Big-Suited
Connectors
Starting
a hand with big-suited connectors can almost be
as good as holding a pair, and there are plenty of
options you face before and after the flop.
Big
suited connectors, which are suited combinations of
A-K, K-Q, Q-J and J-10, offer many possibilities. They
are powerful because of their straight and flush
potential. With these connectors, good flops would
include a four-flush, open-end straight, trips or two
pair. Coming away with a high pair of aces or kings
wouldn’t be bad either, depending on what the other
two flop cards are.
The
flush is one of the more attractive possibilities
here. Being
dealt two suited cards to start the hand give a player
a five percent chance of hitting the flush. In a
10-player pot, the win rate for the average pot is 10
percent, making the five percent advantage a big plus
over the unsuited connector.
Your
position always has meaning during a game of Hold’em,
but when you’re playing with big suited connectors,
it takes on even more significance. It’s always
preferable to be dealt big suited connectors in the
late rather than early position.
If you come away with top pair, two overcards,
a four-flush or open-ended straight, you are left with
plenty of outs, and playing to at least the turn is
often very tempting. For example, if you start with
K-Q clubs and the flop is 10 (clubs)-9 (hearts)-4
(clubs), you’re looking at flush and straight
potential. But it is just potential, and you have to
work the hand without sacrificing too much of your
stack.
Positionally,
you’ll have to take into consideration a few things
when playing the big suited connectors. If you are
close to the button and no one has raised in front of
you, this is a must-raise situation since it is likely
you have one of the best hands. By raising you’ll
chase some of the players holding mediocre pairs or
high cards with small kickers.
Another
high suited connector consideration that may not be so
obvious is that the Q-J connector can have as much
power as an A-K connector. With the queen-high
connector, you have the opportunity for an open-ended
straight if you can pick up an A-K-10 or 10-9-8.
The power of the A-K, of course, is that they
are such high cards.
