heads up hands...which has more value

I understand that heads-up is less about your cards and more about your opponent and position. With that said, there have to be hands that play better HU than others.

Would you rather play K-5 off or 45 suited

or

Would you rather play Q-7 off or 78s

My instinct is that the high card (suited or not) , even with a crappy kicker, plays better than the lower end suited connectors or even one-gapper suited cards.

But, my instincts on these things are often wrong...that is why I am asking you guys. Thanks.

I am by no means a master of this subject, but it seems to me the implied value of the suited connectors is better. If you're going all-in preflop you would be better with the high card weak kicker, but if you're going to play out the hand the suited connectors would be better. I'm not very good at explaining things, but basically when you hit your straight or flush you will have a strong hand that can win a lot of money. If you hit top pair with a weak pair you can only take down a small pot. A large pot is not good for top pair weak kicker.

High card value is more important when you're not deepstacked. SC's have more value deepstacked in position. This is part of what Wes means when he says "If you're going to be all in pf, but if you're going to play out the hand"...

For me a lot depends on our opponent and their range.

First of all, are we talking about shoving preflop or are we intending to maneuver postflop? If we're talking about shoving preflop then yes, the high card holds slightly more showdown value but the suited connector actually performs better against a "standard" calling range (22+, Ax, KJ+). The paint-rag combination performs better once the villain has a very wide calling range.

Playing the paint-rag hand postflop can be hard too - if you hit a pair with your high card you've got a terrible kicker and you might only be getting paid in spots where you're dominated. The suited connector probably gives you a better chance of hitting something like a straight / flush / two pair / pair and draw vs a high pair where you're more likely to get paid.

Just my thoughts.

High card value is more important the shorter the tables and stacks get.