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Big Slick - A preflop holding of ace king in a Holdem game.
In Texas Hold’em, many of the preflop starting hands have nicknames. One of the strongest, most versatile hands is Ace King (AK),
which is nicknamed “Big Slick.” Top pair is a powerful hand and often wins in a Hold’em game. Big Slick is very powerful because
if you flop either the Ace or the King, you will have top pair with top
kicker. It also has potential to make the highest
straight and flush. Before the flop, it is almost even money to beat any pair, except Aces or Kings. This means that you can play it
aggressively preflop, especially in No-Limit games, and be in good shape most of the time when you are called, because if you go all
in before the flop, you will hit a pair about half the time. While it is a very strong hand, you will usually need to improve in
order to win. If you fail to flop a pair or a draw, you should not get married to your hand. When you flop top pair in a
No-Limit game you need to be very careful as well. If someone has a hidden hand like a set or two pair you might be a very
big underdog. Do not automatically go all in unless you have some kind of feel if you hand is good or not. Good players lay down
Big Slick, including preflop, if they think it is no good.
If you have big slick, and you go all in preflop against an opponent who has a pair (but not Aces or Kings), it is called
a “race.” A race occurs any time two players have approximately equal chance of winning. In a Hold’em game, a made pair
against two over cards is the classic race scenario, as they are within two percentage points of each other. Because it
is correct to play Ace King aggressively before the flop, you will often see it in a race against a pair, when both
players go all-in preflop.
Usage: All-In With Big Slick, Laid Down Big Slick
Previous Poker Term: Big Blind
Next Poker Term: Blank
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