Knowing when and how to play suited connectors can be tough. Many will agree that these are probably among the most complicated hands to play correctly in Texas Hold’em poker. Set value is found in small pairs, and face value makes big hands worthwhile. Suited connectors are somewhere in between.
If you want to see them perform, learn to play small suited connectors through these simple steps.
Understand What a Suited Connector Is
The definition of suited connectors goes like this: suited connectors are poker hands made by two consecutive cards of the same suit.
For instance, they can be a 10 and 9 of spades, or 5 and 4 of clubs. Easy, right? So, what are small suited connectors? They are lower in value, also called baby connectors. The examples would be 4-5 suited and 7-8 suited. An example of a big suited connector is Jack and 10, suited.
Suited connectors are desirable because they have the highest potential to form straights and flushes when combined with the community cards.
The bigger the cards, the more top pairs they will obtain. The lower the cards, the more weak pairs they will catch.
The Advantages of Small Suited Connectors
There are a couple of main benefits to receiving a small connector initial hand. For one, you will be inherently drawing to both a straight and a flush (and a straight flush occasionally). Additionally, your hand usually stays conveniently hidden.
If you are playing no-limit Texas Hold’em poker, you can count on great implied odds on suited connectors. You should keep in mind that small connectors miss the flop about two thirds of the time on average.
They hit the flop about 5.5% of the time, and they hit decent draws around 21% of the time. Now you know how they perform.
The Best Way of Playing Suited Connectors
It is recommended that you act aggressively with suited connectors most of the time before the flop. These are not the hands you chase big profit with. However, with them being part of your range you can achieve to balance out your big value hands more easily.
Another relevant aspect to playing suited connectors is having the discipline to fold them. They won’t be able to hit most of the time, which is when you should fold. This poses a challenge for most poker players because suited connectors just look too pretty to fold.
Yes, suited connectors look nice on the surface. Their potential of making big hands is undeniable. However, one should be careful with 3-betting and overcalling.
