Suited Connectors-cold call?

My friend and I are having another topic or two of poker disagreement.


I hate cold calling raises---rarely do it, but it doesn't seem to bother her at all.


She loves to play low and medium suited connectors ("they're SO pretty") while I think they are for the birds. Maybe for one bet with a few others limpers.


She gets dealt Tc 9c on the button. UTG calls, the next player raises, two players cold call to her. She cold calls the raise also. No hesitation about this call at all. It's not even a close decision to her.


I think it's marginal at best and I would have folded it. Mainly because it's TWO bets. Another reason is the 2 up front players getting in and then the 2 other cold callers. There must be some good hands in there. If you flop top pair, its a loser. Even if you flop two pair, the straight draw is out. Also, this Tc 9c can make you a bad straight that loses, or a bad flush that loses. Now the good things about this call are that; she was on the button, will have last action on future rounds, hopefully won't get re-raised preflop, and there are lots of people in the hand.


So, what do you guys think?

J 8 5 on the flop--rainbow.

2 on the turn.

7 on the river.


She wins a big pot with her nut straight. Smiles at me while stacking the chips. Wonders if I'm going to post this hand on 2+2.

It's a bad call.

I tend to agree with you in that it is marginal. But I would not say it is a bad play. The most likely scenario is that one or both of the blinds will call as well as the UTG limper creating six-way or even seven-way action. She also has the best position at the table. The key is to play this well post-flop. If you fail to catch a flush or an open-end straight draw but get a piece of the board like middle or botton pair, you need to be able to get off the hand at some stage if you catch a lot of heat.

"If you fail to catch a flush or an open-end straight draw but get a piece of the board like middle or botton pair, you need to be able to get off the hand at some stage if you catch a lot of heat. "


but if you dont feel the heat or get too much heat, she can probably peel on e off.

(n/t)

I would call.


It's a game of pot odds and position. the preflop raiser is well removed from you in a counterclockwise direction meansing that you can trap some people for extra bets if you hit.


Also, I disagree with the general assertion you see being made all the time that you generally need the best hand to win in a multiway pot. I find that reading hands is way easier in multiway pots than it is in headsup or 3 way pots. This is because the actions of your opponents are way less likely to be deceptive as the pot is seen to be protected. Thus, if you can read hands with a greater degree of precision than your opponents, it stands to reason that you can win a few pots here and there when you don't have the best hand or when the board looks ugly but really isn't.


I expressed that poorly. Here's a simple example:


Flop: 58J rainbow. You have 9d8d. Perhaps, the flop has a spade and a diamond in it. Preflop raiser bets. Guy to his left calls. Next guy folds. You call. One of the blinds folds. Other blind calls. 4 way action.


Turn: Jack of Spades.


Preflop raiser checks his Ak (some guys may even nervously check AA). The next guy then bets. Huh? You know, he doesn't have a Jack. You therefore raise his ass, get it headsup and go on to win the pot when a King comes on the river.


Obviously, this was a contrived example. But my point simply is that hand reading is easier in multiway pots and this can pay dividends.


In the games that I play in, there are guys who never coldcall with these types of hands. It is my observation that they are marginal winners at best. This may not necessarily be a cause and effect realtionship vis a vis this situation. All I am saying is that there are guys who simply don't call enough. They win small amounts.


There are guys who always call with these hands regradless of the number of opponents or position. Big losers.


The better players pick their spots and then play them well postflop.

Thanks Dynasty, Jim, and skp. Interesting range of opinions.

one or two things i would add...

is there going to be a lot of action preflop or will they get passive? if they are going to charge you for you draws i would fold this, but at my typical table i could play this as i t is likely only going to be one bet to me. i will also be able to buy a free card unless there is trips out there. secondly in a big pot like this few are going to fold so they will call my two cold (when i raise for a free card) and will make the pot huge and stick around when i hit.


basically if the players are bad post flop and you are playing well, its not such a bad thing IMO.