Steveg1976
...
Silver Level
your question is to vague for us to really be able to answer effectively.
What games do you play, cash or tournaments Sit & Go's.
You position at the table is important relative to the blinds
Chip Stack sizes
How the table is playing
Reads on the opponents
Possibly your image
There is a lot more that goes into playing suited connectors than just the cards themselves.
What games do you play, cash or tournaments Sit & Go's.
You position at the table is important relative to the blinds
Chip Stack sizes
How the table is playing
Reads on the opponents
Possibly your image
There is a lot more that goes into playing suited connectors than just the cards themselves.
Egon Towst
Cardschat Elite
Silver Level
Big Question, we could write an essay. Rough and ready short answer:-
In later levels, when the blinds are high, fold pre-flop.
In early levels, when the blinds are low:
a) From early position, limp in if the table is passive and it is relatively unlikely there will be a raise behind. Otherwise fold.
b) From mid position, fold if there is a raise in front of you. Otherwise limp in.
c) From late position, if the pot is unopened or there is no more than one limper in front, raise. If there are several limpers in front, call in hopes of hitting the flop in a family pot. If there is a standard raise in front, call provided that effective chip stacks are at least 50xBB, otherwise fold.
In later levels, when the blinds are high, fold pre-flop.
In early levels, when the blinds are low:
a) From early position, limp in if the table is passive and it is relatively unlikely there will be a raise behind. Otherwise fold.
b) From mid position, fold if there is a raise in front of you. Otherwise limp in.
c) From late position, if the pot is unopened or there is no more than one limper in front, raise. If there are several limpers in front, call in hopes of hitting the flop in a family pot. If there is a standard raise in front, call provided that effective chip stacks are at least 50xBB, otherwise fold.
Razor_King
Enthusiast
Silver Level
Suited Connectors?
I normally play them but only cheaply so i would only call. If the blinds are very cheap early in a tournament i would call min raises with them.
I strongly advise that you don't play them when its expensive. I know Daniel Negreanu does but he can "afford to"
RK
I normally play them but only cheaply so i would only call. If the blinds are very cheap early in a tournament i would call min raises with them.
I strongly advise that you don't play them when its expensive. I know Daniel Negreanu does but he can "afford to"
RK
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TheMountainBoy
Enthusiast
Silver Level
It seems everytime I play them I flop 2 pair a lot and ultimatly lose. Usually that means that there is a straight draw, and for some reason it seems very often to flop a flush draw and your stuck with your two pair hoping to make a house on the river.
Q
quin666
Rising Star
Bronze Level
To me, suited connectors tend to be danger cards.
If they are low cards, you can get yourself into a lot of trouble with them.
If they are high cards, T+, then you could be looking at a nice royal flush.
My rule is this...
Any suited connectors lower than 98:
If I have 20BB or less - Fold
Low suited connectors (87 or lower):
If I have 20BB+ then I will play unopened pots and fold if raised behind me.
High suited connectors (9T+):
If I have 20BB+ then I will play unopened pots and fold if raised behind me.
Early/Middle Position -
I may bet and call a small raise behind me.
I may call a small bet, but will fold to most big bets.
Late Position -
I might be very aggressive and make a pot sized bet in an unopened pot.
I might call most bets, but will fold to anything bigger than 30% of my stack.
I will evaluate my hand post flop and act in a TAG manner. This could mean that I have to fold, but at the risk of losing my whole stack, it would be a good fold. There will always be another hand to make the money back.
If they are low cards, you can get yourself into a lot of trouble with them.
If they are high cards, T+, then you could be looking at a nice royal flush.
My rule is this...
Any suited connectors lower than 98:
If I have 20BB or less - Fold
Low suited connectors (87 or lower):
If I have 20BB+ then I will play unopened pots and fold if raised behind me.
High suited connectors (9T+):
If I have 20BB+ then I will play unopened pots and fold if raised behind me.
Early/Middle Position -
I may bet and call a small raise behind me.
I may call a small bet, but will fold to most big bets.
Late Position -
I might be very aggressive and make a pot sized bet in an unopened pot.
I might call most bets, but will fold to anything bigger than 30% of my stack.
I will evaluate my hand post flop and act in a TAG manner. This could mean that I have to fold, but at the risk of losing my whole stack, it would be a good fold. There will always be another hand to make the money back.
Double-A
Visionary
Silver Level
The bad thing about suited connectors is that you are almost always putting money into the pot when you are behind. You need to look for situations where pot/implied odds will compensate for your initial lack of equity.
Some of those circumstances are play from the blinds, steal attempts from late position, playing a cheap mult-way pot, and getting heads up with a weak/tight raiser.
I don't recomend many of these plays for a beginning player because (as others have pointed out) you can get into trouble when you get caught over playing your hand.
I also don't think you're going to see many opportunities to make these plays in the type of tournaments that you play in. Most of the plays with SC's are based on pot/implied odds and require at least 20xBB. So, unless you are lucky and get a big stack early you won't have much time before pot/implied odds (lower blinds) part of the tournament is over.
For the most part you can go ahead and play 67+ in middle/late position behind multiple limpers when you're pretty sure the pot won't be raised behind you. The pot odds will be compensating for your poor starting hand and you're hoping to flop a concealed monster hand/draw (straights, flushes, straight-flush draws, etc...). You can play raised pots (standard 3-4xBB) along the same lines. The key here is having two or three other callers and little danger of being re-raised.
If it's folded to you in late position then go ahead and raise to steal the blinds. You're hoping to take down the pot without contest but you can still flop something if you get called. If you get re-raised here then the size of your stack is your main consideration. I'd almost always call if the re-raise was less than 10% of my stack and almost always fold if it was 20% or more.
You should play the blinds in much the same way. If it's folded to your SB then go ahead and raise. If there are multiple limpers in front then call. You can play raised pots with multiple callers.
Rarely will these situations occur when you're in early position so just fold SC's and wait for a better hand.
Cowboy8112
Visionary
Silver Level
IMO, suited connectors are a call and see hand. even in early position, if it gets a mini raise from mid position you want to go back to basics on implied odds. reguardless of what the flop is, be ready to muck if you miss. SCs are a gambeling hand and not for the weak
Q
quin666
Rising Star
Bronze Level
There is one case where SC's can be a biggish advantage, especially if they are mid value cards (45 to 89 IMO).
This is when there are 4 or more other players in a raised pot. The reason for this is because you would think that most people who would get into a hand that was raised in early position, would doing so with strong hands (AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, AK, AQ, AJ, AT).
With so many high value cards in play already, you can be forgiven for thinking that there are way more low and middle value cards left in the deck, so a call isn't that bad a play with 78 suited for example.
If you hit your straight on the flop you will have a disguised, very strong hand. Just watch out for a flush, because any of the strong starting hands that aren't pocket pairs, could be much stronger. There is also the worry that if the board pairs, you could be looking at a boat.
Most people with strong starting hands, will play them aggressively, so you should be able to just call to the river, and make yourself a nice fat profit.
The bottom line here is that you have to be careful, but not paralized with fear. Fold if you think you are beaten, because you probably are, but if you think you have the better hand, play it like it is the best hand.
If you do manage to win the pot, it will probably upset some, and they may call you a donk, and your table image will probably shift a little towards being looser than it was before the hand. This can also work in your favour if you play TAG poker, because when you do get that big hand, and you want callers, you will probably get one who thinks you are LAG, and you can cash in again.
I generally play a TAG game, and have been trapped like this a few times, and before I found out about this kind of play, I thought that the person winning the pot was a moron, but I'm not so sure now. He just might have been playing the hand like this.
This is when there are 4 or more other players in a raised pot. The reason for this is because you would think that most people who would get into a hand that was raised in early position, would doing so with strong hands (AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, AK, AQ, AJ, AT).
With so many high value cards in play already, you can be forgiven for thinking that there are way more low and middle value cards left in the deck, so a call isn't that bad a play with 78 suited for example.
If you hit your straight on the flop you will have a disguised, very strong hand. Just watch out for a flush, because any of the strong starting hands that aren't pocket pairs, could be much stronger. There is also the worry that if the board pairs, you could be looking at a boat.
Most people with strong starting hands, will play them aggressively, so you should be able to just call to the river, and make yourself a nice fat profit.
The bottom line here is that you have to be careful, but not paralized with fear. Fold if you think you are beaten, because you probably are, but if you think you have the better hand, play it like it is the best hand.
If you do manage to win the pot, it will probably upset some, and they may call you a donk, and your table image will probably shift a little towards being looser than it was before the hand. This can also work in your favour if you play TAG poker, because when you do get that big hand, and you want callers, you will probably get one who thinks you are LAG, and you can cash in again.
I generally play a TAG game, and have been trapped like this a few times, and before I found out about this kind of play, I thought that the person winning the pot was a moron, but I'm not so sure now. He just might have been playing the hand like this.
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Hotkiller102
Enthusiast
Silver Level
Suited connectors are hands to suck out the other. Try to make a flush(draw) or straight(draw). Fold if you miss the flop.
I always play them in mid and late position. But you can also play them in first position but then there is a bigger chance you get raised and have to put more money in the pot.
I always play them in mid and late position. But you can also play them in first position but then there is a bigger chance you get raised and have to put more money in the pot.
bandimore
Rising Star
Bronze Level
I play
For me it really depends on blinds size compared to my stack. If blinds are relatively low than in early, middle and late positions i would make a pre-flop raise no more than two or three times the size of the big blind, the reason for this is if you play a tight/aggresive style (which you should) then your opponents ( if their observant, in lower limits they usually arent) will think you picked up high cards, or maybe pockets, you also eliminate the field of opponents who may be trying to pick up the same pairs or straights and of course you gain valuable information on your opponents hands if they called, you know that they had something worth calling. So with all of this if a flop comes out say 2 8 9 and your calling opponents are usually tight then you know ( not for certain) that they missed the flop and if you played an 89s then you have two pair they would suspect.
if blinds are high in ration to my stack then i usually only limp in in late position. lastly its important to remember that suited connectors normally arent big guns in the game, so if a player raises preflop and is called frequently than chances are you shouldnt play that hand.
For me it really depends on blinds size compared to my stack. If blinds are relatively low than in early, middle and late positions i would make a pre-flop raise no more than two or three times the size of the big blind, the reason for this is if you play a tight/aggresive style (which you should) then your opponents ( if their observant, in lower limits they usually arent) will think you picked up high cards, or maybe pockets, you also eliminate the field of opponents who may be trying to pick up the same pairs or straights and of course you gain valuable information on your opponents hands if they called, you know that they had something worth calling. So with all of this if a flop comes out say 2 8 9 and your calling opponents are usually tight then you know ( not for certain) that they missed the flop and if you played an 89s then you have two pair they would suspect.
if blinds are high in ration to my stack then i usually only limp in in late position. lastly its important to remember that suited connectors normally arent big guns in the game, so if a player raises preflop and is called frequently than chances are you shouldnt play that hand.
P
paulwall01
Enthusiast
Silver Level
I would only play them in middle and late position. Only get in the pot with them if you have at least a raiser and a caller before you. Only play them after the flop if they hit you perfectly or you have hit one card and have the nut draws.
M
Macbeth33
Enthusiast
Silver Level
From early position I think they are a fold, you will get abused to often from late position raisers who have position on you. The deeper your stack, the more I would play them for a raise from middle position, if you are first in a pot I would raise and if there is an early limper I would limp along. From late position, raising can be extremely profitable just by stealing the blinds and if you are called, then you have a hand with very good equity against a caller's range.