She’s good from far, but is she far from good? –Anonymous
One of my college roommates introduced me to that goofy little line about 15 years ago or so. It refers to how a member of the fairer sex can appear to be the catch of the century when you spot her all the way across the quad, but when you get the chance to see her up close, you realize that she has a witch’s nose, hillbilly teeth, and halitosis that can burn a hole in the ozone layer. She may be good from far, but she is far from good.
However superficial or immature that sentence may be, its basic sentiment can be applied to poker. We all know that, in general, it is advisable to play strong hole cards and throw away weak ones. Yeah, yeah, as is usually the case in poker, there are always exceptions, there is always the “it depends” clause, but let’s just keep it simple for the duration of this article. So, anyway, play strong hole cards. The problem we all run into at times, though, is that there are some starting hands that at first blush look good, but upon further inspection, are really hands that don’t really merit a second glance.
These are my least favorite hands. They are so tempting to play, and even though I often know it’s a bad idea, I still succumb to stupidity sometimes, inevitably losing more money than I win. I have no problem with hands like 3-8 offsuit – I just fold them. It’s the pretty hands that are my enemy. The number one culprit on my list: A-10.
A-10 looks cool. It is a starting hand consisting of two Broadway cards, one of which is the almighty Ace. There’s just something about a hand that can make Blackjack that is appealing. K-J is a similarly dangerous hand, but A-10 is worse. It’s nothing but trouble. Shall we examine?
Say you’re in late position with A-10 and someone ahead of you raises pre-flop. You see those pretty Broadway cards and call and you head to the flop heads-up. Now stop for a second. Before the dealer spits out those three cards, what are you realistically hoping to hit? An Ace? A ten? Sounds reasonable. But now think about what your opponent might have. He raised pre-flop from early or middle position (the important thing here is that he wasn’t trying to steal the blinds), so he likely has something good. Very probably a strong Ace or a big pair. Let’s go with that.
So let’s say you get the flop you wanted, Ace high. Now what? If the pre-flop raiser has a strong Ace, be it A-K, A-Q, or even A-J, you’re hosed. You got the flop you wanted, so it’s not like you are going to fold. If that was an option, you wouldn’t have played the hand in the first place. And now you’re about to commit more money to a losing cause. If he has Kings, Queens, or Jacks, he’s probably slowing down, so you aren’t going to win much.
Now let’s pretend your opponent is a bit bold and raised with a weaker Ace than yours. Assuming you didn’t flop two pair, there are now two cards out there that could have paired his kicker. Now, I’m not saying you should be paranoid about people always pairing their worse kickers on you, but think about it – if you play A-10 and are up against A-x, there are three kickers above yours and two kickers below that would beat you. And that’s not to mention pocket Aces or what will happen if neither the turn nor river hit you. It’s just not a good situation. If you hit your Ace, chances are that any wins will be small and any losses will be large.
But what if the flop comes 10-high rather than Ace-high? The situation is reversed. If your opponent has a better Ace than you, he will likely tread lightly (although he very well might throw out a continuation bet on the flop, which is your best chance to gather some chips), whereas anyone with a strong pair will have you by the scruff of your neck.
If your positions are flip-flopped, meaning that you are in early position and your opponent is in late position, it’s even worse. Should you decide to open the betting with A-10, any decent player who calls your raise (don’t even think about limping, as that’s just asking for trouble) will probably have a better hand, and now, to make things worse, you’re out of position. Your best hope is that someone calls you with an underpair and misses their set.
Put simply, in most normal situations, A-10 at best is going to give you a tiny peck on the cheek, but most of the time will slap you square across the face. That’s not to say that you should never, ever play A-10. As I mentioned before, there is always the “it depends” clause. For instance, if you’re in late position and the action folds to you pre-flop, go ahead and raise if you want. If you’re in the big blind and you sense the button is trying to steal, it may be worth a shot at taking him on.
But really, just keep your distance from A-10. It looks better that way.