Hold’em Advanced – Suited Connectors

People love to play suited connectors because you have a chance at a flush, a straight and a straight flush never mind pairs, two pairs, trips and a boat. Suited connectors are an advanced topic though. With suited connectors you are looking to hit the flop and to play them you want lots of opponents in to pay you off because suited connectors will usually lose more than they win if played incorrectly.

The problems with suited connectors are if you hit trips usually your kicker is bad, if you hit a flush – it is usually not the nut flush, and people tend to chase with them. Suited connectors should try to get in preflop for as little as possible with 5 or more opponents whenever possible. Also, only play suited connectors that are 5, 6 suited and up. I personally prefer 8, 9 and up to stand a better chance of winning with a straight or a flush.

When the flop hits, you are looking to either of hit your hand on the flop or a hand that has the potential to win the hand. For example, if you hold 9, 10 of diamonds, you are looking to hit the flop hard with a straight or a flush. Flops like 6, 7, 8 or 7, 8, J or 8, J, Q for the straight. J, Q, K is nice but A, 10 can easily beat you and that is a hand you may be up against. Hitting a flush is good on the flop but it is very easy for someone to have a higher flush so a flop like Kd, Qd, 3d is better than 2d, 4d, 7d because it removes a couple of higher flush possibilities. When you hit the flop for a draw with a flop like A, 7, 8 then you play it like a normal draw and ensure you have the correct pot odds to continue. If a flop hits like Ad, 8s, 3c then you should be looking to muck at the first bet.

It is better to play suited connectors in late position so that you do not end up calling only to have someone raise and everyone fold around to you. In that case, it is often best to just fold. If you are late position, you can easily see how many players have entered the pot and have more information to base your call or fold on. It is also a good idea to bet your hand when you do hit it, so you can protect your hand. If you decide to try to trap the players and no one bets and then a 4th card comes off to either help someone have a higher straight or bigger flush, you are only trapping yourself.

You will sometimes see a pro make a raise with a suited connector to conceal their hands, try to steal the pot there, or reduce the amount of players they will play against after the flop. That’s because they are pros and know how to read their opponents, usually have exceptional post flop play and know how to let the hand go as cheaply as possible if they don’t hit.

Suited connectors can win large pots but you also need to learn that they can be costly to play and it is an advanced concept. Just remember pot odds when on draw and to make opponents pay you off when you hit.