Quote Originally Posted by steelwheel
The higher the X goes doesnt necessarly make the suited aces better. With A9 the only thing you SHOULD be looking for is the flush draw (and of course the two pair, trips) you dont want to just pair up the ace with no flush draw as more times than not your going to find yourself in a whole heap of crap.
At least with the very low suited aces there is something else to look for on the flop - a straight draw, although as Hypermegachi pointed out above, your not going to complete that straight a hell of alot times. I suppose if you like having a pair of aces with crap kicker than A9 is good. But I dont so I prefer to have the option of getting a straight (however small that probability is), which is why I prefer A-2,3,4,5. I guess its just a matter of preferences.

SSH, Page 70:

"Despite what many players think, the size of the kicker is important. A9s is a much better hand than A2s. First, a pair of nines is far more likely to win a showdown than a pair of deuces. Second, a nine is often enough to win a kicker war, while a deuce obviously never is. Many loose games feature players who play any ace, suited or not, no matter the circumstances. If an ace flops, opponents will often have hands like A6o. In that circumstance, a bigger kicker is the difference between winning and "Chopping".

Some Players also mistakenly conclude that A5s-A2s are better than A9s-A6s because they can make a wheel. While the wheel possibility is useful, it generally does not overcome the high card strength of the latter hands. A6s and A5s run closely in strength (the wheel potential is worth slightly more than one pip of high card strength), but otherwise the bigger hands are better."


--Case Closed--