Poker players love to see an ace in the hole. Any ace is good! Well, not really. The ace is the top card in the deck; no card is higher. So it's understandable that a poker player gets a warm, fuzzy feeling when he turns up the corner of his first hole card and sees an ace.
He tries not to show his excitement. Sure, he's hoping the other card will be a second ace-or a picture card, but its just as likely to be a small card-a seven or lower, giving him ace-rag. A PokerPigeon will stay in with any ace, including ace-rag. A PokerShark is more likely to quickly fold the ace-rag if it's unsuited. But what if the ace-rag is suited?
Ace-Rag Unsuited is a Long-Term Loser. Betting with ace-rag unsuited is just asking to lose your chips. Aside from the fact it doesn't meet the criteria of our hold 'em algorithm (as described in Hold'em or Fold'em?-An Algorithm for Making the Key Decision), it is a "dominated" hand. The odds are 2-to-1 against pairing one of your hole cards on the flop. If you pair your rag on the flop, well you have a great kicker but almost anyone who has or makes a pair will beat you out of the pot. And if you catch an ace on the flop, any one else with an ace probably has a bigger kicker, so it will be a costly trip to the river.
While you could pair your kicker and end up with the best hand, that's a long shot. Perhaps no one else has an ace in the hole. That's not a bad assumption if you are in a short-handed game with four or fewer opponents. But at a full table, it is just as likely that an opponent also has an ace. In fact, it's almost even money. If he does have an ace, it's more likely he has you out-kicked. So it's best to avoid that dilemma by folding ace-rag unsuited.
What if Your Ace-Rag is Suited? That's a more attractive situation. If both the ace and the rag are the same suit, you do have a chance to make a flush. Since you hold the ace, it would be the nut flush. What's more, if there are no pairs on the board, you would then have the nuts-assuming there is no possible straight flush out against you. Indeed, under the right circumstances ace-rag suited is a very playable starting hand-and one of the few exceptions to the hold 'em algorithm.
What is the right situation? Well, to start with, it's best to be in a late betting position so you can see what your opponents do before you have to declare. Ideally, call to see the flop if it is a multi-way pot with three or more opponents calling the big blind and no one raising. If there is a raise before the betting gets to you, it isn't worth the investment.
The reason for a multi-way pot is for the implied pot odds to be sufficiently attractive to warrant your investment. Remember, we always want pot odds to be greater than the card odds. That way we have a positive expectation. If you are not in a late position, you might still call to see the flop in a loose-passive game, where there are lots of opponents staying to see the flop and no raises pre-flop.
Of course, you are hoping to catch two more of your suit on the flop. The odds against that are about 8-to-1. The odds against flopping a flush are over 100-to-1, so don't even consider that possibility, though it would be wonderful if it happened! With four-to-the-flush on the flop, the odds now are only 1.86-to-1 against making the nut flush on the turn or on the river. You now have a great chance of winning that pot.
George "The Engineer" Epstein is the author of The Greatest Book of Poker for Winners! and Hold'em or Fold'em?-An Algorithm for Making the Key Decision and teaches poker at the Claude Pepper Sr. Citizen Center in Los Angeles. Contact George at geps222@msn.com.
