How do you play medium to low suited one-gap and two-gap connectors?

Luvart

Luvart

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Jul 14, 2017
Total posts
1,480
Awards
15
GR
Chips
724
I'm talking about stuff like 86s, 42s, 107s, 85s, etc.

Are these hands really any decent to play at all? In 3bet pots are these hands worth of calling?
 
spunka

spunka

Visionary
Bronze Level
Joined
Dec 31, 2008
Total posts
884
Awards
2
Chips
67
Hands like that is good early in a tournament, when you can see a flop for almost free, you want to see the flop with these hands to win a disguised big pot.

So playing when you can post your normal raise sieze and expect not to be reraise…. so you need passive players behind you, or be close to end the betting round, BB, SB, and But spots. You need a good read on your opponents and know when not to spend money on trying to filll up on draws.
 
V

valetgll

Visionary
Bronze Level
Joined
Mar 22, 2020
Total posts
697
Awards
1
Chips
17
I don't call 3 bet cards with such cards. This is a privilege for fish. I can't always call BB.
 
spunka

spunka

Visionary
Bronze Level
Joined
Dec 31, 2008
Total posts
884
Awards
2
Chips
67
If you call with them in 3 bet you need to know that you opponents fold too much, so your read must be good on them. Normally it is not good to play hands that you know will have -ev against your opponents range, and if you do and get caught doing that, good players will target you.
 
GNuTTz

GNuTTz

Visionary
Platinum Level
Joined
Aug 1, 2020
Total posts
528
Awards
1
Chips
99
Play them very carefully and be patient with your connectors. Sometimes they pay very well.
 
S

Station_Master

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Oct 26, 2022
Total posts
1,169
Awards
1
GB
Chips
225
I wouldn't call 3bets with these hands. Too weak. You could open from BU or SB and they make reasonable BB defends. Note something like 86s is alot stronger than 42s as it will hit more boards and has more straight possibilities
 
dreamer13

dreamer13

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Mar 18, 2022
Total posts
2,829
Awards
2
LV
Chips
263
In hold'em, there is a fairly high chance of getting connectors preflop (15.7%), but for them to be suited - the percentage is not so great. In Texas hold'em, flopping a straight with connectors is 1.3%, and collecting a straight draw with the probability of strengthening it on the following streets is 10.5%. At the same time, with two suited cards, the chance of making a flush on the flop is 0.8%, and a flush draw is 11%.Since you can make both a straight and a flush with suited connectors, your chances of hitting a combination already on the flop increase. However, as with all streets, you will have more outs.At the same time, the chances of winning increase as the connectors approach the ace, it is easy to calculate this using a poker calculator.The positive point is the high playability of pocket pockets on the postflop. A plus is the good adaptability of suited connectors for multiway play.
 
Luvart

Luvart

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Jul 14, 2017
Total posts
1,480
Awards
15
GR
Chips
724
Hands like 86s and below and 96s and below are worth opening in 6max cash from the Cut off+?
 
Gallarado777

Gallarado777

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Jun 19, 2022
Total posts
5,323
Awards
3
KZ
Chips
191
you just have to play these cards at a late position or with sb to bb btn you can play cards from these positions normally in other positions if you have a lot of chips then you can enter with such cards
 
UnderDawg5501

UnderDawg5501

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 17, 2023
Total posts
82
CA
Chips
166
On the subject of low/middle suited connectors.. Search on youtube for "Annie Duke - Making Better Decisions, Part 1"
There is also a Part 2 ..

She is a pro giving a seminar on poker and goes into details about why they are not as good as you may think.
Mind altering concepts for me...
 
christovam

christovam

Visionary
Platinum Level
Joined
May 7, 2022
Total posts
817
Awards
3
BR
Chips
115
Most of these hands I don't play, except for Big Blind defense or on a passive table with me holding the button.
 
Luvart

Luvart

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Jul 14, 2017
Total posts
1,480
Awards
15
GR
Chips
724
"Annie Duke - Making Better Decisions, Part 1"

I will definitely check this.
 
UnderDawg5501

UnderDawg5501

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 17, 2023
Total posts
82
CA
Chips
166
Enjoy! I'm sure many people will find it interesting and learn enough to make the short time worthwhile.
 
Rost

Rost

Visionary
Platinum Level
Joined
Aug 26, 2021
Total posts
967
Awards
1
UA
Chips
188
I'm talking about stuff like 86s, 42s, 107s, 85s, etc.

Are these hands really any decent to play at all? In 3bet pots are these hands worth of calling?
I never play with such junk. Why risk once again and play with such garbage if you can wait for strong cards and significantly increase your chances of a good result.
 
emk211

emk211

Legend
Bronze Level
Joined
Apr 22, 2016
Total posts
3,505
Awards
9
US
Chips
24
see flop cheap, how many players, position, game, cash mtt, variables to consider....
 
Sicamous

Sicamous

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 23, 2022
Total posts
57
CA
Chips
50
I just watched a video on Jonathan Little's channel about this. Maybe you will enjoy it.
(hope it's ok to share a link to it here):

 
S

Sopt

Rock Star
Platinum Level
Joined
Feb 21, 2023
Total posts
377
Awards
1
SI
Chips
165
On MTT I rarely play such cards, even at start of tournaments. More often than not they are just a chip loss, which you don't just replace like you can do in cash games. I'd only see myself playing such hands if we have people limping or min betting and I'm in late spots.
But when we're talking about cash games, especially 6-max, those hands become way more valuable. They are extremely good against passive and weaker players as they don't expect your nuts straight or cheeky flushes while holding top 2 pairs and such. There is nothing wrong with even calling 3bets with them now and then, because in the long run if you play them properly they can net you a lot of money. That all being said, that doesn't mean that you just play it every time you get them. First you must assess how the game is played at the table and who are you against.
 
PupsikCat

PupsikCat

Rock Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Feb 26, 2023
Total posts
249
Awards
2
MD
Chips
38
deep stacked from late position by calling if no one has raised
 
dzsire

dzsire

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
May 8, 2021
Total posts
1,090
Awards
2
HU
Chips
174
I don't usually play with these, at most when there are few in the party or when a lot of people get in and there is no raise.
Against many players, you can still see some luck against higher cards when low cards come on the flop. Of course, you have to get to the flop for that...
 
UnderDawg5501

UnderDawg5501

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 17, 2023
Total posts
82
CA
Chips
166
Umm, not a Life Coach, she is a very capable winning poker player... Retired and off to other things now. Watch her video!
 
Top