For players new to No-Limit Hold'em, and for those with experience as well, weak aces are among the most problematic starting hands to play. By “weak aces,” we are referring primarily to hands from Ax2x through Ax9x, although some people may also include AxTx in this category.
Weak unsuited aces are obviously less attractive starting hands than suited ones. However, don't get too excited when you're dealt hands like :Ad :6d or :Ac :3c . In both live and online play, you'll often find players overvaluing weak aces, and eventually paying the price for it.
The challenge of hitting a flop with weak aces
For starters, there aren't many favorable flops when you're holding weak aces.
Flopping two pair is almost always good, even when you have weak aces. However, the odds of hitting such a hand are very small, at 49 to 1. You also need your opponent to hit at least some of the flop to have any action in the hand.
Flopping any kind of straight draw with weak aces isn't necessarily a good idea either. A straight draw that uses your ace will only have one other hand to hit, making it less likely to happen. On the other hand, a draw that uses your other card, such as when you hold Ax6x and the flop comes 9x8x7x, can be vulnerable to bigger draws or already formed straights.
Meanwhile, if your weak aces are suited, you have about an 8 to 1 chance of flopping a flush draw. Of course, thinking about flopping a made flush is very risky, as the odds are very low, about 118 to 1. However, even when the flush does come on the flop, it is rare to get any action against players who do not have the nuts, as opponents will be able to read your hand easily.
All of this is to say that in some ways, having an ace in your hand, even with a bad kicker, can look good pre-flop, but there are a few types of flops that are very good for you with this hand.
Playing weak aces before the flop
You should generally throw away weak aces preflop when in early position. Raising from UTG with :Ac :8s and getting called by players who will act after you on the flop is an unprofitable situation and should be avoided.
You should also generally fold weak aces preflop when facing a raise. An exception might be when playing from the cutoff or button and being dealt hands like :Ac :4c or :Ah :7h , especially if the stacks are deep enough to give you good implied odds if you hit a flush draw or complete it on the turn or river.
Calling preflop raises from the blinds with weak aces, even when they are suited, is usually not a very good play, since you will not have position postflop. However, depending on the stack sizes, the size of the raise, and the number of players in the hand, you could call with the plan of folding if you do not flop at least a flush draw.
Playing Weak Aces After the Flop
Avoiding bad situations with weak aces reduces the negative impact of so-called “trouble hands” on your profits. Let’s say you call a raise from the small blind with :Ac :3c and the flop comes an ace. Many players will have a hard time folding a top pair after the flop, even when their opponent’s actions strongly suggest that their hand is only second best.
If you are holding :Ac :3c and the flop comes :As :Jd :8h , of course, you have the top pair. However, if any player shows interest in the hand, whether by betting, raising or even calling your bet, you should not be too happy with your situation. At this point, you should think about controlling the pot, minimizing losses, or even giving up the hand if the betting gets too heated on the turn and river, especially if you are out of position.
The same goes for pairing with the kicker. For example, you have :Ad :7d and the flop comes :Ks :Jc :7h . You will rarely have top pair with cards like 9 or lower, which means that you have, in an optimistic scenario, a medium strength hand that is only maybe good for showdown, but not worth risking a lot of chips for.
The further you go with weak aces in a hand, the more careful you will need to be. Don't expect to win many big pots with them, and try to avoid situations where you could lose a lot of chips.
When to play weak Aces?
While avoiding playing weak aces isn’t a bad rule of thumb, especially for new players, there are some situations where these hands become more attractive to play. For both situations, think “short,” as in short-stack and short-hand.
When in short-stack tournaments, and here I mean with very small stacks, around 5 to 6 big blinds, raising all-in with weak aces is not a bad idea.
If you get called, you will be a slight favorite against any combination of non-pairs that do not contain aces. In fact, you will have at least some equity against any hand other than AA. For example, :Ac :6d has 28% equity against :Kd :Kh , about 27% against :Ad :Jc , and so on.
What you don't want to do with weak aces in short-stack tournaments is call or re-raise. As in any short-stack tournament, you want your play to have fold equity as well, increasing your chances of winning the hand. After all, being able to shove your :Ac :4d and take the blinds and antes will be much more profitable than calling a bet against cards that have probably already dominated you. Calling or re-raising a bet with your entire stack with such hands, against someone who has already shown initiative in the hand, will certainly leave you in a situation that will hurt your profitability in the long run.
Weak aces also become marginally more attractive in short-handed games, such as 6-max or less, and even more attractive in heads-up situations. They are still vulnerable, of course, but with fewer opponents, the chances of someone else having another ace with a higher kicker decreases significantly, increasing the value of your hand.
Speaking of heads-up, the blinds vs. blinds situation is another one where weak aces become more attractive to play. If the board folds to you in the small blind with Ad5d, chances are your starting hand is better than your only opponent's, which should encourage you to play the hand, and with a raise, don't limp or call just to let your opponent see a free flop in position.
Article translated and adapted from the original: 10 More Hold'em Tips: Playing Weak Aces
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