Texas Holdem Ace As 1
I was under the impression that, in Texas Holdem, 'Aces are always high'. However, I have been playing online and I noticed that aces are used in a low straight (A, 2, 3, 4, 5). Ace-Ace This is the best starting hand in hold’em poker and can be played from any position-early, middle and late positions. Also known as “Pocket Rockets”, “Bullets” or sometimes “American Airlines”) is the best starting hand for Texas Holdem.
Interestingly enough, if you polled a random group of holdem players and asked them to define ace rag hands, a good portion of responses would run from Ace 2 through Ace 9 – while leaving Ace 10 suited in the realm of playable hands. In Texas Hold'em an Ace can be high or low. So a low example is the straight you talked about also known as a wheel. It can also be high TJQKA. And as others have said it cannot wrap like QKA23. In the case of a flush that has an ace in it, that is always the highest possible flush. If you’re playing a $1/$2 cash game, and one of the players gets dealt Ace-6 (unsuited) on the Small Blind. Under the Gun (UTG) +1 limps into the pot and the Cut-Off raises 2.5 x the Big Blind. If the player is holding an Ace, beware. Many poker players have been undone by weak Aces.
Probably as much as any single other thing, we have to concern ourselves with probabilities that involve Aces. If we are holding a strong Holdem hand like a pair of Kings or Queens or similar starting hands with non-ace high cards, we usually don't want to see an ace flop.
Many players that are normally careful about playing only good hands will evaluate starting hands with an ace very liberally. For example, a player who would almost never play a K 6 off suit from an early position might look for excuses to play the hand if it had an Ace instead of a King. Players often hang on to aces even when they probably shouldn't.
These frequency charts can give you some insight into how often aces can impact certain parts of your game.
Pair of Aces
The odds against your being dealt a Pair of Aces are 220 to 1. In percentage terms, it is .45% for the pair and 99.55% against.
The next two charts show the probabilities of a pair of aces being dealt to various numbers of opponents.
Hey mobile users or anyone that would like to download, print or view the charts in more detail. Check out the Holdem pair of aces pre-flop odds in high resolution universal .pdf format.
Single Ace
The odds against your being dealt at least one ace are approximately 6 to 1. In percentage terms, it is 14.8% for the ace(s) and 85.2% against.
The next two charts show the probabilities of at least one ace being dealt to various numbers of opponents.
To download, print or view the above chart in more detail, check out the Holdem single ace pre-flop odds in high resolution universal .pdf format.
Notice how difficult it is to get a pair of aces in the hole. Even with nine players at the table and no ace in your hand, only 41 (4.1%) of the 1000 hands dealt will have have a pair of aces.
What’s Wrong With Ace Rag? Tony from UK
Dear Tony,
Thanks for your question. Ace rag is an ace with a number between 2 and 9 and usually off-suit in Texas Holdem. It is a hand group that is often associated with new players who often overplay it. They usually overplay it because they look at one ace and think they have a strong hand. The second card is known as the “kicker” and can be the key difference in winning or losing the pot. See below for example:
Board – Ah 3h 9d 9s 5d
On this board, a player with Ad 6d is beat by someone with Ac Jc because you are playing the best 5 card hand, in this case A-A-9-9-J beats A-A-9-9-6.
The Maths
To have a bigger kicker with your ace is quite a significant advantage in Texas Holdem. You will be at least 74% favourite if you both hold an ace and yours is larger. This is known as being dominated, this is particularly useful to know in tournament poker when you are all in before the flop. If you overplay an ace rag and are all in against an ace king, you are in a world of trouble and unlikely to win.
Playability
Remember, an ace is both high and low for straights. Therefore, a lower ace could be more of value than a middle kicker. This sounds counter intuitive but for the purposes of playability it’s true. I would much prefer to have an ace four than an ace seven. The ace four has straight potential whereas the ace seven does not.
How Many People at The Table
The fewer players at the table, the wider range of hands you should be playing. In a full ring game, an ace ten is a mediocre hand at best from early position, four handed and it is a strong hand. In other words, the value of your ace goes up in value, the fewer opponents you have. If you are playing heads up, you will likely play every ace before the flop, with differing degrees of aggression, but you will play them.
Ace Rag Tips
Ace rag doesn’t have to be a problem hand. As long you are not wedded to it post flop if you catch an ace, exercise pot control well and are in position, the hand can certainly be profitable for you.
- Open raise from cut-off or button if folded to you
- Call a raise from SB
- Limped pot and you catch top pair
- 3 Bet a loose aggressive player in position as you have a good blocker.
Texas Holdem Ace As 1 Oz
I hope you found this answer useful. Remember to tread cautious next time you look down at ace rag.
Thanks,
Narciso
Texas Holdem Ace As 1 Piece
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