Ace rags short handed?

Question

I asked a question about Ace rags recently, thank you for your excellent replies!

I'm still confused about playing ace rags short handed or even heads up.

What say ye?

P.S. NL, money game and tourney.

Answer 1

Ace rag is a good hand to buy blinds with shorthanded. If you are in the 5 or 6 seat at a 6 handed table and nobody's called or raised yet, go ahead and put in a raise and try to pick up the blinds. If you get a call, it's often just going to be something with junk who wants to see a flop and prevent you from stealing. If they actually have a hand, they're most likely going to play back at you since it's short handed, so you'll be able to put them on a hand easier. After the flop, you've just got to use your experience with these players to decide what to do. I'd pretty much always put in a raise if they checked it to me. If an ace comes on the flop, I'll raise hard if it's checked to me, and call a medium raise. Most people are going to bet out strong if they paired their ace with a solid kicker, so it's not terribly difficult to muck your hand. You're most expensive hands are usually going to be when people call in with 910 or something like that and hit a pair. They're pretty much just going to call you down with a hand like that unless you really bet hard, and sometimes even then.

Heads-up is pretty simply. Aces are golden. Play it like AK in a full table.

Answer 2

Ace rag is a dangerous hand in any situation. Sure you might flop a boat, quads or better, but this is an extremely unlikely situation. Generally the best you can hope for is to flop two pair, but even this is rare. The most likely situation is that you pair your ace. You then have to play all the way to the river wondering if you are out kicked.

It's the kind of hand that is really dangerous and can end up costing you a lot of money. So you have to question what your long term EV is for this kind of hand.

Short handed you may want to play it, and heads up it is quite a powerful hand.

Answer 3

Heads up, Ace-rag is a very good hand.
In a tourney, it's an all-in hand.

Your opponent is going to need a pair or an ace-better kicker to beat you. Heads up, that's not as easy as you may think.

The more players in the game, the less valuable that single ace becomes. To the point where heads-up, it's great, but 9 or 10-handed, it's junk.

Answer 4

Well in short handed, i'd only play Ace rag if it connects the ace for a straight and then again only if its a tournament. If its down to 2 or 3 people in a tournament, and the person is short stacked, Ace rag is a perfectly fine call.

In cash game, stay away from Ace rag at all costs.

Answer 5

If you are shorthanded (ie 6 handed), in early position, toss it. It isn't good enough to play, especially if the blinds are small. Ace rag is the typical looks great but really sucks hand (ie KJ). You are either a slight favorite or big underdog. When the blinds get big, you can push with it but I really hate having to do that. I would rather push with something like 89s, where even if I get called, I probably aren't that big of an underdog. In a cash game, play a small pot with it. Limp, call a single raise preflop maybe. If you flop an ace, lead out but be ready to dump it if you encounter resistance. In the blinds, Ax can be a good hand, worthy of a raise but remember, just because you picked up a good hand in the blind, that doesn't mean your opponent didn't. Really, Ax is one of the hardest hands to play. If you keep having trouble with it and are losing alot with it, just fold it. Folding is rarely a large mistake.

Answer 6

in tournaments, it really depends on your opponents...if i were facing a tight table, i would raise without hesitation, looking to take down the blinds and antes, and if it were suited, i would raise almost every time regardless...with an offsuit ace-rag, if the stacks are deep and the table is loose i like to limp and try to see a cheap flop, hoping to flop a disguised top pair or aces up...if someone has raised it before me, again, it depends on the opponent...if a tight player raises it, i will fold in a heartbeat, but if a looser player raises i will call or even sometimes re-raise, depending on how many of his opening raises he will lay down

in cash games, it is very rare that i will not raise with an ace in any situation if no one has raised it before me

Answer 7

Generally, I hate to play A rags anytime. Although heads up your odds are better than at anytime. IMHO, heads up would be the ONLY time to play 'em.