This question involves playing Ace-Ten off-suit hole cards while under the gun, or playing otherwise playing ATo hole cards while UTG. Generally, the best way to play ATo hole cards while UTG is not to play at all. Why? Because, as a player with ATo hole cards UTG, while you can access some, it is most important to note that you cannot access all the decision-making factors you need to be aware of before deciding whether or not it is in your interest to play these cards in a hand.
Exactly what are those decision-making factors? According to Sam Braids, there are five decision-making factors to consider before entering into any hand. These factors are (1) - the value of your hole cards, (2) - your position at the table, (3) - the number of players at the table compared to the number of players who actually enter the hand, (4) - pot
odds, and (5) - the playing styles of your opponents.
Let’s go through each of the five decision-making factors one by one.
First, (1) you want to be able to assess the value of ATo as hole cards. ATo has a 61% chance of being the winning hand. This means it will win 6,100 times out of every 10,000 hands played. This also means it will lose 39% of the time or 3,900 times out of every 10,000 hands played. ATo is simply an Ace with an upper middle card, 10, as a kicker. Many hole card combos are far superior to ATo. So, with this not-so-good overall hole cards assessment, you might want not to commit to playing in a hand until you are dealt stronger cards, most especially when UTG. Below are some hole cards combos that are superior to ATo. Their numbers and statistics may surprise you:
AA, KK - Hole Cards: 83 win %: (+8,300/-1,700 [10,000]);
QQ - Hole Cards: 79 win %: (+7,900/-2,100 [10,000]);
JJ, TT, 99, 88, 77 - Hole Cards: 73 win %: (+7,300/-2,700 [10,000]);
AKs, AQs - Hole Cards: 67 win %: (+6,700/-2,300 [10,000]);
AKo, AQo - Hole Cards: 64 win %: (+6,400/-3,600[10,000]);
AJs, ATs, A9s, A8s, A7s - Hole Card: 62 win %: (+6,200/-3,800 [10,000]);
AJo, - Hole Cards: 61 win %: (+6,100/-3,900 [10,000]).
Second, (2), your position at the table is important when considering entering a hand. Being UTG means you are in the first position to play because you are the closest to the blind. In other words, a play from the starting position means that you are truly and completely blinded to all the plays that other players who actually play in the hand will or will not make. Starting out UTG means you do not have this information before you play which creates a disadvantage in that you do not have access to a decision-making factor necessary to deciding whether or not it is in your interests to play in the hand. So, playing blind from the starting position is not the best situation to be in or from which to play – it is actually the worst position, most especially with poorly rated hole cards. It is like driving on the highway in a sub-standard vehicle while looking directly into the sun as you try to get to where you want to go.
Third, (3), the number of players at the table compared to the number of players who actually enter the hand are important considerations when making a decision to play or not. From UTG, in this regard, there is no way of determining anything more than table size, because it is impossible to predict how many opponents you will face beforehand. So, again, being UTG means you do not have access to another decision-making factor necessary to deciding whether or not it is in your interest to play in the hand.
Fourth, (4), the
pot odds are not the pot size. The pot odds are how much it costs you to stay in a hand compared to the size of the pot. It can cost you nothing to stay in a hand if everyone checks around, or it can cost you a fortune if opponents keep raising, re-raising or check-raising during one, or more rounds. From the UTG position, the pot odds are impossible to predict ahead of time just like it is impossible to predict how many opponents will play in the hand, or what players will do when they do play. So, going into a hand with poorly assessed hole cards is best avoided. But, again, it is important to notice that being UTG means you do not have access to yet another decision-making factor necessary to deciding whether or not it is in your interest to play in the hand.
And, finally, fifth, (5), the playing styles of your opponents - you may not know anything about the playing style of your opponents. In the beginning of a game, especially in the earliest position like UTG, it is difficult to know if your opponents are tight, loose, aggressive, passive, or given to bluffs or going all-in, as examples, unless you have played one or two players in previous games or tournaments. Playing UTG without any knowledge of the playing styles of your opponents and with inferior hole cards is usually a recipe for disaster. And, means, once again, that you do not have access to yet another decision-making factor necessary to deciding whether or not it is in your interest to play in the hand.
So, with ATo while UTG, it is best just to fold because multiple situations can arise which can cost you not only your
bankroll, but also your game and your tournament. Should you choose not to fold, it is best not to raise, or to call a later raise, because there is no way of predicting how large the pot size will be as this will change with the actions (raises, re-raises, check-raises, checks or folds in whatever round) of the players at the table who actually decide to play in a hand. In such situations, it is good to remember your stack size, and to protect it. With ATo while UTG, you simply do not have access to all the decision-making factors needed to decide whether or not it is in your interest to play in the hand.
In the off chance that you ignore the above, and that you decide to play ATo while UTG, remember ATo has the same win percentage as AJo, A9o, A8o and A7o – which is 61%. Also, it would do you well to remember all the hole card combinations which are superior to ATo. Given these advisories, and your willingness to play blind, then you should at least try to play conservatively. A call pre-flop is acceptable where the blinds are low, such as early in the game or tournament. However, you should neither bet nor raise the blinds from UTG, and if there is a raise to you, then fold pre-flop and absorb any losses because the strategy herein would be to get to the flop as cheaply as possible with ATo. If that is not possible, folding is your best option. While it will not win you any chips, and it may cost you a blind and an ante, at least you will still be in the game with your bankroll relatively intact and your tournament life still breathing.
Now, if you do get to the flop with ATo while UTG, you are probably doing well because it most likely resulted from all opponents checking around. That could indicate a collective weakness amongst the players in the hand. Alternatively, it opens up the possibility that an opponent is slow playing strong cards.
If there is no joy on the flop, then check. If an opponent does make a raise, then, fold. With a dead flop, I do not believe it wise to chase high pairs or a straight. Doing so is a threat to your bankroll, your game and tournament life.
Position in NLHE poker, as you probably already know, is really important. All the criteria referenced to Sam Braids previously in this post are important, individually and collectively. Each criterion is worth studying on its own, or as a part of a collective decision-making process that helps you with your game. My point in showing you the original list above was to demonstrate where Braids places position in order of importance. It is number 2, second only to the hole cards you have been dealt. There is a reason why position is number 2 rather than number 1 and that is simply that you must play cards "appropriate for your position."
As Braids explains: "In an early position, you are forced throughout the hand to make decisions with the least amount of information. For example, if before the flop, you call the blind..., you could be faced with a raise from one or more players with premium pairs. Since you don’t know what raises you will be faced with, don’t play cards from an early position that are too weak ...."
In my own words now, don’t play weak hole cards like ATo while UTG. If you ever do play these hole cards in future simply means that I have not explained properly the importance of not doing so. To show you the importance of not doing so I will try again to explain the rationale behind Braids’s advice.
So, again, in other words, in my own words: (A) - from an early position, play strong cards only because (B) - you do not have on hand the information you need to otherwise engage, and because (C) - early position players are blind to subsequent plays by players in middle or later positions. It follows therefore that (D) - the later the position you play from the better because (E) - it gives you more information with which to (F) - make the most informed decisions about how your opponents are playing their cards and (G) - how you can or cannot play those in your own hands.
Therefore, do not play hole cards like ATo from UTG because it has a low win % of 61. Instead, play stronger cards only, cards like AA and KK pairs with a higher win % of 83, or QQ pairs with a win % of 79. Somewhat weaker, but still strong enough cards to play from UTG, are middle pairs like JJ, TT, 99, 88 and 77 - all of which have a win % of 73. And, if, and only if, you want to push ahead with an acceptable risk, you can play non-paired cards with high face values like AKs and AQs, as well as AKo and AQo, which have win %’s of 67 and 64 respectively.
But, that’s about it in terms of playing hole cards while UTG. The problem with playing UTG is simply that you have no idea of who or what you are up against in the hand or rounds ahead, and therefore it is best to play the strongest cards available, or don’t play at all. In fact, in all early positions, players are blind to plays by opponents in middle or later positions. So, from UTG, or from any early position, really, the stronger you play the better. From any early position, it is my opinion that if you can’t play from strength, then it is better not to play at all.
