In order to play an ace with a wheel card profitably in no-limit hold'em tournaments, the right set of circumstances should be in place. Ace-little suited or unsuited is not a hand that you should play from an early position. It is of little value to you from up front because if an ace comes on the flop, and you bet it and get called, you have no kicker. Obviously, the best flop for ace-little suited is three to your suit or three wheel cards. But the odds are so great against getting that ideal flop that if you play ace-little every time you get it, you will be a big loser with the hand.
Now, suppose you are in middle or late position and a couple of limpers are in the pot. Since it is developing into a multiway pot, you might limp in with it and see the flop cheaply. If you get a good flop to it with multiway action, you have the chance to win a nice pot. You don't want to stand a raise with A-4, and you don't want to play it heads up. Therefore, when you call a limp in bet, be prepared to throw it away if someone raises. Folding against a raise should be part of your thinking even before you limp in to the pot.
Suppose you're in the cutoff seat or on the button and no one has entered the pot. Should you raise with ace-little? No. You don't want to put yourself in a situation in which you cannot get rid of this type of hand before the flop. Personally, I never play this hand strongly. (In no-limit circles, we call it a sucker hand.) Let's say that you raised on the button with it and the small blind calls the raise. What could he have? He probably has an ace in his hand or a pocket pair. And almost any kicker he has with his ace will be higher than your wheel card. If his kicker is also a wheel card, you still are not a favorite most of the time if an ace falls.
Can you ever play ace-little from the last two positions? Yes, if no one else has entered the pot. But don't raise with it – limp. As I have maintained for years, if the four or five players in front of you don't have a hand, there's a good chance that one or two of the players behind you do have one. That is why you should limp rather than raise with ace-little from late position; you cannot stand a reraise, and will have to release it. And if you raise and get called, you don't have a hand. If you want to go further with it, you have to be prepared to bluff unless you catch a flop to it. Why put yourself in that kind of situation? Your goal is to always be in control.
When you are in the small blind and are against only the big blind, you have three options: raise, fold, or call. If you just call, you might get yourself into trouble. If you fold, you stay out of trouble. If you raise, you might win the pot right there. It all depends on your opponent. If you have observed that he usually defends his blind, forget about raising. Consider limping against this type of opponent. If he is someone who raises all the time, he might raise just because you limped. Sometimes, depending on the type of player he is, you can reraise him. Other times, against a different player, fold if he raises. What you decide to do depends on the kind of read you put on your opponent.
What about playing hands like A-6, A-7, or A-8? None of these ace-middle-card hands can make a straight. Your best result is the nut flush if the hand is suited, or two pair if you hit your kicker. You're just throwing your money away if you play these hands.
Tom McEvoy and I included this no-limit hold'em tournament hand in our new book Championship Tournament Practice Hands, because so many readers have requested our advice on how, when, and whether to play this type of hand. As Tom would say, if you play your ace-wheel-card hands correctly, I hope to meet you one day soon in the winner's circle.
Editor's note: Tom McEvoy is the author of Tournament Poker and the co-author (with T.J. Cloutier) of Championship Tournament Practice Hands. E-mail your tournament questions to either author at www.pokerbooks.com.