Playing Suited Connectors in Texas Holdem
This article will discuss the strategies for how to play suited connectors in texas holdem.
Firstly, if you are not familiar with what suited connectors are, they refer to hands which are connected and when both cards are suited. For example, JdTd and 9h8h are both considered as suited connectors.
Like most situations in poker, there are no specific guidelines for playing suited connectors, but you should know that you need to be playing them in certain situations to try and stack your opponents, as they can make big hands. In saying that, it can become a big leak in your game when you start playing suited connectors all the time in an attempt to stack your opponents.
You see, some novice players see the potential of making a flush, straight, or two pair, with no regard to implied odds and other factors. Experienced players recognize that suited connectors are not always profitable to play, and the main reasons are:
1) You make a straight/flush/two pair hand less often then you may think.
2) A lot of the time you’ll end up having to call additional bets after flopping a draw.
3) You generally don’t get as much action when playing suited connectors since the board tends to be pretty coordinated when you do make a hand.
With this in mind you don’t always want to play them. Realize that when you’re playing suited connectors they are considered a drawing hand. A lot of the time, even when you hit a favorable flop, you will have a draw and will have to pay an additional bet on the flop/turn to try and hit your hand. So it would be a costly mistake not to factor in these additional bets when considering the implied odds you are getting of making a big hand.
In addition, playing suited connectors can be difficult to play when you are out of position in the hand. If you have tough opponents who have position on you in the hand, their aggression will make it very difficult to get paid off when playing SC’s.
Although suited connectors can make big hands and win big pots, a lot of the potential of playing suited connectors is stealing pots when you have nothing. There will be situations when you know your opponent has a wide range, so you will be able to play back at them post flop to take down the pot, like when a player in CO open raises, and you know they are trying to steal the blinds, and you have 87s on the BTN.
When you have position with suited connectors, you have other ways to win the pot and you are not just relying on making a hand. If the action is folded around to you and you expect to have position over your opponents, you can also raise with suited connectors. It is a better play then limping in because it disguises your hand and you gain initiative in the hand post flop. Remember you want to be winning pots when you flop nothing? Well, if you showed strength by raising pre-flop, you can often take down the pot with a continuation bet.
Even though winning a massive pot when you stack another player with suited connector hands is rewarding in itself, it can often times be more rewarding later because it adds unpredictably to your play and other players can see that you are capable of playing a wide range of hands. The number of times I have seen the looks of disgust when I show a monster hand when playing suited connectors and they type in the chat box “How could you play a hand like that when it was been raised?”.
Playing suited connectors is one of the biggest tools you can have in your poker arsenal. Just don’t overdo it. Practise your game today at bestpoker.com
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