Regardless of whether I’m playing at the Bellagio in Vegas, Citywest in Dublin, the Falls Casino in Niagara or the Vic in London, there is always a tap on the shoulder and a friendly face to ask me: “What is the best way to play AK?”

Big Slick (as it is known in poker slang) is a hand that people seem to have trouble with or go broke with on a regular bases across the Emerald Isle and all around the poker world.

Ah…but why is that? 

So my friends, I think a closer look is warranted!

Right - now as I said, AK is a really strong holding preflop and is ranked among the premium hands that you can have to begin with; but don’t just take my word for it! No, if you were fortunate enough to tap into the mind of eleven-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth’s arsenal of knowledge, he also would tell you that AK suited should be rated as the fourth strongest holding in Holdem preflop. Did I just say fourth – yes I did!

That’s right; basically it would go like this: AA-KK-QQ-AKs-JJ- and so on. I know it might sound crazy to some, but it’s true. I mean you and I both know that all AK really is to begin with is “the nut no pair”, right? True.

However, why is it that Phil Hellmuth Jr. and a lot of other pros (Big C included) would sooner have AK suited to start off with as opposed to JJ?

Interesting point isn’t it? Read on

Before you rush off armed with this way of thinking to your local card room or maybe to your next Sit’N’Go here on paddypowerpoker.com, you must first try understanding the general reasoning for this.

You see, most of the stuff that you read should only ever be used as a guide line, as every scenario is different and no two players are the same. Only you know what you are up against at any given time. Having said all that, the reason for putting AK above JJ in the ranking is actually very simple and that is;

Of the two hands, AK is the easier hand to play and though AK / JJ share the same strength when matched up against each other in the classic race, if you factor in that AK is the easier hand to get away from both pre flop and after the flop when you don’t connect - it must be considered one of the main reasons for being the stronger of the two holdings.

You with me – I know, I’d confuse my own mother just go back and read it again.

You see, if you have AK and you decide to see a flop (but of course!) the sad but true fact is that you’re going to miss the flop almost seven out of ten times and therefore against two random hands post flop it would be an easy pass for you, but lets just say you have two Jacks preflop…now over fifty percent of the time an over card to the Jack is going to come on the flop and against two random hands there is a chance you may have been outdrawn.

The point is you won’t know for sure where you are as to the strength of your hand with JJ, which again makes it the harder of the two hands to play my friends

Man, I love this game!

I’ll leave you with this, a final note; think about what you are doing and never play the same hand the same way twice – sometimes you must be consistent in being inconsistent, and sometimes the best move is no move at all - it’s just the way the game plays and that’s why we will always continue to learn more about the game. Regarding AK, try not to go broke with it, the unfortunate catch-22 here is that you are only ever in a 50/50 race against an underpair providing you get to see all five cards, which is why we see as many all-in preflops as we do.

We’ll be looking at it again soon, my friends, as there is a lot more to it than this.

I always answer every question that I am asked on my blog, but as I said, this one seems to come up a lot. So, on behalf of 'Aspiringpro' and many of the other poker allies, I've decided that Short Stack Poker is a topic that we need to take a closer look at.

Indeed, it might be time for Big C to go on record and give you my take; my two cents on it... or forever hold my tongue.

Ya right - I can't even keep my mouth shut when I'm under water - let alone when I eat! :) That's right; I am opinionated, especially when it comes to poker. So here we go!

For a start; why is being short stacked such a pain in the arse you ask? Hmm? Well, it's obvious that you would much rather be the one with the heap of chips in front of you, than the bloke who has only a handful. At least by having a bunch of chips you have the luxury of being able to stare down at those helpless short stacks, in some way feeling sorry for them even though at the same time you're trying to knock them out! :)

Me? I hate being a short stack in a tournament! Granted it can keep you out of trouble for awhile as it prevents you from getting involved with marginal hands as you can't afford it! But for the most part... being short staked is miserable - 'it's like having someone kick ya in the balls just before they ask you for some spare change'. It's like having your best friend go on a farting spree during a road trip to Vegas, when it's 120 degrees outside preventing you from rolling down the windows to dilute the stinky air! Yeah...it's that bad.

I know what you're thinking - 'don't become short stacked then!' Yeah? Tell that to the bloke that made a move with his ten-seven off, only to have him back into a runner-runner situation and outdraw my top set, leaving me with only a handful of chips...meet Mr. Short Stack. :( You see, it's not always your fault! Judge not, lest ye be judged I say!

Anyway, I suppose the first thing we need to look at is what actually constitutes being a short stack? Well, most believe that when you are down at ten times (or less) the amount of the big blind you are considered a short stack.

I know; it's not a title that you hold dearly - yet you bear it!

One of the many problems with being short stacked is that you no longer have a lot of fold equity with your hand based on the amount of chips you have left.

For example; if you make a move while trying to represent a big hand - your opponent may not have to hold a big hand in order to look you up, even if the end result is either, that they're wrong (and they lose but you can't hurt them because you don't have many chips) or they're right (in which of course, you can't hurt them).

Another problem with being the one in charge of the short stack is that it's much harder for you to get away with your standard raise / steal from late position, as your opponents typically suspect you to be on the hustle and you run the risk of being reraised and pushed off the hand from someone who is left to act. But the problem now is that you put yourself in a spot where you are almost pot-committed, even though you most likely hold the inferior hand. Oh...and how we hate to go out with the worst of it!

I'll leave you with this, a final note; whatever way you look at it my friends, it's much harder for you to get the job done when you only have a short stack! Granted, it's never a situation that we set out to get ourselves into, however it happens to the best of us. An important note my friends - if you do happen to find yourself in such a scenario and you feel that panic is close at hand as every picture card is starting to look like a big hand, then make sure at least that you are the one that moves in with the marginal hand first, as opposed to the one who is doing the calling with the marginal hand.

The reason; if both you and your opponent hold the same hand like an A 9 or K J - whomever gets to act first with the hand might win due to moving in before the other. Are you with me? ? The point is that the hand is strong enough to go all-in with yet NOT strong enough to call an all-in with! You see, by acting first you at least apply some pressure on the people yet to act behind you, as they now have been put to the decision forcing them to call you if they want to play

Big C

Indeed, there is many a time that I was doing jig under the table; believing that I was on the verge of taking down a monster pot; knowing that I had played the hand well and was in deserving of the prize that was almost certain to be bestowed upon me!

After all, I'd crafted an almost perfect scenario by tricking my victim in to thinking - no, not thinking, believing - that they had the better hand and got them to commit a heap of their chips, even though I knew they were drawing so slim that they could fit into a size two :-) only to see that dagger card arrive on the end! You know, the one that is about as welcome as fart in a space suit. It just shows up uninvited to deliver that awful blow!

Ouch - nasty - sick and what the feck! All these come to mind, but what can I say other than - it's my own fault! I mean, I was the one that had let him get there by slow playing my big hand - it's just a bad break, that's all, so what-cha gonna do? Nothing, nothing but dust it off and tell myself that I would do all again if I had the chance, because in the long run the maths and the clever play will surely prevail.

You see, there's absolutely no doubt in my mind, and I'm almost certain that you won't have to go too deep in to any poker book before you find a the line that says, one of the main objects in the game of poker is to extract as many chips from your opponent as you possibly can when you have the better hand! I think we can all agree on that. I mean, why put in a huge raise or even move all-in if your opponent can't or won't call you!

What needs to be done is to find the perfect amount that you can bet or raise, without losing your opponent. Agh - but that's easier said than done.

You see, one has to be very careful when applying this strategy as there's a fine line between playing crafty when you have a big hand and simply playing the hand badly!

For example, most people are aware that if you have the big pair like Aces or Kings in the hole, it wouldn't be wise for you to allow five or six other callers in the hand, as you are likely to get outdrawn. Ideally what you would like is to have no more than about two other players going to the flop with you. At least that way you stand a far better chance of taking down the pot.

Important note; knowing your players and what they're capable of doing helps you dictate by the amount you bet, which determining the number of callers you are going to get in the hand with you. And believe me, this in itself is a form of slow playing! But the clever way!

So...don't limp in early position with a big hand unless you are sure that an aggressive player in late position is going to raise if he sees a bunch of limpers, that way you'll have the option to reraise or just call (disguising the strength of your hand) when it comes back to you, then perhaps you can check raise on the flop. However, if you don't have an aggressive player then you should probably put in a raise and narrow down the field. Always try and pick out the best spot when you're going to slow play. And in a perfect world your opponent might be drawing dead when you are trapping - ya right!

This is a topic that we will be looking at again soon.

I'll leave you with this, a final note; poker is by design a lonely game, it's just you against the field. But whenever you can set a trap, outplay or out-think your opponent, then you're doing ok in my book! Happy hunting!

It might sound crazy to some, but you'd be surprised by some the unusual antics that take place in and around the poker table. And I'm not talking about the small stuff either, like throwing salt over the shoulder or avoiding any ladders on the card room floor. I'm talking about the real weird stuff!

Like for example; I knew this one fella that refused to change his under pants anytime he was on a winning streak, because, he believed "flies were lucky"! Ahh come on now, that's just sick!!! Then there was this other bloke I played against that used a condom for his card marker! I mean, I know it's important to 'protect' your hand, but that's going a bit too far!

I'm laughing right now 'cos I remember this other time with this ol' boy that after scooping a huge pot in a high-low game he stood up from his chair, pulled out his false teeth and did the very first impression of THE SHARK, which as we all know has been made very famous by the somewhat superstitious, Humberto Brenes.

That's it! At least now I know where Humberto gets his material. It's as a result of him playing at the old folks' home. This also would explain as to why he's always standing up and shouting, I...go ole-in! WHAT...? I said, I gooo...ole-innnn...my fring. What? Anyway, you get the picture!

Oh, and by the way, it's not only us blokes that go on tilt or have these weird habits. I played against a lady once that would put on some lipstick each time she won a hand! That's right, each time! Try and figure that one out! Although, I did notice that anytime she was about to bluff, she first pulled out her eye liner...hmmm...OK...I call

Look...seriously, I can understand a little bit of superstition! And I know dealing with bad beat after bad beat is enough to send anyone on tilt, but you have to stay somewhat grounded. It's alright to call for a new set-up once in a while. It's even OK to take a missed blind button now & again when a certain dealer arrives at the table. But to actually think that it's the dealers fault that your Aces didn't hold up? C'mon now, what kind of crazy superstition is that?

There's no rhyme or reason, my friends, for getting mad and throwing your cards back or screaming profanities in the direction of the person that's at the helm (the dealer), as all you are doing is setting yourself up for more failure!

Remember, 'Auntie Karma' doesn't take too kindly to that sort of carry-on and will probably see to it that you continue to suffer under a new captain when the next dealer comes in. Wah-wah...can't we all just get along?! Remember dealers also have to put grub on the table, and for the most part, I believe, most do a grand job!

And as for throwing your laptop out the window or putting a hammer through your monitor; tut-tut, not good my friends, as you can add the price of a new PC to the amount that you lost in that last pot.

I'll leave you with this, a final note: try not to go on tilt, try and keep your head in the game, bad things sometimes happen to good people and besides - that's poker baby, that's poker! Remember, no-one said it was going to be easy!!

The reason we talk about these two topics in the same sentence (bankroll & game-limits) is that they're absolutely inseparable! That's right my fellow rounders, for what I say is true!

You see, you cannot talk about the one topic without mentioning the other. It's as simple as that! They're forever bound together, like Laurel & Hardy or Cain & Abel, like Fish & Chips or Man United & success.

A true fact about bankroll and game-limit is that one should never put more than 5% of their bankroll on the table at any given time and one should never sit in a game if the minimum buy-in is more than 5% of their cash flow.

An important note; the size of someone's bankroll will often dictate the limit of game which they play in. Especially if they're operating with a smaller bankroll or just starting to build it. Also obviously a person should never play in the game if they feel the level of play is over their head!

You see, a common mistake I see a lot of new players make is that they're far too eager to sit in and play in the bigger games, as the minimum buy-in for many of the bigger games might often be as much as $1,000, an amount which is the guts of many a player's bankroll.

I've mentioned so many times that I believe that even if the Almighty himself were to play the game of Poker - that even he would have trouble beating it each time he played! It's as simple as that - as there are far too many things that are out of the player's control. We need to understand too, that poker is a game that someone can play perfectly yet even still, there's no guarantee that they will have a financial gain on any given day!

We've all had those miserable bad beats, like the time an obnoxious drunk pulled a Houdini on you and went runner-runner to make a hand that you didn't even factor in, or the time you had your opponent virtually drawing dead, only to have the dealer put the turn and river down to make a straight on the board... bailing your victim out with a chop-pot.

You should know that almost every successful poker player will tell you the same thing, if you continue to play well then in the long run you should be ok! If you have a loosing session (providing it's only 5% of your bankroll), you should evaluate how you played. Was it the fact that you were unlucky - or were you just out played?

If it's the latter my friends, then you might want to consider dropping down a level. Which is a lot easier said than done, but there's not a lot of room for error when you mix poker and money together. This is the kind of discipline that you will need in order for a system to work!

So let's use this easy example:

When you have a bankroll of $2,000, you will buy-in for only $100 (5%-2,000) and if you lose that $100, your bankroll is now $1,900, so the next time you play your buy-in should now be 5% of $1,900, which is $95 and so on.

But let's just say that you start off with a winning session and cash out with $600. Well now you are plus $500, bringing your total bankroll to $2,500, so you adjust again to $125, which is 5% of 2,500.

You see, I believe you have to have some kind of plan or system set up in poker. Just like anything else in life; you need to be prepared for what might happen next and should it happen, the outcome is not so hard to deal with. Remember, poker is a game that is multicultural and brings all kinds of characters to the table, the young, the old, the black and the white of all denominations. Some are good and some are bad, but that's part of what makes our game great!

I'll leave you with this, a final note: yes it's frustrating I know, yet still...we play. We play because we love the game; we play because we love the thought of catching our opponents on a pure bluff; we play not to have good luck, just in hope...of avoiding the bad luck. We play for the craic and the camaraderie and just maybe, the thought of making history. Think about it - you play against someone, though you are unable to speak their language yet you both understand the same game.

And for many - they play for the simplest of reasons - to make a living.

Play my friends...play!

By the end of a session it's not uncommon for you to feel like you've just gone ten rounds with Iron Mike Tyson!

The thing is that some people have no idea as to how challenging playing poker is! So whenever such a topic comes up and I'm asked how hard it is, I like to use the following example.

Let's take a person who likes to do a crossword puzzle now and again. Now imagine how hard it would be if upon completing the puzzle, the person then had to tackle another one straight after.....then do a third....a fourth and so on. So repeat this for about ten or twelve hours and then maybe a person might be able to grasp at the idea of how grueling a game it can be...when played right!

Of course an important thing to note as well folks is that if you make a mistake in a crossword puzzle, all you have to do is flip the pencil over and rub out the mistake. As opposed to making a mistake in a cash game or a tournament, when it's sure to cost you a packet!

The crazy thing is that out side the card games and the puzzles, we are rarely forced into having to think all that hard. Come to think of it, it might only be when you're standing at the bar having a few pints with your friends that you really have to go in to the tank at all - to remember whose round it is or if your mate has paid you back the money he owes you!

I'll leave you with this, a final note: it takes a wealth of concentration and determination (at the very minimum) to play this game well.

For goodness sake man, snap out of it! Ok you're alright, breathe, just breathe. Where's a brown paper bag when I need one?

Now imagine what the pain is like after you get knocked out of the Main Event at the World Series of Poker! Now that's pain. A pain which is equal to that of an Irish man who has witnessed his beloved country sent packing from the quarter finals in the 1990 World Cup by the Italians (thanks a lot Schillaci!).

It's the type of pain that a Cork man must endure every time his great county has to face Kerry in the battle for supremacy in the Irish football championships (Gooch are you sure you won't play for Cork?). It's a pain which mirrors that of a groom after he discovers that his shortsighted bride is soon to have laser surgery done.

It's frustrating I know. It's enough to drive a man to drink (but if only it would drive him home after!) when you consider how cruel the great game of Poker can be.

You know your name is on the list but they won't let you in. Here's an idea folks...knock louder. You know in your heart of hearts that there's room enough for you to play in the big league - you know you belong with the elite, yet for some reason, that big title seems to elude you.

It is little consolation knowing that you played well and that you were able to get your money in with the best of it only to have your tournament cut short by an inferior player who made a bad play but got lucky.

Lads and ladies, all jokes aside, I believe it's like this: there's only ever going to be a few people that are truly happy with the final outcome of a tournament, it's as simple as that. The bad beats and often unbelievable stories that you may hear in and around the poker rooms and across the globe will always be a part of the game. So remember this; you're not alone.

Keep in mind too though; you're only ever a loser when you start making excuses.

I'll leave you with this; a final note: remember friends, Knock Louder!