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How To Nail A Suited Ace-Ten Hand In A Cash Game? FIND OUT

Being dealt with an ace and ten of the same suit may seem exciting to some, while for some it’s not a pleasant hand. It all depends on the skills of the player. If played well this hand can certainly have many benefits. The hand can be played both pre-flop as well as post-flop using the right strategy. 

Let’s see how to effectively use the Ace-ten suited hand!

Pre-flop

An Ace-Ten suited hand is generally a strong hand. It ranks among the top 12% of preflop hands. So you should open-raise it irrespective of the position you are in.

Generally, the hand can be played as a 3-bet or a call when you are against a player who has open-raised. The only case you should fold a suited ace-ten hand is when the opponent who open-raised is in one of the earlier positions on the table, i.e., the Under the Gun (UTG) or next to UTG position (UTG+1).  

If the open-raiser is in UTG or UTG+1 position then you can go for a fold, raise or call. In case you are on the button (dealer spot), you can opt for a call or 3-bet. Do not fold in this position. When playing at the small blind position, you must always 3-bet with this hand. However, while at the big blind, you can choose to 3-bet or call depending on the opponents.

When you open and face a 3-bet from opponents, you can easily call, 4-bet or fold irrespective of your position. You can call in the following scenarios:

a) You’re in the cut-off position if the 3-bet was from the button, small blind, or big blind

b) You’re at the button and the 3-bet comes from one of the blinds.

You would want to 4-bet bluff depending on the 3-bet frequency of the opponent. The lower the frequency, the less you want to bluff, because he clearly has a strong range and is less likely to fold. 

However, if you face a 4-bet, it is advisable to straight-up fold.

Post-flop

If you hit the flop:

In times when you open raise in the small-blind position, the big blind calls and the flop opens as something like the following:

•  on 
•  on 

The board favors the player with the positional advantage because though the equity distribution is almost equal, the player at big blind has a strategic advantage of always having to act last. By acting last he gets to realize his equity much better. Additionally the high stack-pot ratio worsens his equity realization advantage for the big blind. Thus, it is advisable to play passively at least some times with a top pair. This will protect the marginal and weak hands in your range. 

ALSO READ: Gutshot Poker Dictionary – Backdoor

As a preflop raiser the ace-ten suited hand will always give you an advantage on almost every board. Your top pair (either Ace or Ten) will always be strong for a bet on the flop. Also, in case of polarized strategy, the top pair will also usually be strong to double barrel on the turn. 

If you make a middle pair on the flop, you should almost always bet. This is because, by hitting the middle pair you have the second strongest pair possible. This benefits in getting value and equity denial. Also, you can have more chances in your range, in case the turn comes another ten, your strategy will become stronger. 

If you miss the flop:

If you miss the flop but hit a draw (to make a flush or a straight), you should usually opt for continuation bet (c-bet) because there are chances of improving the best hand by the river and also winning the pot. It can balance out your c-betting range, which can make you hard to play against.

Similarly, hands with a backdoor flush and straight draw act as a balancing factor on the flop as well as on draw completing turns.

The best hand to bluff is the hand which has a fair chance of becoming the best hand when the river opens. If you don’t have some backdoors with your A-high, unless the board is paired, you must check back with your ace-ten suited hand and try to steer the hand to showdown.

For more updates on poker, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com. Follow us on our social handles Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram. 

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