The dreaded ace-rag.

My biggest pet peeve:

Some people value a single ace entirely too much, and I am sick of getting GOOD hands beat by it.

So many times I have seen players call or raise pre-flop after a raise and a reraise with ace-rag (2-9). And I just needed to vent because so many times I have played my kings, big slick, or even aces the right way and gotten beaten by ace-rag.

I won't even call the blind in an early position with ace-rag suited, let alone call a couple of raises.

I know that hand does have it's benefits, like busting me for example.

Sorry, just needed a vent. Tell me a story about you got beat by ace-rag.

It happens a lot, just have to suck it up and in the long run you should out kicker them and eventually take their money.

Though Ace rag suited you will have to give some slack too, assuming they came in late with a lot of callers and either paired the kicker with the ace or made their flush. If they came in against a raise with only max of 2 callers then again you just gonna have to suck it up.

Its a big leak for most players as they find it easy to justify the call due to the pair of aces possibility or getting the nut flush.

It does have some value in tournaments though or in heads up pots, the ace can often take the pot down as a high card.

I lost about 20 bucks or so with Big Slick against Ace-rag in head to head. People will call any raise bascially in head to head so if you have a good hand make sure you raise the hell out of it. I raised $1.50 when blinds were .50 and I got beat by A/2 offsuit. Then I continued to go on tilt and play horribly.

Yeah, I'll almost always try to see a flop with it, especially suited, but at a ring table facing a raise, I'll lay ot down almost every time.



And Lavitz, I know how you feel. Haha

my pocket kings lost to A 3 offsuit, he caught the straight flush on the river using only the 3. he stuck around and called bets when i flopped the set of kings, and the river gave him his straight flush and me the nut fullhouse, seeing that i raised big preflop i figured he may have had A x never would of thought of the 3 of clubs and sticking around for it

That would probably put me on full tilt, haha.

I'm even beginning to hate the big slick--yesterday for example(and it happens many times to many people--but this really hurt-) 3 hands in a row---yes in a row I got dealt the A-K only to never see another one--lost to pkt 2's, 3,s and 7's and yes i did bet it up and always got beat by the pair -took a huge dent in my tourney stack

This isn't strategy or anything, but just the way things work out for me:


Any time I raise pre-flop with big-slick, I lose. EVERY TIME.

However, if I limp in or call a raise with it, I win. EVERY TIME.

Try it out.

There is nothing wrong with playing a suited ace rag in position with a comfortable stack. Has a flush potential and I when you flop two pair it's hard for the other player to tell. Sneaky little hand

Yeah, it definitely has its benefits. But I don't like when someon puts all of their chips in the pot with it pre-flop.

i agree. even ace rag suited is nothing to go all in with preflop. if everyone else is limping in though, ill call it in a late position and see if i get the two pairs or a flush. losing to these hands though is very annoying.

I also get pissed when i lose to an ace rag when i have a good hand. I play in about every free roll i can find and have been busted by ace rag when i have jacks or queens a ton of times. It makes me very angry.

i do play ace rag suited... if no big raise before me... its pays of a lot.. cuz if you get flush draw or straith draw you have highest flush card and you don't have to worry about other haveing straith cuz they don't usually play rags only

like i said in another post,,whenever i hold kk or qq an ace always hits the board...and the person holding it seems to always have like ace 4 ace 8 lol..i sometimes ask them why call a 10 bb raise with a 3 suited..and the answer is " it was sooooted" but the good thing is i know if they keep playing like that i will bust them...

yea that happens alot to me on pokerstars
i had poket aces (which always lose on pokerstars)
and i got called by ace 2 and the flop was 226 and he went all in
i called and was beat

i have become one of those players who only play ace rag in the blinds or button or if they are suited because just like you i hate it wen i feel liek i ahve to stay in just because i have an ace but rerally if u dont hit that ace your basically screwed but i do enjoy playing it wen they are suited...or at least see the flop.

rg,

yea same here.

do like ax-s for bb.

get in cheap to take a look.

and be carefull when a pairs.

dv

it depends on the circumstances and the quality of the rag! If its Omaha and I have 2 suited cards and ones an Ace you better believe im playing (even though full houses are frequent in Omaha) A2-5 can be argued as a possible flush and straight draw but hands like A 6 7 thats just ridiculous/

i personally like ace/rag....hehe

if you can get into a flop without big preflop raises and hit your 2 pair....ohhhhhh golden! but hittin your Ace isn't the beginning...unless you can read your opponents style of playing and make em fold to a possible pocket pair or win with the pair of A's....lotta ways to win with it...you might even flop your rag trips and have an ace kicker....and definetely if you get in for cheap into a hand play it if it's suited....especially when you're lowstacked or on tilt.........obviously....

just my opinion....works for me

Digi

ace rags will probably lose in the long run, however, in small games or 1on1 games an ace rag can definitely be a playable hand...in a lot of cases, a raiser

i feel all your pain with getting beat by horrible cards but i disagree with some points made here...i will not play anything lower than A-9 UNLESS its suited in that case ill call the blinds and also maybe even call a raise....anyways thats just my two cents but let me know what you think....

unless your on the button or a blind you shouldnt play A-8 or lower. ever!!!!

Ace-rag or anything that is called, can & will be beat. I think to many player think just because they have 2 good cards preflop think that they are going to win. Any cards can win, its the 5 cards on the table that are going to determine your hand. Every hand is different. Position is most important in my mind. Make a stab & see where you stand. Get into a pot cheap most of the time is my opinion & then I make my decission based on position & hand strength.

i hate Ace rags, if u do get lucky and flop two pair usually another person will get the higher two pair, i usually dont play ace rag

i was playing $1/$2 limit at full tilt. i had AJ, guy comes in for a raise. nobody calls and im in the BB i smooth call flop comes J-2-4. i bet he raises, i re raise he re raises. he had been playing very loose so i play agressive. turn was a 3. i bet he raised i re raised he called. river was a 5. i had a straight he bet i called. he shows A6!!!! ewwww lost a $30+ pot to an idiot.

yea i have gotten beat by ace rag many times before and let me tell you that i have gotten mighty sick of it i will occasionally play ace rag suited for a minimum raise and see the flop but not very often but people are going to continue to play those ace rags but i have also found that its those players who contribute the most to my stack sure you are going to get sucked out by hands like that but all you can do is suck it up and let it go

I normally play tourneys and will drop the A/rag except in the very beginning if I can call a cheap blind and there suited. I do get frustrated with the number of times it would have been enough, but there's just so many ways to lose with it.