Playing Suited Connectors

Playing Suited Connectors

There has always been a debate over how suited connectors should be played. Some players argue that suited connectors are best played in late position and should never be raised pre-flop. Other players such as Daniel Negranu and Gus Hansen prefer to raise suited connectors in early position and argue that if you connect on the flop players will never suspect the strength of your hand. While there is some weight to both theories, the best strategy to use with suited connectors is a combination of both.

Before we get to the strategy, it’s important to have an idea of the odds and involved in playing suited connectors.

Odds of completing an open ended straight draw after the flop 2.2 : 1

Odds of completing an open ended straight draw after the turn 4.7 : 1

Odds of completing a gutshot straight draw after the flop 5.1 : 1

Odds of completing a gutshot straight draw after the turn 10.5 : 1

Odds of completing a flush draw after the flop 1.9 : 1

Odds of completing a flush draw after the flop 4.1 : 1

Odds of completing a backdoor flush draw after the flop 23 : 1

Odds of completing a flush or straight draw after the flop 0.85 : 1

Odds of completing a flush or straight draw after the turn 2.1 : 1

 

From these odds we can easily calculate the pot odds to determine whether a chasing a draw is profitable by calculating the expected value.

 

Let’s look at an example

You have K♣ Q♣

You are playing a $1/$2 game with 5 other players

4 players call, the SB folds, and you check on the BB

The pot is at $11

The flop comes

4♥ 7♣ A♣

Player 1 bets $4

Player 2 folds

Player 3 folds

Player 4 folds

The pot is at $15

You know you have a 1.9 - 1 chance of hitting the nut flush on the turn or the river. There are 9 cards that will make your flush and 28 that will miss you.

Your pot odds are 2.67 : 1 ($4 to win $15) from this we can calculate the expected value

(-$4 * 28/37) + ($15 * 9/37) = -$3.02 + 3.64 = $0.62

This means that in the long run if you make this play you will on average $0.62.

 

If the pot odds are higher than your odds of completing your draw you immediately know your EV is positive and therefore you should call without hesitation. In this particular scenario the implied odds are somewhat irrelevant because you’re EV is already positive. If we modify the scenario to:

Pot size: $11

Bet to you: $4

Pot odds: 1.37 : 1

Without any calculations we know your EV is negative. However if we assume your opponent hit his Ace, which is a fair assumption if he’s betting a little more than 1/3 of the pot, he will most likely bet on the turn. Let’s assume he bets $8 on the turn and again $8 on the river. Now you are getting almost 6 : 1 implied odds making it profitable to call.

There’s more to playing suited connectors beyond the numbers and the math including. Let’s take a quick look at some of these strategies now.

 

Which Suited Connectors To Play

In the traditional sense suited connectors are two sequential cards, however the term ‘connector’ can also be extended to include hands with a gap such as J-9 or 10-8 for example. Higher suited connectors such as A-K, A-Q, K-Q, K-J offer you additional outs in additional outs and as a result should be played more aggressively before the flop. While the A-2 can be considered a suited connector it’s best to play it conservatively pre-flop because it will only give you a gutshot draw, and if you flop an Ace you’ll have serious kicker issues.

 

In Early Position

In early position you should stick to playing with high suited connectors. If you’re going to be playing low and middle suited connectors you should use a more conservative style and limp. If you’re playing at an extremely loose table you can call 1 raise, but fold if anyone re-raises.

 

In Middle Position

In middle position you should start raising with high suited connectors and call with any suited connector. By raising in this position you can ‘buy’ a late position by knocking off the players left to act behind you.

 

In Late Position

In late position you’ll want to raise with any suited connectors. Raise it to 2x the BB which is small enough to get a few callers but high enough to knock off some players. This will increase your pot odds and give you more options to steal the pot with a raise if you miss your draw.