Playing Ace rags

I play 6 max cash games on a daily basis and I'v always had trouble playing Ax offsuit. Anything below ATo in late position. Do these hands like this have good value in late position? How do you guys usually play the Ax hands?

Personally I just fold just about all of them unless it gets folded round and I end up heads up, then I can see the value. Bit of a taggy strat I suppose, but I play to make a profit so thats just my style. Just wonder if I'm losing value on these hands.

Thanks.

I would think that everyone play them as I do... for the most part about 80 percent of the times I fold... I just hate playing them... below might be a reason for me to play them:

1. I am last position and there was no big raise before me...
2. I am big/small blind and once again no big raises...
3. I am in middle position and A-Rag are suited and raise was not going to kill my chip stack.
4. I would also call a loose player if my stack can take the hit.
5. If I am short stack and it was a lose player raising I might go all-in.

and then it comes to what I feel..... but remember I do fold them at least about 80 percent of the time.

MASTER_FLIP said:

I would think that everyone play them as I do... for the most part about 80 percent of the times I fold... I just hate playing them... below might be a reason for me to play them:

1. I am last position and there was no big raise before me...
2. I am big/small blind and once again no big raises...

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First off I disagree with number 1. I often get decent hands AK A10 AJ KQ etc and just call hoping that someone will call with a lower kicker.
secondly, with number 2, it really depends on the game you are playing. cash game witth low blinds than maybe. Late in a tourni and your fighting for some ROI than I'd heavily reconsider calling the small blind.

Ax really doesn't have much value in a deep stacked cash game other than for blind stealing.

Ace-x suited, however, has considerably more value in my opinion. They are very situationally dependant though. Limping in later position, or even calling a raise from someone you know will ship you their stack, as sort of a "flush mine" has been very profitably for me in the micros. You can play them similar to smaller pocket pairs - limp in position or call a smallish raise and then toss them if you don't hit and villian is giving you resistance.

Thoughts?

Gotta agree. Axs is much better than Axo IP. But you never want to play it before MP. A reraise will send you packing. And, heaven forbid that you are having one of those days where you call, you can lose more.

I mean, what are you hoping to hit? An A? How can you ever know you are good. I guess that's where the feel comes from.

I do think one in a while, it is good to play them and ADVERTISE. If they see you playing Axo, they will put all of this in their range of you. Just don't be calling reraises....especially OOP.

I love Ax suited in late position, especially against the guys that defend every street.

Anyway, thanks for all the advice. I think I have been playing Ax correctly up until now. It's good to get your opinions though.

It is trouble marked all over this hand. Every once and a while you get the hit. For the most part it is an auto fold, and, wait for a better hand, a better spot and much better odds.

Exit141RTe1 said:

It is trouble marked all over this hand. Every once and a while you get the hit. For the most part it is an auto fold, and, wait for a better hand, a better spot and much better odds.

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EXACTLY!

Any player who understands table position will fold ace rag in sb. That is the worse place to call from with marginal hands because you can hit 3 of a kind and still lose with your kicker and you don't have the option of gauging the reaction of other players taking flop.

Playing Ax!

In a late position you might what to try to steal the blinds with Ax...a raise here would put preasure on the blinds to stay in! Just a thought.... .....GL on the felts!

Mmmmm My way is simple... I just fold them ... Ace Rag is always asking for trouble!!

Folding Axo oop is fine and pretty standard, but in late position you have the advantage of controlling pot size. I would rarely fold Axo if folded to the co or btn. I wouldn't however ever limp this hand, raise and if called you will generally be in position with a small number of players. C-betting this hand if checked to on the flop is pretty standard as well, if you are called you can always check back the turn for pot control if unimproved.

I would rather play 89off than A4 off, and if I had my druthers I'd prefer KQs to A6s.

For me, raggy aces are generally bad news until I understand the table dynamics, which always takes at least 5 orbits and even then I'm generally leery.

That said, there is generally only one decent way to play raggy aces and I think that is agro. But then it's that agro that gets me in trouble, so mostly I treat them like they were ones.........

I think you are right on target...play A rag only in late position and only if all have folded to you. In position, Ax can be a winner better than 50%.

If I have a lot of chips at a 6-handed table I'll play them aggressively. If you hit your ace on the flop 6-handed and there wasn't a raise in front of you, chances are you're sitting pretty.

However you have to be careful of crafty players who limp in with a better ace. I would consider hands up to AT ace rag, and I really hate playing AJ. So I'd probably limp with AT or AJ or do a small raise preflop, but if it's an action table and I think I can limp and get raised, I'll also call with AK or AQ.

One benefit of having the A-rag is that when your kicker hits nobody puts you on it. From late position 6-handed I'd raise if there were no raise in front of me trying to steal the blinds. But it depends on who's in the hand against me.

Online if my tracker tells me the big and small blind are playing a very small amount of hands, I'll raise to try and take down their blinds. Aside from that I find the hand very difficult to play, because when you hit you must bet and a raise can be sneaky. Or you can check. You sneaky dog.

In live games, I ussually play 8-9 handed, and tightly, and thus I must play fewer Ace-rag. Unless they're suited. In one of my better live come-ups I was folding AT if it wasn't suited, and just calling with AJ. I know that's a passive and weak way to play the hands, but I was really just waiting for the nuts. And it's really hard to make the nuts with AJ, 9-handed.

Luckily in small-stakes live games, a lot of people don't pay attention to table image, so they're more than likely willing to pay you off for being a tight player.

Any suited Ace deserves a call if there's only one raise ahead of you.

Now that that little note is done, I'm pretty sure you could quote me and find at least 8 contradictions. Guess it depends on what you're playing, who you're playing against, and how your stack is.