If you have been reading info on our site for sometime, you may remember past articles entitled "Playing the Ace" and "Ace/Anything." In those articles, we talked about the dangers and difficulties of playing an ace with a small kicker. But, there is another side to the story. It's the perspective of looking at the situation as the opponent of the ace/anything player. Many players have been playing holdem for years, with the biggest numbers joining the game during the poker boom of 2003. Still, every day, more and more players are taking up the game. One of the major changes that has occurred over this time is the relatively low skill of many of these players has made tournament play more difficult. In tournaments, you will routinely watch players risk all their chips on a flush draw, and inside straight draw, or even bottom pair. And time and time again, you will see players calling bets to the river with nothing more than hopes of catching the miracle ace.

Skilled players need to be able to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the other players at their table. Knowing the hands they play and the strength they need to make and call bets will be critical for success. This ability to recognize an "ace chaser" and react accordingly will go a long way to tournament survival. This ace chasing type of player typically plays more than the average number of hands and stays to the river whenever possible.

One of the keys to combating the situation is to remain aggressive. Every top poker player stresses the fact that aggressive play is the key to winning at Texas Holdem. Worrying about someone outdrawing you will lead to passive play giving them the advantage. Instead, you need to continually make appropriate sized bets and let your weaker opponents pay for chasing with drawing hands.

No doubt it can be a challenge to stay positive after loosing several hands to a backdoor flush or an ace on the river, but that's poker. You just have to understand the odds, always work to improve your game, and know that the cards are not out to get you. Let the poor players chase with their ace, because you'll recognize it and gladly take their money away from them.