suited ace to play or not?

just wondered some of your thoughts on this matter, I was playing a tourney the other night and was down to the last 20 players the blinds are 8-1600 I,m in 2nd pos'n after the utg and get dealt ace-3 hearts my stack was around 18000 now I think about limping in to see a flop but decide to fold, I think there is really to many chances of me getting raised and I would prob' have to fold, ufortunately for me two other players limped in as well as the bb and the flop came all three hearts hitting my nut flush how annoying? Now I don't play ace rag unless I'm on the button but when would you really play a suite ace and would you stand a raise? Thanks again great site the sniper...

It's either you go all in.. cause your short stack.. or fold..
it's double up or nothing man.. you need luck in those stages.. that's a hard situation.. actually been there .. yesterday I was in the 150$ freeroll..
20 players left.. but in my case .. i'm in the chip average .. bout 10th place..
I manage to reach the final table and finished 3rd.. just shove or all in..
the antes and the blinds will make your chip stack healthy..

cracksniper said:

just wondered some of your thoughts on this matter, I was playing a tourney the other night and was down to the last 20 players the blinds are 8-1600 I,m in 2nd pos'n after the utg and get dealt ace-3 hearts my stack was around 18000 now I think about limping in to see a flop but decide to fold, I think there is really to many chances of me getting raised and I would prob' have to fold, ufortunately for me two other players limped in as well as the bb and the flop came all three hearts hitting my nut flush how annoying? Now I don't play ace rag unless I'm on the button but when would you really play a suite ace and would you stand a raise? Thanks again great site the sniper...

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You have 11 blinds. Depends on the profilea of SB and BB and the size of their stacks.

Usualy with 11 BB i will gonna go all in because only raising sometimes you will not make the BB fold because there are the blinds and the antes down.

There was a post about the "M" concept . I do not know where it is but if someone knows he should give us the link.

Well, regardless of the line you took with the hand (I'd throw it away without much second thought BTW), The fact the Ace was suited means little, and depending on which site you were at, the flop would of been completely different had you been in that hand. Some sites constantly shuffle the "deck" until the flop is needed. So I wouldn't get too hung up on missing the flush.

Now back to the Ace. It was simply a weak ace. UTG+2 means 4 other players to act behind you. What were their stacks compared to yours, what position in the tourney were you in? Antes? Bubble coming or past? If the average stack was somehwere in the 9-13 BB range, then you wouldn't be too small to have to push with that marginal at best hand. You could possibly even wait out the blinds (unless you get a hand there or get in cheap and hit) and shove anything decent (K9 suited +, 44+) in a later position, potentially/preferrably against the blinds. This could possibly allow you to survive and see 7 more hands in which to potentially double up with.

Now if the average stack was in the 20-30+BB range, then you are shoving every time.

Would you play A 3 off-suit?
Playing suited cards gives about an extra 3-5% chance of making a hand. General rule...if you wouldn't play them un-suited, don't play them suited.
I will only take the initiative and bet out with mid-high connectors suited (usually JQ+ when unsuited) and A9+ suited (AJ+ off suit).
Flatting with A3 suited is really weak in early position. If you fancy your hand, 3 bet. If not, fold. Flat call and you will have no idea where you are unless you flop two pairs or the nut flush. If an Ace drops without a 3 to partner it, you may very well still be behind with top pair and raggy kicker.
All of this is speculative of course, if I think I have the position to make a decent steal against a weak table trying to limp the cash, I'll bet just about any Ace in any position.

Your odds of flopping a flush when you have two suited cards are 118-to-1. You'd have to be really deep stacked to justify a limp.

The odds of making a flush by the river are 15-to-1.
And keep in mind that when you do hit, the flush possibility is obvious so people may be wary to put a lot of $ in.

Also, you run into a lot of trouble if you pair your Ace, as other people are likely to place Aces, which means you have no idea what your "no kicker" hand stands.