[ballen]

I have noticed that when I have been playing, that many many people call all the way to the river with suited and suited connectors hole cards. I was wondering if this is a good strategy? It doesn't really seem like it to me. I try to play a pretty tight game playing agressive on good cards. Now, I know that in some cases it's a good idea, but anytime you have these cards? So, I guess I'm wondering if's its just an all around "in general" question. How do you play these kind of cards. I muck them unless they are high cards myself. Thanks.

[pritz]

From what I can tell, trying to see the flop cheaply with suited connectors is a fairly standard strategy in loose passive games.

[chris]

I take it this is low-limit holdem you're referring to? Suited connectors are great for unraised multiway pots but very weak heads-up unless they're big cards also. One thing to keep in mind though, you're about 3:1 against getting 2 suited holecards and about 8:1 against flopping 2 more of your suit. So playing every time you have suited holecards is a losing proposition.

Calling all the way to the river is only good if the pot is laying you the right odds compared to your card odds. You have to be careful of making a weak flush and paying off a better one. If your flush is weak then you need better pot odds than it would take to draw for a stronger flush to account for the fact that your weak hand might already be dead.

[johnf]

In limit games I really don't like suited connectors. If you are going to play them, you have to be in late position because you need to be pretty sure there will be no raise behind you. You also need to get a good number of callers in front of you so you are getting good odds. However, in loose games where players will play ANY two suited cards, if you make a flush with low suited connectors, you will often be outflushed-most commonly when 4 of your suit hits the board and the lone A or K makes the nut flush. So I tend to play low suited connectors and gap cards very infrequently. Now in spread limit, pot limit, and no limit games, I think these cards are very powerful.

[norshvind]

Play them from late position when 4 players or more have called ahead of you. Drop them on the flop unless you hit a draw and get pot odds for drawing. In low limit no foldem games, middle suited connectors with no gaps (down to 67s) are great value. The important thing is that you release them on the flop when you flop a pair with them.