Many new players who start no-limit hold’em often find it helpful to be picky about the hands they begin with. Which is why learning how to play suited connectors can take you to the next level.
After all, sticking largely with big and suited aces, pocket pairs, and king-queen is a good approach. Not only does it help you get better hands when it’s time to showdown, but it also helps you face fewer tough choices to make during each hand.
However, as you gain experience, you’ll realize you can’t always wait for the best hands. That’s because they don’t come around often, especially in tournaments where the antes and blinds eat away at your chips while you fold hand after hand.
Also, if you only play top hands, your opponents can easily predict your moves. When you finally get a strong hand, such as kings or pocket aces, they’ll likely fold, and you’ll win a small pot.
One way you can broaden your starting hand choices is by adding suited connectors. They’re pairs of cards of a similar suit consecutive in rank, like J♠10♠ or 8♥7♥.
If you add these hands, they can bring several benefits to your game. In this article, I will cover everything you need about playing suited connectors, including different types, why you should add them, and more.
Different Types Of Suited Connectors
Hands like JT (Jack and Ten) and higher aren’t called suited connectors because they’re usually strong and played differently.
Suited connectors JT and below fall into three categories: high-suited (KQ, JT, QJ), middle-suited (T9, 89, 87), and low-suited connectors (65, 67, 45, 43, 32). Without much ado, let’s define each suited connector in detail so you can understand better:
Low-Suited Connectors
If you have got low-suited connectors, it’s smart to sit those hands out. This means you shouldn’t raise, check, or call these hands. However, there are a few exceptions where you can bend the rule.
One is if you’re the “big blind” and your opponents haven’t raised. The other is if you’re ‘small blind’ and in a strong position.
For example, you may decide to play and raise if five of your opponents have just limped into the pot, and it doesn’t look like the ‘big blind’ will raise.
Still, you have to be cautious with these suited connectors, particularly when you need to determine the chances of the “big blind” raising. If your assessment is wrong and the ‘big blind’ does raise, the hand will most likely become ‘muck.’
Middle-Suited Connectors
You can raise or call with middle-suited connectors, especially if you have a tight-player image that only plays high-value cards like big pairs. If that’s the case, chances are your opponents may think you have strong hands when, in reality, you don’t.
When you play middle-suited connectors, make sure to consider two key factors.
Only raise when you intend to make big wagers and are ready to bet on a flop. Raising with a middle-suited connector signals to others that you likely have a strong hand.
The other factor is your personality as a tight-aggressive player. This can help make your raise (with suited connectors) more effective at bluffing your opponents.
If not, the raise may have a different impact.
High-Suited Connectors
High-suited connectors such as KQs increase your chance of landing straight draws (open-ended), top pairs, or flush draws by 25%, unlike middle-suited connectors. They’re increasingly strong because they can lead to big hands or draws.
If you have this kind of hand, you should consider two factors: how strong your opponent’s hands are and your position at the table.
For example, if you’re in a ‘late position with QJs’ and your opponents haven’t bet (except for a small and big blind), you’re likely in a good spot to win.
It’s best to only raise it when you’re in position. If the opponent has weaker hands than yours, make a raise.
Benefits Of Playing Suited Connectors
Playing suited connectors can provide a range of benefits to savvy poker players, provided they play correctly and in the right situations.
Listed below are a few benefits you can leverage when playing suited connectors:
- Implied Odds: Suited connectors often provide an excellent chance to win big pots. If you land a straight or flush, you can rake in many chips, particularly when others don’t realize how strong your hand is.
- Position Matters: It’s smarter to play suited connectors when you’re in ‘late’ positions or blind is low. This way, you can watch what your opponents do before deciding how to bet, which helps you make better choices. Suited connectors perform well in multiway pots, offering you more chances to hit strong hands. However, you should exercise caution playing them early on, as creating a pot and optimizing potential winnings can be tricky.
- The Bluff Factor: You can also use suited connectors to bluff occasionally. With the flush draw, you can pretend to have strong hands and push opponents to fold their weaker holdings.
- Build Chip Stacks: Agg aggressively playing suited connectors and winning pots helps you build chip stacks over time, particularly in tournaments where collecting chips can be vital for your survival – and even success.
Low-Suited Connectors Better Than High Connectors?
Generally speaking, low-suited connectors provide little value when you play them consistently.
Nevertheless, In Texas Hold’em, sometimes low-suited connectors (like 4-5 or 6-7 suited) can be better and stronger than high-suited connectors such as 9-10 or J-Q suited for multiple reasons. Once you get the logic, you’ll make better decisions.
First, compared to high-suited connectors, lower-suited connectors have a better shot at making a straight. Let’s say you have 4–5 suits. This will help you easily make a straight with “3-4-5-6-7.”
But with something higher-suited, such as J-Q, you’d require “10-J-Q-K-A” for straight. This means the lower ones have more ways to connect with community cards.
Also, lower-suited connectors are less predictable. While playing with high-suited connectors, people think you have strong hands when high cards hit the board.
However, if you play with lower connectors and get a low flush or straight, your opponents might not realize your hand’s strength, giving you a better chance to win.
In addition, lower-suited people can hide your hands. Others won’t suspect your hand’s strength if low community cards match your low connectors. This can let you bluff or win more chips.
Plus, entering pots using low-suited connectors is more affordable than high-suited ones, as they hold low implied odds. You can risk less and win big if you have a strong hand.
Not to mention, lower connectors provide you with more options on a flop. For example, if you flop the draw with low-suited, you can determine whether you should continue playing based on board texture and opponent moves.
With high-suited connectors, you may feel more tied to a pot, which could be a problem if a board doesn’t help your hand.
How to Play Suited Connectors PreFlop
Playing suited connectors preflop can help you make big-pot hands. The only issue is that, even though they can lead to substantial wins in poker, flushes and straights don’t happen as often as we’d like.
So, hoping and limping to get a strong hand may result in you losing money over time. Especially in short-handed games, the appropriate way is to play suited connectors aggressively.
Limping or hoping is a big no-no.
When you are aggressive, your odds of winning increase. For instance, you may win a pot immediately, leverage initiative on a flop, secure a win with continuation bets (c-bets), or end up with the best hand at a showdown.
While aggression towards suited connectors is good, you shouldn’t raise them in every situation. It would help if you considered your position.
As always, position is one of the major factors when determining how to play suited connectors pre-flop. Let’s delve into how you can play in early positions.
How to Play in an Early Position
When you are out of your position, your opponents control the hand while you are left playing according to their rules. Due to this, many suited connectors aren’t profitable from an early position.
Often, with proper table dynamics, you may raise suited connectors such as “10♥ 9♥” or “J♠ 10♠” early on to mix things up and balance the range. Still, they should be folded by and large.
Remember, playing connectors when you are outside your position is tough. Unless you can play remarkably well post-flop, this can be a break-even game.
But as you move closer to a button, you can add more connectors to your mix. Make sure you play the hands aggressively to bring them up.
Even then, it would be best if you avoided the weakest-suited connectors. However, a hand such as “8♥ 7♥” can be fit to raise if you’re two spots away from the button.
When you are in the button or cut-off position, almost all connectors are worth raising when folded. You’ll often win a pot pre-flop without a showdown or facing an out-of-position, single opponent.
How to Play Suited Connectors PostFlop
Post-flop Playing suited connectors can be challenging for many players. That’s why it’s not smart to ‘limp in’ with them. Limping in means you need more initiative. Often, you’ll either miss a flop altogether or only end up with a weak pair with a clue of where you stand.
However, if you raise it first, you take charge of the situation. This can give you the upper hand and may even allow you to win the pot on a flop with continuation bets.
But before you decide, make sure to check out the board. Could it help your opponent? Or help your hand? It might not matter what cards you hold if it’s a yes to either. Fire your continuation bet—you may win a pot without any fight.
And if you manage to flop a draw, a pair, or even the combo draw, you are in a better position. Although raising preflop with suited connectors is becoming more common, many opponents still won’t see it coming.
If you wind up making the flush or straight later on, your hand can still be disguised to them, making it harder to figure out what you hold. If you have a strong hand that your opponents don’t expect, you can make a big payday.
Should You Raise or Limp?
The decision to raise or limp with suited connectors depends on several factors. Before we discuss them, let’s understand what the two terms mean.
In poker, raising means upping your bet, which makes the remaining players in the hand either match it or re-raise. If players don’t re-raise or call, they fold and can’t win the pot.
On the other hand, limp means to wager the bare minimum required to stay in the hand. Also called flat call or limp in, it’s used when a little blind calls the ‘big blind’ rather than raise.
Limping is usually seen as weak because it shows hesitation or lack of confidence. Players who limp are often thought of as weak players. Now that you know what raise or limp means, let’s find out whether you should limp or raise with suited connectors:
- Table Dynamics: In loose and passive games, limping with suited connectors can be profitable, as you can see flops cheaply and potentially win big pots when you hit strong hands.
- Opponent Tendencies: Against aggressive opponents, raising can prove beneficial as it allows you to take control of the pot and potentially win without seeing a showdown.
- Position: When it comes to position, raising with suited connectors is generally more favorable in a ‘late position’ or ‘on the button,’ where you have a positional leverage post-flop.
- Stack Sizes: This is an important factor to consider when deciding whether to raise or limp. Deeper stacks favor raising for value and building a pot, while shallower stacks may lean towards limping to control pot size.
Should You Bluff With Suited Connectors?
Believe it or not, you need to bluff at times. Players can read your hand much too easily if you don’t bluff.
Suited connectors often allow you to weave bluff into your repertoire without risking everything. This is because they come with a ‘strong draw,’ which means you could still win even if your bluff gets called.
This type of bluff is called a semi-bluff. For instance, if you have a draw such as “4♣ 5♣” on the board showing 3♠ 6♣ A♦, the usual move would be to ‘check’ and ‘call’ if the odds favor it.
Or, you can try a more tricksy play like semi-bluff where you bet out, implying you have a hand like “AX XX, 6X 6X, or 3X 3X”.
Maybe you get weak aces, strong sixes, and pocket pairs to fold. Even if they don’t fold, they’re exactly the hands you can beat if the next card is a “2X” or “7X,” making you a straight.
That’s how semi-bluff works. As a bonus, you have disguised a draw as you play it similarly to a pure-bluff or strong hand like AX XX (which may make your opponent think you have the draw when, in reality, you’re value betting or pure bluffing).
Should You Fold Suited Connectors?
One of the most important aspects of playing suited connectors is having the strength and willingness to fold them.
If you play them, release them when they don’t connect with a flop, which is often the case. For example, you pair one of your smaller cards on a flop. Now, it’s best to fold if someone wagers on you.
We often suggest players a ‘flop it or fold it’ way of playing. While sometimes you may hit a draw, mostly it will drain your game slowly. So, it’s best to have the self-control to fold them when required.
Should You 3 or 4 Bet?
Although it varies based on numerous factors, many poker experts and aficionados choose a 3-bet when deciding on a 3- or 4-bet with suited connectors.
Here’s why:
A 3-bet refers to the first re-raise in a game, which mostly happens pre-flop. Similarly, a post-flop re-raise is also known as a 3-bet.
Typically, you should be aggressive in the pre-flop stage. If you are in a late position and can re-raise after a big blind wage was raised, it’s best to do it. This gives you leeway to try different tactics if things don’t go as planned.
In addition, consider your opponent’s tendencies. For example, if they often muck to 3-bets and are likely to fold weaker hands, a 3-bet with suited connectors can be efficient.
However, making a 3-bet postflop can be risky because you’ll face radically low winning odds unless the cards on the table complement your hand well.
Unlike a 3-bet, a 4-bet with suited connectors is rare and mostly done in specific situations, like against very aggressive opponents or when you have a strong read that they are light 3-betting.
Final Thoughts
Now you know how to play suited connectors.
Make sure to be aggressive with them, mostly before a flop. And even post-flop, you should look for several spots to use semi-bluffs profitably.
Although you will only sometimes make profits with suited connectors, including them in your game is important. They help balance your stronger hands and can lead to bigger wins.
Follow the article to the T to learn how to best play suited connectors to reduce losses and reach a break-even one day. Also, if your looking for some great sites to play on I have some resources for you here.
Edward Pao is an online poker and casino affiliate marketer with over 10 years of experience in the industry. He has referred over 30,000 players to major poker platforms and specializes in reviewing the best online poker sites and casino bonuses.