to play an ace with king kicker- "big slick"

Holdem poker players should never give away any tells, and there are even ways of an online player showing that they have just drawn a strong opening hand. So if you do, try to make the best of it as they don't always come around that often. Ace King or ace with a king kicker is one of the best starting hands in poker, following only a high pair. Players should always bet when they get this kind of hand, especially if it is suited. The potentials of making a strong and probably winning hand is very high and a player can go into the flop with loads of confidence. Obviously the more players going into the flop, the more nervous a player might feel, as there is always the chance that one of them has drawn a pair.

That's why many players who draw a big slick, unless they are generally aggressive players will do their best not to raise into the flop, They run the risk of scaring off players with a weak hand or being re- raised by a player with a stringer hand or a bluffer. Either way they can weaken their position before getting a chance to improve their hand, especially if they are playing one of the blind bets.

Once a glop has been drawn, a player gets more or less a full picture of how the hand will pan out. They may get really lucky and make a full house, running flush, two pairs and anything else in between. They might not even improve on their big slick. At that stage the player has to decide on their strategy based on the strength of their hand and how they read the players left in it. They can scare the rest of the players away by betting too strong, or conversely too weakly. They can also read the potential of the other players by the value of the cards on the table. Holdem Poker is a game of challenges and reading any situation after the flop is what separates the good players from the great ones.

After the flop and the round of betting following it, there are still two chances to improve on a big slick, and the player holding one will be forced to make decisions on how to play the hand out, They will be looking to draw the most value from the hand if they feel strong, and to cause themselves less damage, yet stay in the hand, if they feel that their hand hasn't improved enough. Players will be much more "pot committed" at this stage, and may be bluffing. A sure way to find out is to overbet, which might cause the opposition to run for cover. Or not!

Going down to the river carries the same risks and opportunities and many an ace-slick opener has arrived at its full potential on that last turn of the cards.

Drawing an ace slick opener is a great start, but like all great starts it might not always lead to a happy ending.