I would like to here everyones opinion on Ace rag

Depends on game

Limit
dont play much limit but when i do i play pretty tight. Will play A rag if situational factors make it appropriate to do so but largely I view this kind of hand as trash. It is more playable in limit than in no-limit so i might bet and maybe steal blinds with in late position in a limit tourney or call someones all in in a limit tourney if I read them as desparate and i was in the bb. There are times when if I have played sub 10% of flops because the cards I have been given have been awful (say in 50 hands or so) then i might think of playing it if it was fairly late position and there was a chance of other players giving you a decent amount of respect. Generally I wouldnt bother though. A9 though is pretty playable mid to late position in limit though which in NL it isnt.

No limit tourneys
I tend to avoid anything less than AJ which I will often fold if someone has shown strength. If i see situational/ other exploitable weakness i will play other Ax hands. Late in tourneys when the blinds get pretty high A8 can be a decent blind steal hand even from mid position if there are not some very aggressive players still to act. There are positions in NL where in the right situation almost any hand is playable (you are playing the opponents cards not your own) and then I play them.

If it looks like i can see the flop very cheap then i will play Ax sometimes (generally late position) but I am looking to either win the pot (which wont be much at this point) or catch something really good like 235 on my A4 etc. I regard A2-A5 as basically the same as normally when the kicker is so low it will be the board cards that are used. Similarly A6 is about equal to a7. I dont like anything less than A10 and then i am wanting to see the flop cheap and hoping my ten will pair more than anything else. I will sometimes call all ins with a10 if i read my opponent as very weak and there are few if any left to act.

In my experience Ax tends to win you small pots quite often sometimes either lose you big pots if you call and get out kickered. True you can catch two pair etc and then you will often win big but the same could be said for playing 27os. The only difference is the ability to pick up pots on the flop if no-one else has very much.

I play a very read based game and this can lead to playing Ax in certain situations. There are some opponents for instance who are unable to fold a paired ace. Against these players if you are able to see the flop cheap you can win very big if you catch something better than a single paired ace so the implied odds can be great. Against tight players ax is more playable as well as they are more likely to fold their own ax to bets from you.

Ax is probably the most overplayed hand in holdem. Kx to me is just as good bar all-in, preflop stealing. With Qx you will generally find yourself having kicker problems as whilst people often play A + anything and your Kx will generally win the pot for you if a K appears if someone else has a paired queen it is very probable that they will have a higher kicker than you. Some people play K2 or A3 but few play q3.

In short most peoples bankroll would be a lot higher if they never played ace rag but if played well at the right times it can be quite profitable. Unless you have loads of discipline and consentration though it is normally best avoided.

Suited Ax becomes a little more playable but only a little. Then you are slightly less inclined to limit the pot early in tourneys. This is because you want someone to catch a second best hand if you catch a flush. Then there are chances for great profits.

Standard Play A rag suited only in late position button included if there is no raise. Small blind if you only have to call the BB and open up to a rag off. Same thing with BB if there is no raise stay in with A rag and A rag off. Mix up once in a while so your don't become to predictable.

A rag is exactly what the names states it to be the majority of the times. Rags. Play it as such.

Personally, I hate A rag in the exception of blind stealing or in a shorthanded game.
Arag suited got some value only on multiway pot, so i'll try it if I got what I want, and if there is any ace on the flop, I got a really fair chance to be the only pairing with it because no one raised pre-flop. For sure, I will play it smart, I don't wan't a re-raise here.

I think the worst play si CALLING A PREFLOP RAISE with a rag, suited or not. chance this guy got AK, AQ or A10s, so I will not put him on fair pocket pair raise easily if a A is on the flop anyway, so I am out.

heres a weird question;

if you're in late position with a shit hand like 46 and about 6 people behind you call a raise 2xBB, could you (if you werent insane) call?

My reason:
If the flop comes low cards e.g - 632 or 443, you have it made, and have everyone's chips. They are just as likely to come as higher cards... And if you were to call with a good hand, eg AK, then you would be fighting with everyone else that called, with AJ, A-10 or QQ and the like, and even if the flop came good, you wouldnt be sure if you have won...

So if you call with low cards, you will most likely be the only one with them, so if the flop comes low you have an advantage.

Does this make any sense? if not, tell me and i'll go back to working like im supposed to :S

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Staying alive is the key to survival

Yes this does make sense. Often when many people call they are either slowplaying big hands or middle suited connectors. This can work well but you need to be prepared to let the hand go if someone does play back at you due to the amount of hands your up against.
The ideal flop for you would be a flopped straight not trips.
If the flop came 442 for example you could easily be trapped by A4 and your 64 now is trapped.
I hope this helps.

Odds are very bad that you hit trips though. Its roughly 53 to 1 odds that you will land trips with unpaired rags. Not to mention the possibility that someone has the fourth making your kicker suck and you are gonna be taken for a lot of money. That means you are either looking for a 2 pair (which by the way is 24 to 1 odds) Not good. Or a straight which is anyware from 75 to 1...to 300 to 1 (in otherwords, horrible). Or a pair. Which will be beat by any higher pocket pair. And people with AK tend to not let it go, so you can figure if the next card is a face card, you are in trouble. Anyone drawing to thier flush can also get you.

Not a good scenario, just throw those rags away Scotia

thx for the responses. yeh i wouldn't call with them cowboy lol it was just a thought that occurred to me... and yeah it would be much more disguised with a straight or straight draw.

Better playing with suited connectors and the like if you can get in cheap methinks.

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Staying alive is the key to survival

I will play any suited ace in limit in an unraised pot. I would call a raise w/ it in postion. If I caught just the ace I would play it carefully. Leading with it if I am out of postion and dumping it to a raise.

I do not play ace rag offsuit. I don't even play A 10 out of position.

It can be tempting, you lose so many hands to people who play any ace. There are just too many downsides. Most of the time you will completly miss or catch the undercard. You really need to hit 2 pair or better to play it fast. Not a good Risk vs the potential reward.

--Bonkey

I would never call with Ax, but if I'm in position I will often rasie the pot regardless of what I have. In bubble play I don't really care what I get dealt. I will push with just about anything. Ace rag is still better than King rag.
P.S don't do this in a cash game.