Did you know that over 90% of new holdem players incorrectly play suited connectors?



Despite what you may have heard, it is incorrect to play suited connectors all the time in any position.









"Suited connectors play well in multiway action." I have to tell you, when I read this years ago I had no idea what this meant.



Here's the deal. Most active players, meaning anyone that is sharp enough to last at holdem, play premium starting hands. For the purposes of this discussion we will consider premium hands in the conventional sense, such as the big pocket pairs, A10s or better, and for late position play K10s or better.



The point is that a great many players are essentially looking for the same starting hands. Therefore, it would follow that the players that remain in the hand are all looking to hit approximately the same board cards to improve.



This also means that a middle suited connector such as 7/8 of spades, for example, has a strong advantage over the aforementioned to improve, as more outs exist. There may only be one ace and two kings remaining in the deck while three sevens and three eights remain doubling your chances to pair up over the premium hand players. Since your straight and flush draw prospects remain very much intact, add significantly more outs to improve and win the pot.



To qualify as multiway we prefer no less than three other players.



The higher the amount of premium hands in the pot the higher likelihood of them caving in on one another, as their outs lay dead in the other player hands.



Another factor to consider is the card value entry point. Do you play 2/3s or 4/5s?



We strongly advise playing no less than 6/7 suited. The logic is very simple. There are more ways to make a straight with a seven than any other card in the deck. We want to give ourself every edge as we knowingly are taking on over cards.



This is all great, but how are you suppose to know that you are going to get three or more players to accommodate your connector strategy.



The answer is that you play your connectors in late position. At first play only from the button and to the right of the button. As you improve you can adjust and play earlier spots,taking into account player predictability and your table image.



The factors you must always consider are player style, card value entry, the amount of remaining players and position.



This approach to playing suited connectors has been very effective for us. Follow these steps and you can do it too!



Now put this into practice and you can see similar results.

By: Thomas Berten

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John Ruscio has been playing winning poker for 29 years and offers free instruction at his web site, Holdem Heights. You are encouraged to forward your questions from his web site on issues related to Liimit Texas Holdem.

www.holdemheights.com