The Poker Ace Love Affair

One of the most noticeable factors at the online poker table these days are the all too typical poker players that will play ace-anything. If there is an ace in their hand then they are in the pot, period. This ace love affair gets players into more trouble than they can possibly imagine when playing online poker.

A lot of online poker today is loose and that means players are likely to play more hands, and ace-anything definitely fits the bill. This ace-anything mindset is not just limited to newer poker players (although they are a big part of it) but many long time poker veterans also fall into this trap, particularly in online poker. Online poker’s looser style of play has had the effect of putting additional pressure on Texas Holdem players that normally wouldn’t think of playing every single ace.

How should you play these ace-anything hands? We know that aces, ace-king, ace-queen and sometimes ace-jack are playable but what about ace-10 and lower? One way for a Texas Holdem player to look at pocket poker hands such as these is that they need help. When an ace is paired with a ten or lower at a full table its value is minimal at best and makes for potentially troubling hands.

There are way too many online poker players that call pre-flop raises with their ace ten or lower poker hands because that ace is so much of a love affair card. Oftentimes, even if a poker player calling raises with ace-ten or lower gets an ace on the flop, he will be in even more trouble because his kicker is weak. Some of the most dangerous hands in online poker are the ace-10 and lower hands that routinely are out-kicked. True, you may win some of these hands but for every one you win there will be a huge one that you lose.

About the only good time for online poker players to play pocket poker hands such as ace-ten or lower is when the other players are limping in or if you are playing at a shorthanded table. If your ace-10 and lower happens to be suited then you can play them a little bit more, but remember they still are weak hands, they just happen to be suited which gives you a possible flush drawing opportunity. The basic rule with ace-ten or lower is to not get carried away and play them very carefully or not at all.

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Byron Badd, Gambling911.com

Originally published March 18, 2007 9:39 am ET