silverslugger33
Rock Star
Silver Level
I honestly think that a J is the hardest card to play preflop in poker (for now, I'm just talking about hands you'd actually play, rather than J2, J3, etc. that you would immediately fold). Here's why I think that:
Pocket Js: IMO the toughest hand to play at a big table in poker. Tons of the time, an A, K, or Q will hit the flop. You likely raised preflop, so for someone to call, they probably have one of the three- you now need to make a tough read to figure out which one.
AJ- Not nearly as strong as most people think. The range of hands that have AJ beat is pretty high, and even hands like KQ aren't in terrible shape against it. Also, if an ace hits the flop, it's very difficult to get away from the hand and if someone has AQ or AK, AJ usually loses a ton of chips (whereas a hand like A7 is much easier to get away from). Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'd rather have an A7 than an AJ, I'm just commenting that the AJ is a harder hand to play.
KJ- Easily dominated. Should probably be folded to most raises, although a lot of people, especially amateurs will call with it preflop. Very hard to get away from if a J or K hits the flop and if it picks up a draw on the flop, a lot of times it looks better than it actually is. For example, if there as a flop of AQ4, for whatever reason people seem to think they have a better chance of making a 10 than they would a normal gutshot, but this obviously isn't the case.
QJ- Especially if suited, people play this hand way too much. Nearly every other hand that a non-aggressive player has will at least have a coinflip against this. Sure, QJ suited can be a good drawing hand, but that can also be its Achillis heal. A lot of the time, people's implied odds look a lot better than they actually are. Draws won't always win the pot and hitting middle pair and a gutshot can be very costly if the middle pair is a Q or a J, because it's very hard to get away from it.
J10- Probably the most overrated hand in poker. For whatever reason, people think this hand is good, but unless you make a really big hand (2 pair or better) you'll generally either win a small pot or, even more likely, lose the pot altogether. Short of making a big hand, you're likely to win only if you have a pair on a weak board, and if the board is that weak, you probably won't win much out of the hand anyway.
J0/J8/J7- These are 3 hands that I see get played and just shake my head. They aren't good, and in general, the best you can hope for preflop is a couple of live cards.
Pocket Js: IMO the toughest hand to play at a big table in poker. Tons of the time, an A, K, or Q will hit the flop. You likely raised preflop, so for someone to call, they probably have one of the three- you now need to make a tough read to figure out which one.
AJ- Not nearly as strong as most people think. The range of hands that have AJ beat is pretty high, and even hands like KQ aren't in terrible shape against it. Also, if an ace hits the flop, it's very difficult to get away from the hand and if someone has AQ or AK, AJ usually loses a ton of chips (whereas a hand like A7 is much easier to get away from). Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'd rather have an A7 than an AJ, I'm just commenting that the AJ is a harder hand to play.
KJ- Easily dominated. Should probably be folded to most raises, although a lot of people, especially amateurs will call with it preflop. Very hard to get away from if a J or K hits the flop and if it picks up a draw on the flop, a lot of times it looks better than it actually is. For example, if there as a flop of AQ4, for whatever reason people seem to think they have a better chance of making a 10 than they would a normal gutshot, but this obviously isn't the case.
QJ- Especially if suited, people play this hand way too much. Nearly every other hand that a non-aggressive player has will at least have a coinflip against this. Sure, QJ suited can be a good drawing hand, but that can also be its Achillis heal. A lot of the time, people's implied odds look a lot better than they actually are. Draws won't always win the pot and hitting middle pair and a gutshot can be very costly if the middle pair is a Q or a J, because it's very hard to get away from it.
J10- Probably the most overrated hand in poker. For whatever reason, people think this hand is good, but unless you make a really big hand (2 pair or better) you'll generally either win a small pot or, even more likely, lose the pot altogether. Short of making a big hand, you're likely to win only if you have a pair on a weak board, and if the board is that weak, you probably won't win much out of the hand anyway.
J0/J8/J7- These are 3 hands that I see get played and just shake my head. They aren't good, and in general, the best you can hope for preflop is a couple of live cards.