Suited Connector Theory

[pjr54]

I just don't seem to have good luck with them. I will play them but with me it all depends on the situation at the table. I won't play them if I am short stacked at a table.

[schister10j]

I love playing suited connectors, especially if it's heads up preflop. They are great cards to trap people with. 89 especially, I think I have seen that hand crack more bog hands than any other.

[SystEmsuX]

Oh, you suited connectors! You're so gosh darn cute, I can't resist playing you! Then when we make straights and flushes, I think we'll be best friends forever!

[theOMEGAN]

Suited connectors are some of the best hands to have a look at with three or more people are trying to see the flop. Ask me why and I will give you a long drawn out reason. but here is the short of it.

1st off, expect paint cards in the other hands

2nd, number cards have a ratio of 2-1 over paint and are more likely to hit

3rd, expect a flop that is favorable for you and be able to steal.

4th, as long as the price is right, you have given yourself a chance to fold without being hurt to bad.

With that good luck, and may we never meet at the same table.

[spiderman637]

Ideas have been thrown around about playing small pocket pairs and small suited connectors with position. Alot of talk and advice always says to see a flop for cheap and trap opponents to win big pots.

If you do play a small pp most advice says you should try to flop a set or be done with the hand because almost every other pair is going to beat you. That's a stradegy that IMO is an easy one to follow. If I am lucky enough to flop a set I know I have a strong hand, but at the same time I can see if I'm going to have the nuts. The only thing that will trick me would be a higher set from a player with a pp. If the board contains a possible straigh, flush, or draw I can obviously see that I may be beaten. I would only continue for very cheap at this point becasue a 4th card to complete a straight or flush almost guarantees I'm done. I may get lucky and the board will pair, but I'm only going to draw for cheap. Basically I am comfortable with this play because I can easily gauge where I stand at all times other than one scenario. Obviously against a very tight player I may be able to determine if he has a higher set.

What about playing small suited connectors? I'm not really comfortable playing these hands even with position. A flush could easily be beaten, and a flopped flush means that i'm going to be beaten already or be drawn out on by a player holding the Ace or maybe the king. A straight draw or flopped straight could create a scenario where I am holding the bottom of the straight and will lose alot of chips. I have a better chance of winning a big pot with the straight than I do with a flush. Somone could beat me with a flush if they hold 7s2s when I have 3s4s, but with a straight I can only be beaten by a small range of hands. For example, I hold 34 and the board is 567xx; the only thing that beats me is 89. 89s is a common hand for people to play if I'm in a multiway pot and I saw a cheap flop. The only scenario that I'm comfortable with is a flop like A25 when I hold that 34. I will get action from anyone holding an Ace, and unless other connecting cards hit, I hold the nuts. That is only one scenario where I am going to guarantee a win. I could win with the short end of a straight against one or two opponents, but I will have to call a preflop raise, or I'm not going to get paid off if I limped and only 2 others did as well. Odds are they won't have a decent hand to pay me off with unless there is a perfect storm. If I have to draw to a straight it will cost me. I will either miss and have no hand, hit and still be beaten by higher connectors, or in the guaranteed nuts case be on a gutshot. (I hold 34, flop is A2x, the 5 is the only card that makes the straight, thus gutshot.) This means that I really need to bluff against 1 or 2 opponents, or hit the perfect flop to win a multiway pot. This scenario seems to be like i'm setting a trap for myself than being a profitable play. Yes in the long run if I win a big pot 1 out of x amount of times it maybe profitable, but statistics can be misleading. I am not a big fan of statisitcs and whether a play works 1 out of 5 makes it profitable. I want to always be profitable, not lose 4x and win 1x to create a net profit because the world and poker aren't a perfect science.

So the point of all of this was to get some advice about playing these small suited connectors. I am debating whether I should only play them for the perfect flop, only use them when I can win by bluffing as well, or just forget them all together. I could draw with them, but as I already stated that is not a good situation IMO.

FYI when I say small suited connectors I'm talking about 65,54,43,32.