Can Ace Be Low In Texas Holdem
Probably as much as any single other thing, we have to concern ourselves with probabilities that involve Aces. If we are holding a strong Holdem hand like a pair of Kings or Queens or similar starting hands with non-ace high cards, we usually don't want to see an ace flop.
Many players that are normally careful about playing only good hands will evaluate starting hands with an ace very liberally. For example, a player who would almost never play a K 6 off suit from an early position might look for excuses to play the hand if it had an Ace instead of a King. Players often hang on to aces even when they probably shouldn't.
Under high rules, an ace can rank either high (as in A♥ K♥ Q♥ J♥ 10♥, an ace-high straight flush) or low (as in 5♦ 4♦ 3♦ 2♦ A♦, a five-high straight flush), but cannot simultaneously rank both high and low (so Q♣ K♣ A♣ 2♣ 3♣ is an ace-high flush). In almost every card game the ace would be high unless it is in a straight 'A,2,3,4,5'. If playing a high low game then is is both high and low depending on if you are playing for the the high hand or the low hand. In the game of RAZZ the ACE is always low. A2345 is a straight since an ace can play either as high or as low in Texas Hold'em. However, AKQJ2 is not a straight since 2 is not in sequence with other four cards. In some other versions of poker 'wrap-around' straights aka Miller straights (2AKQJ, 32AKQ, 432AK) are legitimate hands, but not in hold'em.
These frequency charts can give you some insight into how often aces can impact certain parts of your game.
- Aces can be high or low so the lowest straight is ace through five while the highest is ten through ace. There are no kickers with straights since all five cards are needed to make the hand. Flush: A flush beats a straight. A flush is any five cards all of the same suit (i.e., all diamonds or all spades, etc.).
- But if the ace is used as a 1 to make an ace to 5 straight, it counts as a low card for this purpose. A straight flush is a hand where the cards are all consecutive, AND they’re all of the same suit. Pairs, Trips, Quads, and Full Houses. All the other possible poker hands you can make have nothing to do with consecutive ranks or suited cards.
Pair of Aces
The odds against your being dealt a Pair of Aces are 220 to 1. In percentage terms, it is .45% for the pair and 99.55% against.
The next two charts show the probabilities of a pair of aces being dealt to various numbers of opponents.
Hey mobile users or anyone that would like to download, print or view the charts in more detail. Check out the Holdem pair of aces pre-flop odds in high resolution universal .pdf format.
Single Ace
The odds against your being dealt at least one ace are approximately 6 to 1. In percentage terms, it is 14.8% for the ace(s) and 85.2% against.
The next two charts show the probabilities of at least one ace being dealt to various numbers of opponents.
To download, print or view the above chart in more detail, check out the Holdem single ace pre-flop odds in high resolution universal .pdf format.
Notice how difficult it is to get a pair of aces in the hole. Even with nine players at the table and no ace in your hand, only 41 (4.1%) of the 1000 hands dealt will have have a pair of aces.
Want to find out the probabilities of being dealt an ace before the flop in Texas Hold'em? Use the tables below to help you find the different aces odds based on the situation and the number of players at the table.
Aces probabilities odds charts.
| # Players | % Odds |
|---|---|
| 2 | 18% |
| 3 | 40% |
| 4 | 50% |
| 5 | 59% |
| 6 | 66% |
| 7 | 73% |
| 8 | 78% |
| 9 | 83% |
| # Players | % Odds |
|---|---|
| 2 | 12% |
| 3 | 23% |
| 4 | 32% |
| 5 | 41% |
| 6 | 50% |
| 7 | 57% |
| 8 | 64% |
| 9 | 69% |
| # Players | % Odds |
|---|---|
| 2 | 16% |
| 3 | 29% |
| 4 | 41% |
| 5 | 51% |
| 6 | 60% |
| 7 | 68% |
| 8 | 74% |
| 9 | 80% |
Probability of being dealt an ace in any Texas Hold'em game is 15%.
How to use aces odds.
These tables are not going to be of much use to you whilst you play, but it is useful information on the probabilities of hands with aces turning up at your table.
The most useful information from these aces odds tables is that the likelihood of a player being dealt an ace increases with the number of players at the table.
Can Ace Be Low In Texas Holdem
The likelihood of another player holding an ace if you hold an ace yourself table (top right) is interesting. There is a fairly high probability that another player at a 9-seater table holds an ace if you do as well. This means that we should be cautious when dealt weak aces and should fold them in early position. There is a chance that we were the only player at the table holding an ace, but we are saving ourselves more money in the long run for when we come up against another player with a better ace than ours.
Can Ace Be High Or Low In Texas Holdem
Playing aces in Texas Hold'em.
An ace is the highest ranking card in Texas Hold'em and can be played either high or low. This means that if you are dealt an ace preflop, there is a fair chance that you hold one of the strongest hands at the table. If you are all-in with an opponent and they do not have a pocket pair or a better ace, you are the favorite to win the hand.
However, you should be careful to not become overly attached to the hand when you are dealt an Ace, because there is a fair chance that you will lose a sizeable proportion of your stack if you get into a hand with another player that holds a better ace than you (e.g. A9 vs AQ).
Be careful to not overvalue hands with aces, as they can get you in to a lot of trouble if you do not have a good kicker.
For strategy guides on how to play hands with aces, take a look at the rag aces and pocket aces articles.
Go back to the poker odds charts.
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Can Ace Be Low In Texas Hold'em
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