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Moral of the story - DON'T PLAY SMALL ACES. And if you have to, don't play them like a donk and get stacked with wheel straights or two pair.

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No, the moral of the story is just to not play them like a donkey.

Hand 1 was fine, you might have been too eager to get your stack in, but [censored] happens. Hand two: another bad beat. Hand three: awful call. A nut peddler isn't giving you any implied odds at all if his hand is no longer the nuts. You think he can't lay down 3 of a kind when the board is 2-3-4-5?

Ace-rag played properly is +EV. Open raise any ace on the button. Raise AXs from MP+ and play for a flush. If you get resistance on the flop, go into check fold mode.

Edit: 6 max only. Ace-rag is junk in full ring.