No Ace rag, can help you alot... I would say raise well in position, i have done so with A2, and won a big pot... just fold to a big raise with A Rag, i have done so and i was right to do so, they had AK, AQ, AJ, A10.... I have been winning with A rag, in ring games, MTTS....
The key is to play it like it like, AK, well in position..
Your best bet is to hit 2 pair, thats were i win the most, 1 pair won't cut it most of the time.
So if that is the case then we are almost playing A9o for set value.
This is my beef with A9o or better yet my most hated hand A7o. In a limped pot with 3-4 players even if we have position, a few things could happen which would make us consider betting. We hit an ace, we hit a set of aces or we hit a set of nines. If we hit the set of nines, that is wonderful not much to consider there. But if we hit top pair I feel like I have to treat my aces as a middle pair due to its kicker. And to some extent, the same applies to a set of aces. While you know where 3 of the aces are at which reduces the chance of the 4th ace being held by someone else, things could get ugly if you are wrong. How many times have we seen entire stacks go away as a trip Ace 6 kicker loses to trip Ace Queen kicker?
My conclusion: Avoid Ace rag. Treat it as a middle pair. I might consider calling or raising for info but it might as well be garbage.
Your missing out on some great wins, the times i folded ACE rag, i Would of won a big pot, but now i add AX plus KX to my hands.
If you want to keep playing the ABC's of poker, thats fine but, i will run over you in the long run....