FREE Encyclopedia Online

It’s late in a no-limit Hold’em tournament, and you are the chip leader at your table with 120,000 in chips. The blinds are 2,000 and 4,000, and you are the big blind. Someone in middle or late position with 30,000 in chips goes all-in, and everyone between the two of you folds. You slowly examine your cards and find A-7. You “have to call,” right?

Wrong. In my humble opinion, “ace rag” hands are some of the most overplayed starters in the game. They’re not very powerful, and in this case you have no way of outplaying your opponent after the flop.

First, the player who went all-in shouldn’t have done so in desperation or as a pure bluff. He has enough chips for five rounds (assuming no antes). Therefore, what does he probably have? A pocket pair, an ace, or something like KQ suited are my guesses. You’re an underdog to any pocket pair (yes, even pocket ducks!). If he holds an ace and a higher kicker, you’re dominated. Imagine calling an all-in when you’re dominated by something as lame as A-8 off-suit! Even if he went all-in with an ace and a lower kicker, there’s a good possibility that you’ll tie. Your best-case scenario is that he has KQ, QJ, or JT, and even then your advantage is at best 58%-42%.

Second, 30,000 chips isn’t chicken feed. If you lose, he’ll have 60,000 chips and you’ll be down to 90,000. You don’t have to play hands at this point. Surely something better will come your way soon.

Third, you may have to give up the 30,000 chips without even seeing the flop. Someone who checked in early position may have set a trap into which you and the all-in player fell. What will you do if someone to your left re-raises? Will you compound the error of your first call by committing more chips to the pot on the back of your mighty stallion named A-7?

Fourth, even if you call, and a third or fourth player does as well, you are out of position. The odds are that you won’t improve on the flop, but it may be worse if you do. Suppose the flop contains an ace. Can you bet with any confidence? If you check and another player bets, can you call? Is this REALLY the way you’d like to get crippled in this tourney, with your A-7 losing to an A-J or A-T suited, who only called because YOUR call gave her the pot odds?

Fifth, there is no downside to folding. No one else knows what you have, unless you want them to know, and the rules allow it, so you won’t be perceived as a chicken. If you want, after the hand finishes you can smile at the all-in player and say something like, “I don’t think both of my cards added up to one of yours.” Anyone who has played at least a few tournaments knows that good players fold more hands than they play. He and others at the table may remember your fold the next time you raise or open the betting, and may give your hand more respect than it actually deserves.

In sum, you worked hard to build your dominating stack, and my guess is that you didn’t do it by playing many, if any, ace-rag hands. Keep your edge, keep your momentum, and let someone else play “sheriff.”

Read about 7 hand poker, free full tilt poker and info about Governor Poker download.