Suited Connectors

[Old Yoda]

I know that suited connectors are considered starting hands with high potential value and I believe I understand why. My problem is knowing when to play them and at what levels do I start? My experience with them is not good. Do I play them in late position only? start at 8,9 and up? Any guidance on this subject is appreciated.

[Toddster18]

Yoda-

These hands are extremely situational - Stack sizes, how often there is a decent sized preflop raise, how loose the players are, etc.... Its all about the implied odds...

But my general take: In very ep; suited connectors are hardly worth calling unless the stacks are very deep, or unless the table is loose/passive and you essentially know there will not be a raise. The only connector I really consistently like and plya in ep is j-10.

In MP: As long as there has been no raises to me, I'll play maybe 6-7 and up . . . If it's really passive pre-flop, I'll actually occasionally go lower.

In LP: If it is unraised to me; i'll personally play nearly any suited connectors, and occasionally make a stab at the taking it down immediately with a smallish/reasonable raise . . . A good hand to mix things up on with some deception if you are called.

Once I get to the flop, I just remind myself that I need to hit big or hit a big draw, or I get out to any reasonable bets.

Just my opinions . . . I'm also interested to hear other people's preferences with these hands.

-Todd

[tdomeski]

Play them from the back. . .Be more likely to play 5-6s and 6-7s than 7-8s and 8-9s b/c of the fact that in the latter two a flop of 9-10-J and 10-J-Q respectively could put you in a situation where you lose your stack to a higher straight especially if there was a PF raise.

[Gomez22]

I'll play ANY suited connector in the right situation, but what I like to look at are the stack sizes of my opponents already in the hand, and the stacks sizes of opponents behind me if I choose to play(and position, of course).

I'd rather play them against a large stack than a small stack, as your impled odds are better. I won't call a raise with them if I don't feel that if I hit my hand, my opponent(s) will pay me off if I'm out of position, but I will call a raise with them from LP(once again, assuming it is from a large stack).

To call a large stacks raise, I like to have hands along the like of 65s, 76s, 87s... maybe 98s. You take a bigger risk playing hands like 109s, J10s, QJs, KQs out of position against a PF raise because of the possibility of hitting a draw on the flop may make a PF raiser's hand.

If you're not familiar with them, I'd play them from LP, and see how things work out for you with them... Give yourself enough of a chance to see how you like their play(and how you play them) before deciding whether or not to play or not play them.

They can be somewhat tricky to play sometimes, but can be VERY profitable in the right situations.

Even now, I still have problems playing them many times(especially out of position), but I'm trying to improve my game with them. They may not be my most profitable hand(s), but I think they are very "fun" to play.

Some stats from pokertracker:

QJs - 27 times - 29.63 Win% - average -0.33 BB/Hand
J10s - 36 times - 25.00 Win% - average 0.54/Hand
109s - 46 times - 28.26 Win% - average 3.71 BB/Hand
98s - 22 times - 13.64 Win% - average -0.77 BB/Hand
87s - 38 times - 31.58 Win% - average 2.91 BB/Hand
76s - 35 times - 17.14 Win% - average -0.49 BB/Hand
65s - 40 times - 17.50 Win% - average -0.08 BB/Hand
54s - 37 times - 10.81 Win% - average 0.42 BB/Hand
43s - 42 times - 7.14 Win% - average 0.25 BB/Hand
32s - 25 times - 4.00 Win% - average -0.82 BB/Hand

These stats come from a total of 12,000 NL hands, so it's a small sample. My most profitable hand is 87s, having won $110.15 with, followed by 109s at $60.94. The worst for me are 65s - ($25.00), and 98s - ($17.64).

I just wanted to show that they CAN be profitable, but can also be tough to play...

Also notice that the higher ranked SC's have a bigger winning %, but not necessarily a bigger win per hand.... this is because of being in raised pots and having made a hand, but a better one being out(at least I think it is).