LEARN HOW TO PLAY SUITED CONNECTORS POKER

Utilising suited connectors to the best of their potential may not be required when playing a poker game for fun, but if you’re looking to seriously step up your game, you’ll need to rethink your suited connectors strategy.

To that end, we at HotSlots are eager to get you up to speed on how you should be playing suited connectors, and this includes explaining what they are, showing you an example or two and even telling you when they should be played.

After all, improving your performance in land-based or online poker starts by knuckling down on the details, and this post will aim to do just that.

What is a suited connector?

Suited connectors are starting hands that are of the same suit and of consecutive rank. Keep in mind that there can only be two cards in such a hand.

The importance of suited connectors lies in the fact that they are pivotal to making better hands, such as a straight or a straight flush. In fact, the flop can turn suited connectors into either a straight draw, a flush draw or a straight flush draw.

Suited connectors examples

The best way to understand what this hand entails is by example. Here are some suited connectors that you might very well see over the course of your time playing poker:

• nine and 10 of diamonds
• jack and queen of clubs
• two and three of hearts
• king and ace of spades

As you can see, the idea behind every suited connector is that they must be of the same suit and of consecutive rank.

When should you play suited connectors?

Generally, suited connectors change in value commensurate with the stack depth of the game. In Deep Stack poker, where stack sizes are considerably larger (usually around or more than 100 big blinds), suited connectors enjoy great implied odds which makes them all the more attractive to place bets on.

The reason why suited connectors have great implied odds on a large-stack table is that they can lead to very strong hands post-flop, allowing the player to claim a big pot if they play their hand correctly.

Suited connectors tips and tricks

How can you use suited connectors to win, regardless of the effective stack size of the game you and your opponents are playing? That’s when formulating a good strategy comes into the equation.

Here are some tips and tricks that you should use to make the most of your suited connectors in online poker. As always, experience really helps when it comes to getting used to playing such hands, but knowing certain things can really make a difference for your chances of winning that big pot!

Feel free to fold to a continuation bet

Continuation bets can signify a strong hand, a bluff or a semi-bluff. Calling such bets without the best hand at the table is risky business, especially if all you have post-flop is a suited-connector hand that could become a draw later.

Unless there are straights and flushes to be made in later streets, we don’t recommend calling to continuation bets. Instead, feel free to fold and conserve your chips for a better time. The essence of playing suited connectors well is knowing when they must be folded. Folding them is never easy, especially when they are highly ranked, but it is sometimes a must if the situation calls for it.

Pay attention to your position

Whether it is pocket aces, air or suited connectors, you’ll want to be mindful of your position at the table, since that can make or break your chances of winning the pot.

Generally, early position is the worst spot to be in since you’ll have to act before anyone else does. Consequently, your opponent(s) can adjust their actions based on your behaviour. Late position, however, is the best spot to be in since you’ll get to act last in the betting round. In this position, you can study your opponent(s) behaviour and act on the basis of their actions. The middle position falls somewhere in between—not the best spot to play in but definitely not the worst.

With those main reasons in mind, making the most from late positions can have a very positive effect on the number of your chips. On the flip side, try to avoid sinking too many chips when in early position, since this might be akin to losing play if you’re met with a late raise.

Avoid betting money against short stacks

When dealt suited connectors, your number one priority is to win the largest amount of money possible. The problem with betting against short-stacked opponents is that it is impossible to follow that strategy.

While a preflop raiser might be worth a call if your stack and position allow, a raise after that street shouldn’t be called unless either you or your opponents’ stack sizes are somewhat large. If your opponent raises with a very short stack, you should generally choose to fold.

Avoid run-ins with calling stations

Players who almost never shy away from calling a bet are called calling stations. As you can imagine, this can work in your favour but it can also work against you.

Dealing with calling stations when you’re dealt suited connectors can easily end up in a losing hand. Whether the villain has a made hand, a full house draw or just air is impossible tell since their range is too loose.

Trying semi bluffs without made big hands against calling stations tends to be a bad idea, so you should generally refrain from doing so.

Suited connectors don’t tend to win big

Granted, the pot odds of a suited-connector hand is tied to what the community cards turn out to be. Nevertheless, it is said that such hands don’t tend to win very often.

As we’ve mentioned above, playing with suited connectors is all about knowing when to fold rather than betting haphazardly to win the pot. The best-case scenario would be that the flop gives great value to your hand, of course; thus, giving you good implied odds to try and bring home the pot.

However, whether it is preflop or post-flop, such hands are often at the mercy of what other players do. If two players or more engage in a wild betting and raising spree, there is absolutely no point in sticking around.

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