Ace-rag, Ace-junk, Ace-x – whatever you call an Ace with a small kicker, the fact remains that in no-limit Texas Hold’em, little Aces are big trouble!

Now, if you’ve been playing Hold’em for a while, I guarantee you can identify with the following situation. And if you’re new to the game, trust me... you’ll find out.

Consider this typical hand: You’re sitting in late position with A-3, and it’s not raised to you, so you happily call along. The flop comes down A-x-x and it’s checked around to you. No one seems too excited about the Ace, so you take a shot at the pot.