So, Is A9 Really the Worst Hand to Have Against Aces? Let's Talk About It.

You’ve probably seen the clip. If you haven’t, you’ve almost certainly lived it. It’s the final table of a big tournament, three-handed. One guy, who turns out to be pro player Sorel Mizzi, makes a move and shoves all-in. He gets an instant call. The cards are flipped.

Mizzi tables Ace-Nine offsuit. Not a monster, but a reasonable shoving hand in that spot. His opponent flips over the bullets: pocket Aces. A soul-crushing cooler. As Mizzi stares at the felt, processing his spectacular misfortune, the third player, not even in the hand, leans in with a cheerful, matter-of-fact tone and says, “That’s the worst possible hand to have against aces!”

Mizzi’s response is perfect. A slow, sarcastic thumbs-up and a muttered, “Good to know, thanks for the fun fact, buddy!”

It’s a legendary moment in poker lore, but it begs the question: was he right? Is A9o really the absolute worst? My gut, and probably yours, screams no. Surely 7-2 offsuit, the hand that’s universally considered the trashiest of trash, has to be worse, right? Well, let’s talk about it, because the answer is surprisingly complicated and, honestly, pretty fascinating.

The Intuitive Answer That’s Totally Wrong

Okay, so why isn’t 7-2o the worst? It feels like it should be. It has no straight potential that connects, no flush potential, and the cards are low. But here’s the thing: both the 7 and the 2 are ‘live’ cards. You can flop two pair. You can flop a set. You have backdoor flush and straight draws that, while unlikely, aren’t completely dead. Against pocket Aces, the poker equity calculators show that 7-2o actually has about a 12.5% chance to win. Not great, obviously, but it’s a fighting chance.

Now, let’s look at our friend, Ace-Nine offsuit. Against those same pocket Aces, A9o has a measly 6.8% equity. That’s nearly half the winning chance of the worst hand in poker! How is that even possible?

The poker equity calculators show that 7-2o has about a 12.5% chance to win against Aces. In contrast, A9o has a measly 6.8%.

Welcome to Domination Station

The problem with A9 against AA isn't just that you're behind; it's that you are spectacularly, unequivocally dominated. Let me explain.

First, one of your main outs—the Ace—is a death card. If an Ace hits the board, you make top pair… but your opponent makes top set. You’re drawing completely dead. So one of the three cards you’d normally be hoping for is actually a trap door to poker hell.

But the real killer is the straight domination. This is the point most people miss. Think about a board like K-Q-J-T-x. With your Ace-Nine, you’ve made the Broadway straight! It’s the nuts, right? Wrong. The player with pocket Aces has also made the Broadway straight. It's a chop. But wait, it gets worse. A9o is uniquely terrible because it’s the highest possible hand that gets dominated by AA on a straight board. If the board comes T-J-Q-K, your A9 makes an Ace-high straight. The problem? So does their AA. It's a devastating chop where you thought you were winning.

This is where hands like A6o come into the conversation. Someone might argue that A6o is even worse, and some equity apps might even agree, putting it at around 6.1% equity. The argument against it being the worst, however, is that A6o has more ways to make straights that don't get chopped. You can make a wheel straight (A-2-3-4-5) that pocket Aces can't make. You have more low-card straight possibilities that don't involve the dreaded Broadway cards.

So, while it’s a close race to the bottom, the unique way A9o gets crushed on high boards gives it a strong claim to that miserable title.

A Fun Fact For Your Next Home Game

The most lopsided preflop matchup in Hold'em doesn't even involve pocket Aces. It's pocket Kings against K2 offsuit, where the deuce shares a suit with one of the Kings (e.g., KhKc vs. Kd2s). In this scenario, the KK is a staggering 94.16% favorite. It’s about as close to drawing dead preflop as you can possibly get.

So What *Should* You Have Against Aces?

If A9o is the worst, what’s the best? If you have to go to war against pocket rockets, what’s your best weapon? The answer is suited connectors. Specifically, hands like 6-5 suited, 7-6 suited, and 8-7 suited. These hands are beautiful because they attack Aces from multiple angles.

They have great flush potential. They have great straight potential (both high and low). They can make two pair. They aren't dominated in any meaningful way. Against AA (assuming no shared suits), a hand like 6-5 suited has around 23% equity. That’s a massive improvement over A9o’s pathetic 7%.

You're essentially trading the high-card value you get from an Ace for pure, unadulterated drawing potential. You’re giving yourself the most possible ways to crack the best starting hand in the game.

More Than Just Numbers

At the end of the day, all this math is fun for poker nerds, but the beauty of that Sorel Mizzi clip isn't the equity calculation. It's the human element. It's the deadpan delivery of the line. It's Mizzi's resigned, sarcastic acceptance of his fate. It reminds us that poker is a game played by people, not calculators.

We’ve all been there. Staring at a board that just bricked out, knowing our tournament life is over because of a stupid, unavoidable cooler. In that moment, do you really care if you had 7% equity or 12%? No. You're just crushed. And having someone at the table cheerfully point out just how screwed you were is the kind of salt in the wound that makes for a truly memorable poker story.

So yeah, A9o is, mathematically, one of the worst hands you can have against Aces. But the real worst hand is the one you’re holding when all your chips go into the middle against them. Next time you're facing a big bet and you peek down at Ace-Nine, maybe you'll hear that little voice in your head, whispering a fun fact. Let's just hope you can find the fold.