Stephen Koblos


You could see this hand as the girl you picked up last night at the bar after 15 or so beers. "Man, she looks great, has that sweet piece of Ace on her." You're willing to pay just to hold her hand. 70% of the time though you're going to wake up in the morning holding garbage while someone else at the table made off a real hand-Ace-Queen or Ace King.

Now, I tell you this only because most of the time when you lose with ace-rag it is because someone else is holding an ace with a better kicker. The reason this happens so frequently is because Ace is the most often played card before the flop. Since there is a shortage of good players out there the ace-rag is played almost every time a novice picks it up. Also, because Ace with a higher card (like A-Q or A-K) will be played every time, the ace is still out there. Now there is only one person, and one person alone, in the poker world who refuses to play Ace-Queen, and that's good ole Texas Dolly. If you ever find yourself playing against Doyle Brunson you can be assured that he isn't holding Ace-Queen.

You also have to take into account that laying down ace-rag every single time you see it is the WRONG play. Everyone who says to lay it down all the time is only sore about the experience they had back in the day when they lost with it because they played it too much. I'm going to explain why it is the wrong decision to lay down ace-rag every time, but first let's look at a few simple guidelines on playing with an Ace. We'll start from early position.

Early Position

In early position (in a ten handed game this tends to be the first three players to the left of the big blind) ace-rag should not be played much-neither should anything less than pocket pairs above 8's, or A-Ks, or sometimes A-Qs. It is dangerous to play weak hands from early position for the simple fact that you have NO information on your opponents yet. For example, let's say you go in with Ace-6. The only card you are looking for at this moment is the Ace. The average player sees the ace, and only the ace, and doesn't even know the six is in their hand. Now, Ace-6 doesn't give straights and is unsuited. If you're second in position coming in with this hand you're going to be up against another Ace out there somewhere. If an ace comes on the flop you're stuck there holding a six as your kicker. Do this enough times and you'll be down to the felt in short order.

Middle Position

In middle position (in a ten handed game this is usually the 4th through 6th seat after the blinds), add on A-J and A-T. If you're in middle position you have received a bit of information from one quarter of your opponents. If the table folds to you, so that no one is in the pot in front of you, you are welcome to come into the hand safely with A-J or A-T. It still is not recommended that you come in here with anything less in the way of Aces, unless it is time to "mix it up" which will be discussed later.

Late Position

In late position (the final 4 seats) playing ace-rag is still a toss up, but you are in good position to try it. You have received information from a majority of players at the table already. If you were to only have a few limpers in the pot so far, a raise with almost ANY hand is the correct play. Just because you have position doesn't make it crystal clear to play ace-rag. There is still the danger of someone else hitting their Ace, with a better kicker.

Why is playing ace-rag not always the WRONG play? In order to become a successful poker player you have to "change gears" and "mix it up." If you were to play at the same table for a ten-hour session, playing only a select number of hands, and betting a certain way with each of those hands, a good player at a table will pick up on your habits quickly.

What needs to be done to prevent this is to play some hands you wouldn't usually play every once in a while to mix up your play. This "mix up" will throw off your opponents if it comes down to showing a hand. Again, just because you're playing this "off" hand does not mean you have to pay to see all five cards come out, desperate to show this hand.

Regarding ace-rags, play an Ace-7 or Ace-3 every once in a while. You should try to play ace-rag a few times, showing your opponent you played it when you win with it. You should try to refrain from showing the loss for deceptive purposes. If you're heads up on fourth street and your read has your opponent with a paired ace you should lay down your cards and show your opponent the rag. This tells and shows that you made a smart play. Again, you should take into account that this may entice your opponents to play ace-rag against you now believing they can just out bet you and take the pot as they just did; even though they had the best hand. With this in mind, you should be in good shape when you begin playing quality Ace-x hands against your opponent's ace-rags.

Every hand in poker can be played once in a while because you have to throw off your opponent, the key is picking your spots for effectiveness and picking them when they'll come cheap. Everyone who has played enough poker has seen the 7-2 come out with a full house on the flop beating up on a hole pair of Aces. That is a perfectly good reason why playing a few "dirty" hands can get you paid off more often than playing only when you have the nuts. You need to make sure you catch what you're looking for before you put your chips in the pot.

- Lemphis