Ace Junk

Whats so speacial about Ace(non face) or as some like to call it ace junk. I have moved all in pre flop with KK QQ JJ 1010 only to be called by hands like A7 off A8off A9off A4off, half the time these guys are risking most of their chips on these hands. If someone moves all in and I can call it for most of my chips or lay down my A7 off i prefer to lay it down and wait for a better hand. I have been told and I have read in my poker books to avoid playing these hands due to being looked down by a stronger hand but it seems like the majority of the people I come across in online poker are playing these hands like they are monsters.

Because those people are always hoping to hit an ace somewhere on the board and they are banking on the other person not having at least one ace of their own with a better kicker.

Idk what limitsyou're playing but I have been trying to make it out of the low limits and everytime Itry i find myself up against a 3outer which always seems to get the best of me. I can't figure out what is so special about A7 A3 etc. either yet it seems to beat me more times than a 3-6outer should. I have no answers for you, but i feel your pain.

Only time I play ace junk is if it is suited and I can get in cheap.

ya i have noticed this alot also. I really dislike seeing it especially if it is unsuited. I will only play it if it is suited because if you hit the flush you got the high flush and with a 6.4% chance of hitting it by the river its worth limping in on in a small pot. But people who play it offsuited i dont quit understand apart from the OHHHH High Pair factor.

youll find this happening alot in the very early stages of a tourney and at micro limits. it cant be helped b/c alot of people think an ace in the hand is worth some if not all their chips, the up side to this is that if your holding pocket pairs and you hit your set and the donk hits the ace all on the flop you have him hooked and its gauranteed the donk will follow you all the way to the river.
Just realize that you know how to play the game properly and this will always happen, playing the proper way will be more profitable in the long run which it will cost more for the donk to find out if he thinks Ax is the nuts preflop.
Be confident in your skills and dont worry about the fish.

I agree that Ace rag is a bad hand but only in certain situations. If you short handed Ace rag is a lot better hand. I do think though your problem may be that your playing games that are full of crap players. Move up a level and play a higher stakes game. This might solve this a little bit but remember that if you just play you odd every thing will even out sometime.

sometimes the ace junk pays off!!! its all a matter of how forcefull you get with your pockets or so on...... just watch the other players and don'e get to envolved in a hond unless your sure you can win!!! and the only way to be sure is to see all the cards!!!! thats the only way to determine the winning hand or not!!!!! play a little more cautiously and losing won't be as shocking!!!! theres always a better hand when the table is full!!! thats just the way poker is!! one roller coaster ride after another!!!! ENJOY THE RUSH ONE RIDE AFTER ANOTHER!!!!!!!

At higher limits even, people raising preflop dont have to have AA or AK or KK... Its a wider variety. therefore depending on preflop raiser i think its justifiable to call with ace rag sometimes.

this has burnt me a couple of times recently
ill raise 4 - 5 times BB in late position with AK, get one or two callers
flop comes down A 3 7 (for example) i think its looking ok only to find at showdown the other guy called with A, 3 or 7 hitting 2 pair and busting a sizeable amount of my chips
this has been at micro limits and im hoping by moving up ill avoid this kind of beat

as said above, i feel your pain

GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!


Full Tilt Poker Game #1878276486: $10 + $1 Sit & Go (13999005), Table 1 - 100/200 - No Limit Hold'em - 15:52:28 ET - 2007/02/26
Seat 4: skylion (2,080)
Seat 7: big_foot_md (4,840)
Seat 8: LuckyShark777 (1,270)
Seat 9: thenutts (5,310)
big_foot_md posts the small blind of 100
LuckyShark777 posts the big blind of 200
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to LuckyShark777 [Ac Td]
thenutts raises to 600
skylion folds
big_foot_md folds
LuckyShark777 raises to 1,270, and is all in
thenutts calls 670
LuckyShark777 shows [Ac Td]
thenutts shows [Ah 4d]
*** FLOP *** [7c Qs Qd]
*** TURN *** [7c Qs Qd] 4♠
*** RIVER *** [7c Qs Qd 4s] 9♠
LuckyShark777 shows a pair of Queens
thenutts shows two pair, Queens and Fours
thenutts wins the pot (2,640) with two pair, Queens and Fours
LuckyShark777: sob!
LuckyShark777 stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2,640 | Rake 0
Board: [7c Qs Qd 4s 9s]
Seat 4: skylion (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: big_foot_md (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: LuckyShark777 (big blind) showed [Ac Td] and lost with a pair of Queens
Seat 9: thenutts showed [Ah 4d] and won (2,640) with two pair, Queens and Fours

I think this was a "steal attempt"....4 handed, 4:1 chip stack, only worried if SB calls & BB/button folds...I've pulled this off a few times...but only after "showing" Ace/paint or high PP after a 5xBB raise

cmon now, all-in preflop with A-10os, just call with that, if you had just called the raise here and saw the flop then you would have been able to steal the pot then with two Qs on board.
You complain about players playing A-junk, yet you play about the same. so IMO when you decide that you want to become a better player, start reading the articles and post HHs in analysis section.
I was in the same boat as you when it came to playing A-x and after posting some HHs and reading some article, I realized that A-X is mostly garbage depending on position and is definately not a all-in hand preflop, and the sooner you realize this the better player you'll become.

Even if calls that pre-flop and then tries to steal it on the flop i think he will get called. The other person in the hand is the chip leader at the table and if he is getting decent odds to make the call after the flop. He had 2 moves here either fold (should have) or push which he did. The reason i say fold is he is through the blinds and know can wait to see something better befores he has to post again.

ace junk is just another that donks like to play they thin they have the nuts when they hit an ace on flop, but like a lot of players have said in this forum, you wont see them at many final tables. just play like the pros tell you that you should and take the bad beats in stride. shuffle up and deal