1
The Beauty And The Beast (or The Ace and The Rag)
I’m a very loose cash game player. It works well for me. The more I played, the more I opened up my starting hand requirements. But to this day, the hands I stay away from the most are The A and The Rag. I’ll raise UTG with 58s depending on my table image, but I won’t play A-rag ever. Why?
I don’t exactly know. I think part of it has to do with at some levels, most people play any A. That might devalue the A that I have and I’m drawing slimmer. Then, of course, there are the dreaded kicker issues. When it comes to draws, you can never have the nuts with A-rag unless it’s suited. Flopping 2 pair might not be enough with it either. It’s just not a hand for me. I almost want to fold it in the big blind if it’s limped to me. It doesn’t look good at all. Sure the A has little sparkle in her eyes, but that rag is a deal breaker for me.
A-rag is just ugly. It doesn’t have that ‘glow’ that AK has. It’s not easy on the eyes as AQ or AJ. Even suited it doesn’t look back at you saying ‘Come play with me big boy’. It doesn’t do anything. It serves no purpose. If you haven’t seen a playable hand in hours, you almost want to give it a whirl. Kind of like those days when you were in college and haven’t had a date in months and the only one looking at you is that homely girl sitting by herself in a booth. A-rag is that homely girl. It will take 3 more drinks to get you to play with her and it will take 3 more drinks to get me to play A-rag. That stupid hand causes more problems then it solves. And it keeps calling back. ‘NO, I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOU ANYMORE!! GO AWAY!! I PLAYED WITH YOU ONCE AND YOU RUINED MY NIGHT!! YOU’RE NOT WANTED HERE!! JUST GET OUT OF HERE!! WHY WON’T YOU LISTEN TO ME?’
I’m not playing it. No way, no how. I’m done with it. Stupid hand. Now I know why I won’t play you anymore. I’m done with you.
But you guys do what you want 
