How long have you been playing poker? The truth is that you are reading this article which suggests that you are looking out for more ways to help you win more while playing Texas Hold’em poker. One of the safer strategies to win a few Hold’em games is to be selective with your starting hands that will see you to the flop stage. Starting hands like pocket pairs or suited aces or king-queen could make you go ahead easily towards the flop. By playing such supposedly strong starting hands, you enhance your chances of making very strong hands at the final showdown, and thereby win more.
However, once you play a lot of poker, you would realise that those relatively ‘strong’ starting hands come very few and far between. And before you even realise, you end up reducing your stack by paying a lot for the blinds and antes while participating in those online poker tournaments. Also, if you just play a select few starting hands, your opponents start identifying your playing style, and once they see you bet beyond the flop stage, they are likely to fold up easily. So, even though you may win games, the size of the pots would be quite small.
This is where you would want to add a new dimension to your gameplay and start playing with more starting hands to keep the opponents guessing and also to give yourselves more chances of wins. One such potential starting hand could be suited connectors (two cards of the same suit and which are consecutive in rank) such as 10 and J of diamonds or 9 and 10 of spades. Let us have a look at a few of the top tips for playing suited connectors in Texas Hold’em.
Consider Your Table Position and Stack Size
If you are in an ‘early’ position on the poker table, and you have a relatively small stack size, you will do well to fold up with medium suited connectors (like 8 and 9 of spades or 9 and 10 of diamonds). The reason being your best chance to win by dealing suited connectors in Texas Hold’em, is to develop a much stronger hand during the post-flop stages (most likely hands being straights and flushes). And to do so, you would have to keep putting a lot of chips into the stack till they develop their desired strong hand before the showdown. It may not be possible to add so many chips if your stack size as small, as it would be a high-risk game.
Of course, if you are in the ‘late’ position, you will be able to play with suited connectors more often than not. You can make attempts to call raises, especially if you are holding a reasonably good stack size. The idea is clear – focus on reaching the flop without having to invest a lot, and then, you can make the right decision whether you intend to go for the big win.
Open Up Your Game and Skills
Make no mistake – playing suited connectors in Texas Hold’em is challenging. So, try to attempt playing with these hands after you have gained decent enough poker experience. But it helps you to open up different aspects of your game and exposes you to different game situations where you are required to make interesting decisions. You may falter sometimes, but you may even give yourself more chances of success. Also, your gameplay will go up a notch further.
Playing as a tight rock (betting with strong starting hands and folding up for all other hands) cannot remain your go-to strategy forever, even while facing up tougher opponents in online poker tournaments. By learning to handle suited connectors, you will change your image and keep your opponents guessing. You are also likely to open up your poker hand ranges.
Being Open to Bluffing or Semi-Bluffing in Addition to Betting and Folding
Once you reach the post-flop stage with your suited connectors but don’t have a good flop, you need not hesitate to fold up quickly and save chips when the odds are favourable. However, if you have the position advantage, and if you sense that your opponents are not likely to go for a continuation bet and might fold, you can try making a bluff.
For instance, if you might have something on the flop that can become a draw by the turn. You need to introduce the option of bluff/semi-bluff for such scenarios and try it out at the post-flop stage. So, even if someone calls your bet, you have an opportunity to improve your hand and possibly win later. Such kind of moves will keep your opponents on their toes as they would know that you bet not just with strong hands, but even when with average ones as well.
The Verdict
Once you are confident of your tight poker game, you can add a new dimension to your gameplay by playing suited connectors in Texas Hold’em. This will make you face different situations, especially at the post-flop stage, where you would have to be really smart in implementing the above discussed tips. Don’t get disheartened if you don’t see immediate success – you will find this strategy work for you once you play a lot more games. So, get more games under your belt by practicing playing with suited connectors after downloading an online poker app like Spartan Poker.
