AK

Ace-king (AK) is a strong starting hand in:
 * limit hold 'em
 * no limit hold 'em

Because it is the nut non-pair starting hand, AK has some interesting properties:
 * It dominates the best of the other non-pair hands, notably big aces such as AQ and AJ.
 * Only two hands dominate AK: pocket aces and kings.
 * Because AK uses one card each from AA and KK, it makes those hands less likely as an opponent's holding.  With only three unseen aces instead of four, there can only be three combinations each of AA and KK instead of six, so those holdings are only half as likely.
 * Consequently, AK will more often be against smaller pairs such as QQ and JJ, and hence be at worst a 45-55 underdog.

Nicknames

 * Big Slick
 * Walking Back To Houston (Many a busted Houston road gambler on this hand)
 * Anna Kournikova (Looks better than it plays)