Learning the best way to open or raise when holding suited connectors can make or break a hand
In poker rooms all around the world, online or land-based, Texas Hold’em is the most popular form of poker for a few years. Every form will require a different strategy; for Texas Hold’em, what becomes most relevant in a match are the two hole cards that are handed right at the beginning of the hand. Even before the action at the table starts and the flop is shown, glancing at those two cards should give the poker player enough information to understand the possible outcomes of the hand. Ideally, the best two cards to get would be a pair, but getting suited connectors can also open up possibilities.
Pocket cards are considered suited connectors when they are of the same suit and very close together, for example, a J and a Q, or a J and a K. These types of cards basically give the player the chance of getting a straight or flush at the moment the flop is face-up on the table. Therefore, if the flop presents itself with a 9,10 and K – considering the first example – the player will have a very high-ranking hand. On the other hand, if the flop comes with a 3, 6 and 7, then the possibility of a straight is gone, and, unless there are a few cards with the same suit on the table, a flush won’t be an option, either.
Although it is not highly probable to get a straight and flush right at the flop, the turn and river might offer some more interesting options. Suited connected can rapidly turn into a very powerful hand facing the flop. Another reason to risk betting money on suited connectors is the location in the hand. Late positions are better to have an overview of the competitor’s actions and to decide how worthy the hand might be. Another tactic could be to raise pre-flop, so the rest of the table’s hands can be judged through their responses.
