Many players seem to have a fascination with the ace. Since it is the highest card in the deck, it stands to reason that it is the most powerful card. Every format of poker plays out differently, but we’re going to focus on Texas Hold’em. The ace is a powerful card, but don’t be deceived, there’s a lot more behind it.

First of all, you are dealt two cards. While a single ace can hold up and win, and a while either one of your cards can make a pair and win, it is the combination of your two starting cards that determines the strength of your initial hand. For example, even though A6 off-suit is ahead before the flop, I would rather hold KQ suited. Let me explain why. The only real thing that the first hand has going for it is the ace. An ace is often good enough to win you say? Of course, it is, but are you going to win much money or feel confident betting your hand with an ace-high? That hand cannot make a straight or a flush using both cards. It is looking to win the hand by hitting pairs. But if it pairs the six, again how strongly are you going to feel about your hand? And here’s the worst part; one of the biggest ways people lose money is by playing this type of hand, hitting an ace, and losing to an ace with a bigger kicker. Let’s look at the KQs. If an ace hits the flop it’s easy to fold. If a king or queen hits, you are likely to have the best hand. You also have opportunities to make straights and/or flushes using your cards.

The number of combinations of hands you are likely to be able to make help determine strength in starting cards. Additionally, the confidence you can have in your hand when it catches a piece of the flop is important as well. Therefore, AK is great; AQ, AJ, and AT are good if you are the aggressor or know your opponents well; other aces can be played in the right circumstances, but generally, you should just throw them away.-

There are plenty of factors that must be taken into consideration when determining how to proceed with a hand. This is not a complete explanation or absolute rule. The important thing to take from this tip is that Ace-bad kicker hands are played way too often and you should typically avoid the pitfalls of playing these cards by folding straight away. For that, you should learn more about this strategy at Pkv Games by playing poker online with other professional players.