Suited Connectors

In Texas Hold’em poker, as in every other form of poker, you should only play hands that will show a profit over the long run.

There are usually 3 factors that affect the profitability of a hand in Texas Hold’em Poker:

1. The strength of your hand
2. Your position at the table
3. Your skill level (compared to your opponents)

You may have a moderately strong hand such as 9-9, but if you are in terrible position (say, under the gun), and against the 8 best poker players in the world, you may not be able to show a profit even with a hand such as this.

If you have a very week hand such as 6-4 offsuit, but you are playing on the Button, and your opponents are all first time players, then you will probably still show a long term profit with a hand even this weak.

This preamble merely to introduce you to a type of hands that are generally unprofitable for novices, but can be very profitable from intermediate and professional players. This type of hands are:

Suited Connectors

Suited connectors are consecutive cards of the same suit, such as Js-Ts or 6c-7c. A small-suited connector hand would be one like 4d-5d or 5h-6h. Suited connectors are powerful hands because when they flop strongly, the hand is well disguised, and when they miss the flop, they are easy to let go of.

For this reason, suited connectors are considered “Drawing Hands”, because though they rarely flop a made straight or flush, they will often flop a draw to either (or both) of those strong hands. When playing suited connectors, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Suited Connectors Need Good Flops:

A good flop for a suited connector like 7c-8c is either 2 pair, a made straight, a made flush, or a straight draw, flush draw, or combination draw (such as a straight-flush draw or a pair + a straight draw). You aren’t trying to hit merely 1 pair with a suited connector, as that pair will rarely be top pair, and if it is, you are still usually a long way behind any player who holds an overpair. If the flop comes Ac Kd 8s, you must be willing to throw the hand away. This isn’t the flop you wanted, so don’t put any more chips into the pot.

Suited Connectors Benefit from Position:

While all hands are more profitable when played in position, with suited connectors this is particularly true. When you are acting last with a flush or straight draw, you get to see all the action that has happened in front of you, so you can easily calculate the odds you are getting to call. If you have position, you also have less to fear from a player re-raising on the flop after you have called an earlier positioned players bet. For this reason, you should be more inclined to play suited connectors on the button than you would under the gun.

Suited Connectors Need Cheap Flops:

If you take a suited connector like 4c-5c, and then deal out the cards for the flop, turn, and river, you will find that a suited connector only makes a flush or straight about 1 time in 4. Most of the time in a game of poker your opponents will be betting at you, so it will often cost you some money to see all 5 cards. Because of this, you want to see a flop for the cheapest amount possible. It is no good calling off 20% of your stack preflop, as you will very rarely hit a flop that you like. Seeing a flop for just 1 blind, preferably from the button is often the best way to profit from suited connectors. Putting any more than 3%-5% of your stack into the pot preflop with a suited connector is rarely a good idea.

Consider a Semi-Bluff with your Draws:

If you flop a big draw with your suited connectors (such as an open ended straight draw + a flush draw, giving you as many as 15 outs) and the size of the pot is large, you may want to consider moving all in as a semi-bluff. This move can give you multiple ways to win: All your opponents might fold, and you take the pot down with what is currently a worthless hand (such as 7 high), or you get called and win a massive pot if your draw makes it. This is a powerful move as with 14 outs you are approximately even money to win the hand, even against a hand as strong as an overpair! If you have 15 outs, such as the straight-flush draw, then you are often a favourite to win the hand by the river! If the pot is small and moving in would be a massive overbet, It might be best to make a smaller bet than all in, or you could go for a check-raise.

Suited Connectors can be some of the most profitable hands to play, but make sure that you play them only in situations that are to your advantage.