The majority of novice poker players hold on to too many unprofitable hands, one of the most common being the “rag ace”. The exact definition of “rag ace” can be argued over, but essentially, it is an ace with a weak kicker, usually Ace-Ten or lower.
Newcomers to poker fall in love far too easily with aces and insist on playing any hand containing one, particularly when suited, with scant regard for position or aggression from their opponents. All too often they pair the ace and find themselves outkicked, losing a big pot and bemoaning their bad luck.
To become a long term winner at poker, discipline with rag ace hands is crucial. As with any poker hand, there will be a time and a place to play a weak ace, but for the most part, they should be mucked. This is especially true of No Limit Hold’em tournaments where poker chips are at a premium and one bad decision can end your tournament.
The main problem with these types of hands, is that they lose big pots and win small ones. Imagine you raise pre-flop with A-7 and are called by one player. The flop comes A Q 3 and you bet out. If your opponent has no ace, this is a straightforward fold for the majority of poker players and you take down a small pot. If your opponent has an ace then it’s extremely likely you’re outkicked and are going to lose the pot. Top pair can be a tricky hand to get away from cheaply, especially when it’s a pair of aces.
The main argument for playing rag aces doesn’t hold up. The somewhat amateurish theory is that when you flop two pair against an A-K type holding, you will win a huge pot, but it just doesn’t happen often enough to make it a long term winning play. A better choice of hand for that particular strategy, would be a K-Q type holding, which is easier to get away from on the flop. Your bankroll will show more positive development by simply cutting out the rag aces, than trying to flop two pair with them.
With time, as your poker game develops and hand reading ability improves, there can be a time and a place for ace rag. Late position steals, all-in plays when shortstacked and in shorter-handed games, where all poker hands increase in value, spring immediately to mind. But again, discipline is key. To play these types of hands, you must be able to get away from them when you feel you might be beaten, even if you do have top pair.
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