GTO Wizard: Why is A5s the Solver’s Favorite Hand?

Ace-five suited (A5s) has emerged as one of the most versatile and strategically potent starting hands in modern poker strategy.

Dubbed the “solver hand” due to its prevalence in optimal strategies dictated by advanced poker solvers, A5s is much more than just a ‘raggy-ace’. Its combination of connectivity and suitedness, while having an ace blocker, makes it a powerhouse in many situations.

But if you’re struggling to understand why A5s has earned its place as a solver favorite, our friends at GTO Wizard have the perfect breakdown for you.

Connectivity

1. It can’t flop the bottom end of a straight
2. Blocks hands that can make better straights
3. Can make a straight and has nut backdoor potential

Hands like seven-six suited (76s) often flop open-ended straight draws, which A5s cannot do. However, this limitation is actually a strength, as A5s avoids the risks associated with flopping the bottom end of a straight. For example, if you hold 76s on a T-9-8 flop, the hand can be awkward to play in massive pots because it’s drawing dead to queen-jack and lacks blockers to prevent opponents from holding the nuts.

While A5s doesn’t make the nuts on a 4-3-2 flop, holding a five in your hand significantly reduces the number of combos of six-five suited (65s) your opponent can have with that exact hand. This makes A5s much more comfortable in big-pot situations compared to 76s or 65s, which are vulnerable when they form the weakest straight.

Additionally, if A5s flops a backdoor flush draw, it’s always the nut backdoor flush draw, providing more robust equity-building potential.

A similar logic applies to other suited-wheel aces like A4s and A3s. However, hands like A2s fall short in comparison, as they can flop the losing end of a straight on boards like 5-4-3, leaving them more exposed to hands like 76s.

Suitedness

1. Can flop the nut-flush, nut-flush draw. Also can give you nut backdoor flushes
2. Allows your opponents to have weaker flush draws
3. Will win big pots in flush-over-flush scenarios

A5s is an exceptionally valuable hand in flush-over-flush situations. Importantly, A5s keeps your opponents’ weaker flushes in play, creating opportunities to extract maximum value when you and your opponent make a flush.

When you hold hands like ace-king or ace-queen suited, you block many of your opponents’ potential second- and third-best flushes. They limit the scenarios with which an opponent is willing to stack off. In contrast, A5s does the opposite. It allows your opponents to make strong king-high and queen-high flushes, which they’re often eager to get chips in the middle, only to find themselves essentially drawing dead against your nut flush.

Ace Blocker

1. Can win with top pair or ace-high
2. Blocks the top of opposing preflop ranges
3. Always flops top pair or an overcard

Unlike other suited connector hands, A5s has the added advantage of winning more frequently with just one pair—specifically, a pair of Aces. This simple fact gives the hand additional showdown value compared to hands like 98s or 76s. Even when A5s doesn’t make a pair, it can win with ace-high in scenarios where opponents check behind with missed weaker flush draws.

One of A5s’s standout features is its ability to block the top of your opponents’ preflop ranges. Holding an ace makes it less likely for your opponents to have premium hands like aces, ace-king, and ace-queen. When you raise first in, you’re less likely to get three-bet; when you three-bet with A5s, you’re less likely to get four-bet. This is extremely powerful in preflop spots.

In post-flop spots, you’re guaranteed to have at least three outs to make top pair on any board, along with quite often having a blocker to our opponent’s ability to flop top pair-top kicker. This allows us to play more aggressively post-flop in a lot of spots, especially across multiple streets.

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Ace-Five in Cash Games and Tournaments

The GTO Wizard video below shows examples of A5s’ strength and versatility in cash games and tournaments and will help you full understand why the solver and pros have taken to this once seen mediocre hand.

Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game.

Calum has written for various poker outlets but found his home at PokerNews, where he has contributed to various articles and live updates, providing insights and reporting on major poker events, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).