Each Texas Holdem starting hand list has Suited Big Slick (AK for poker shorthand) near the top. It is a very powerful starting hand and it shows a payoff over time if played well. But it is not a self-made hand and cannot be treated as such.

Let’s look at some of the probabilities involving AK before the flop.

Against any pair, even a simple pair of twos, Big Slick, at best, flips a coin. He’s a bit of a loser at times because if he doesn’t create a hand with the cards on the board, the Ace High will lose to a pair.

Against hands like AQ or KQ where you have the highest of the cards in the opposing “covered” hand, AKs are roughly a 7 to 3 favorite. That’s as good as preflop with this hand. It is as good as facing AK against 72 of another suit.

Against a better hand, say suited JT, your odds are roughly 6 to 4 in your favor. Better than flipping a coin, but maybe not as much of a favorite as you might think.

When the flop lands, the value of your hand will probably be clear. If you hit the top pair on the board, you have a huge advantage with a top pair / top kicker situation. You will often win bets made by players with the same pair, but with a lower kicker.

You’ll also beat good starting hands like QQ and JJ if they don’t flop their set. Not to mention, if you flop a flush or a flush draw, you are attracting the best bet, or the best possible color. These are all things that make AKs a good starting hand.

But what if the flop comes and misses you. You will still have two top cards (cards higher than any of the cards on the board). What are your chances now of catching an Ace or a King on the turn or river and saving your hand? Of course, this only works if a pair can save the hand and will be good enough to win the pot.

If the Ace or King that you would like to land on the table does not also fill someone else’s straight or flush draw, you would have six cards (three Kings remaining and three Aces remaining) that can give you the top pair.

With those six outs, the odds of getting your card on the turn are roughly one in eight, so if you plan to put money in the pot to chase it, Look for at least seven dollars for every dollar you are willing to bet. to keep the pot odds the same. Those odds don’t change much on the river.

While playing poker by the odds does not guarantee that you win every hand, or even every session, not knowing Odds are a dangerous situation for anyone at the poker table thinking of risking their money in a pot.