{"id":2520700,"date":"2023-06-29T19:22:57","date_gmt":"2023-06-29T19:22:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/?p=2520700"},"modified":"2025-12-29T12:59:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T12:59:08","slug":"suited-connectors-3-myths-and-3-truths-to-remember","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/suited-connectors-3-myths-and-3-truths-to-remember\/","title":{"rendered":"Suited Connectors: 3 Myths and 3 Truths To Remember"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It seems like everybody loves suited connectors. I guess they look pretty, the 8\u2665<\/mark> snuggled up to its neighbor, the 7\u2665<\/mark>. Legendary poker vlogger Ethan \u201cRampage\u201d Yau<\/strong><\/a> loves T\u2666<\/mark>-9\u2666<\/mark> because it\u2019s a natural in baccarat. Maybe it\u2019s because it\u2019s so fun to have your 6\u2663-5\u2663 beat pocket kings. I don\u2019t understand all the reasons, but it\u2019s undeniable that poker players love<\/em> to play any two cards that are the same suit and one number apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, those hands can get you into trouble if they\u2019re not managed correctly \u2013 here are three myths and three truths about suited connectors that will help you play these delicate hands properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTable Of Contents\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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  1. Myth: Suited connectors are similar to small pocket pairs<\/a>
  2. Myth: Suited connectors play well multi-way<\/a>
  3. Myth: If you miss the flop, you should fold<\/a>
  4. Truth: Suited connectors are great bluffing hands<\/a>
  5. Truth: You need deep stacks<\/a>
  6. Truth: Suited connectors need position<\/a>
  7. The important facts to remember<\/a><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\n\n

    Myth: Suited connectors are similar to small pocket pairs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Quite often, you see people dropping suited connectors<\/a> into the same bucket with smaller pocket pairs: \u201cOh, I would play 8-7 suited or 6-6 in that spot.\u201d There is a world of difference between those two hands. Let\u2019s look at some numbers\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Your chance of flopping a set with a pocket pair is about the same as your chance of flopping a flush <\/strong>draw<\/em><\/strong> with two suited cards.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    With a pocket pair such as 6\u2666<\/mark>-6\u2663, you\u2019ll flop exactly a set 11.8% of the time. With two suited cards, such as 7\u2666<\/mark>-6\u2666<\/mark>, you\u2019ll flop a draw<\/em> to your flush 10.9% of the time. You will flop the whole flush a tiny 0.8% of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Consider what happens after that. If you flop a set, you have a monster, and three streets of betting on which to capitalize on it and extract value from your opponents. Conversely, when you flop the flush draw<\/em>, you are still a very long way from making your hand (you\u2019re a 4:1 underdog to turn the flush). You will have to endure bets from your opponents and\/or do some betting yourself as a semi-bluff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Furthermore, the \u201cbig\u201d hands you flop with suited connectors \u2013 two-pairs and trips with a weak kicker \u2013 are not the sorts of hands you want to play for stacks. Sets were born<\/em> to play for all the money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s just a lot better to start with a pocket pair<\/a> than a suited connector, because the payoff, when it comes, is faster and bigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Myth: Suited connectors play well multi-way<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    You hear this statement tossed around a lot. It\u2019s probably because people feel that with multiple players in the pot, you\u2019re getting a better price to draw to your hand, and if you do<\/em> hit a straight or a flush, it\u2019s likely to be best, even in a multi-way pot<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There are three problems with this logic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. More players means more betting<\/strong>. As we discussed above, it\u2019s rare enough to flop a draw<\/em> with a suited connector. Any time you can get free cards to draw, it\u2019s a big win. But with two or more opponents, the chance of getting free cards goes down, and you are investing more in a fundamentally long-shot proposition.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. You win less when you make your hand<\/strong>. Yes, there are more potential \u201ccustomers.\u201d However, they also see that the pot is multi-way. When the draw arrives and you don\u2019t worry, everybody else will be concerned about you. While you will frequently have the best hand, if giant piles of money go in when the flush card arrives, your 8-high flush may well be dead.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Harder to win with a semi-bluff<\/strong>. We\u2019ll get to this in more detail shortly, but your goal with your draws is to win the pot without actually hitting the draw. It\u2019s much harder to bluff your way out of a multi-way pot than persuade just one player to fold.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      My friend and teacher Andrew Brokos<\/a><\/strong> puts it like this: \u201cAll hands perform worse multi-way; suited connectors perform \u2018less worse.\u2019\u201d Faint praise indeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Myth: If you miss the flop, you should fold<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Many players play a \u201cfit or fold\u201d strategy with suited connectors. They plan to flop a four-card draw of some sort, or maybe a miracle two-pair or trips, and then proceed. If they don\u2019t, they simply fold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      However, a lot of suited connectors\u2019 equity involves seeing a turn card when you\u2019ve flopped some backdoor opportunities. Suppose you\u2019re playing $2\/5 no-limit hold\u2019em, the lo-jack opens to $15, and it folds to you on the button. GTOWizard<\/a> gives (small) partial preflop calls<\/a> with suited connectors all the way down to 5-4 suited. Let\u2019s suppose you call with 8\u2660-7\u2660, and the blinds fold. The flop is 2\u2660-6\u2665<\/mark>-J\u2666<\/mark>, and our opponent bets $10 into the $35 pot. We have nothing \u2013 just backdoor dreams \u2013 so we fold, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Wrong. There are a ton of cards that breathe life into those backdoor dreams. Any 4 or ten gives us a gutshot straight draw. Any 5 or 9 gives us an open-end straight draw. And any spade gives us a flush draw. Only with no backdoor flush possibilities (87 suited in clubs) does the Machine (GTOWizard) fold. With our specific hand, it raises<\/em> 44% of the time, and calls the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"GTOWizard<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      We are literally raising 44% of the time with a hand that is 8-high, and can never be better than a pair of 8\u2019s on the turn. What in the world is going on?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cWhat\u2019s going on\u201d will be revealed in the first \u201cTruth\u201d in our list. Get a fresh cup of coffee and listen closely\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Truth: Suited connectors are great bluffing hands<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Consider the problem of trying to \u201cget there\u201d with a suited connector that has flopped a draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      A four-card flush is a 4:1 underdog to complete on the next card. If you simply call a bet with a flush draw, you must believe you will win at least four times the amount of that call, either immediately or with subsequent bets. Even a 12-out draw (7\u2666<\/mark>-6\u2666<\/mark> on a 3\u2666<\/mark>-4\u2660-Q\u2666<\/mark> flop) is nearly a 3:1 underdog to turn a straight or a flush. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      You might get reasonably close to the correct odds on the flop, taking into account subsequent bets. However, those opportunities usually evaporate on the turn, when bet sizes increase, and your implied odds \u2013 the chance to make more money once you\u2019ve hit your hand \u2013 decrease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      While many players grit their teeth and call with flush and\/or straight draws on the turn, they\u2019re often paying far too high a price. If you call a \u201cB80\u201d (a bet of 80% of the pot) with a 9- or 12-out draw on the turn, you are lighting money on fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The solution: Win the pot without getting there<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Fortunately, there\u2019s a way to avoid this problem: make your opponent fold their hand<\/em>. If you learn nothing else from this article, take away this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Suited connectors which flop draws are not gestating big hands \u2013 they\u2019re fantastic bluffing opportunities.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      And this is why you see GTOWizard calling and raising with a hand that can\u2019t even turn a straight or flush. It\u2019s planning to win the pot without a showdown<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Suppose you\u2019re playing a $1\/3 no-limit hold\u2019em cash game<\/a>, and open-raise to $12 in the CO position with 9\u2663-8\u2663. It folds to the big-blind, who calls. Each of you started with $300 in your stack. With $25 in the pot, the flop is A\u2663-J\u2660-5\u2663. This is an awesome flop for you \u2013 not only does the ace smash your raising range, but your actual hand has nine outs to a flush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The big blind checks. While in theory you can check a lot, I much prefer a bet here. The main reason to check is because you would hate to face a check-raise \u2013 with your draw, you\u2019d have a difficult choice between folding away a lot of equity, or calling, taking the worst of it. But if your opponents don\u2019t check\/raise enough (and very few do) then you can bet with impunity, and put them in miserable spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Let\u2019s say you B50 ($13) and your opponent calls. With $51 in the pot, the turn is the 2\u2666<\/mark>, and your opponent checks again. While poker solvers<\/a> frequently check here (after betting the flop), I like another bet \u2013 a big one. And here the solver agrees \u2013 if<\/em> you bet, it should be big. There is currently $275 in the stacks. If you bet $75 (B150) and are called, there will be a pot of $201 with $200 behind. That\u2019s an SPR of a nice round 1.0, and your opponent will likely realize \u2013 even as they\u2019re considering calling the turn \u2013 what is coming next. That is, all your chips are piling into the middle on the river. You may or may not actually shove the river if you miss, but your opponent isn\u2019t privy to that plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Note that this semi-bluff gives you two ways to win the pot: plan A is that at some point, your opponent tires of your betting, and folds. Plan B is for one of your outs to arrive, and now you bet for value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      This is a much more profitable strategy than trying to just hit one of your outs. Particularly in lower stakes games<\/a>, it\u2019s brutally effective. Your opponents are often playing weak ranges. They\u2019re loath to fold to one relatively small bet on the flop, even when they don\u2019t have much. But the second barrel, a big<\/em> bet on the turn, is frequently more than their third pair or one overcard can stand \u2013 they fold, and you win the pot with 9-high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"Master<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Make the best preflop decisions with Jonathan Little’s Push\/Fold Charts!<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Truth: You need deep stacks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      This and the \u201cTruth\u201d that follows both flow from the basic fact that the draws you pick up with suited connectors should be treated as semi-bluffs, not \u201ccall and get there\u201d hands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If you are planning a multi-street bluff, perhaps even all three streets, then the stacks need to be deep<\/a>. This depth is what strikes fear into the heart of your opponent \u2013 you are leveraging the stack depth to make your opponent believe that they may be put to a test for all their chips. If the stacks are 50 BB, then they can look at their weak top pair, and think, \u201cMeh, I\u2019m good or I\u2019m not \u2013 let\u2019s put the chips in and see who wins.\u201d But if the stacks are 150<\/em> BB, and your betting suggests that you\u2019re planning to wager all of them eventually, your opponent has a difficult, unpleasant decision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Another reason that suited connectors want deep stacks is because, occasionally<\/em>, they turn into monsters. Consider our example of 7\u2666<\/mark>-6\u2666<\/mark> on a 3\u2666<\/mark>-4\u2660-Q\u2666<\/mark> flop. Your opponent checks, you bet, and they call. The turn is K\u2663. They check again, you bet again, but unfortunately they call again. I say \u201cunfortunately,\u201d except the river is the exquisite 5\u2665<\/mark>, giving you the nuts. Now you can happily jam for 50 BBs \u2013 a rare occurrence. This, by the way, is why such draws are often better turn-barreling options than two overcards \u2013 if you hit the river, you can play for stacks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Truth: Suited connectors need position<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Not only do suited connectors need to be played with deep stacks, they are also most effectively played last-to-act (\u201cin-position\u201d). Of course, this is true of all poker hands, but because much of their equity comes from semi-bluffing, suited connectors need all the help they can get. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Consider the example we discussed above. You\u2019re playing $1\/3 no-limit hold\u2019em, and open-raise to $12 in the CO position with 9\u2663-8\u2663. But instead of the big blind calling<\/a>, the button calls behind you, and the blinds fold. Again, you each started with $300 in your stack, and we have the same A\u2663-J\u2660-5\u2663 flop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Out of position, you must frequently check on the flop, and you usually need to check here. Developing your two- or three-street bluff will be more difficult. With your opponent acting after you, it\u2019s much riskier to semi-bluff your way through the hand. Playing a strong hand out-of-position is difficult. Playing a marginal semi-bluffing hand out-of-position is miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The important facts to remember<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • Suited connectors are not as strong as pocket pairs, and must be handled more delicately.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • While suited connectors suffer less than other kinds of hands out of position, they do best played heads-up.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Suited connectors must often continue past the flop, even if they have nothing but backdoor equity. In heads-up pots, suited connectors often profit from “floating\u201d \u2013 calling flop bets, even from out-of-position, with as little as backdoor draws and a flexible game plan. Backdooring the straight or flush is the dream, but more commonly they benefit from bluffing later, or picking up a weak pair that can win at showdown in a small pot.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Small suited connectors are best played with deep stacks and in-position.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        The single most important thing about suited connectors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        Suited connectors, and the draws they make, serve you best as semi-bluffs, with the intent of winning the pot without actually making your hand. Playing \u201cfit-or-fold\u201d on the flop, and\/or just check\/calling hoping to \u201cget there,\u201d are not winning strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n\n\n\n

        Note: As I often do, I need to thank Andrew Brokos for his constant repetition of the message that draws are not big hands in the making, but glorious semi-bluffing opportunities. His emphasis on this point has completely changed my understanding of draws in general and suited connectors specifically.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        It seems like everybody loves suited connectors. I guess they look pretty, the 8\u2665 snuggled up to its neighbor, the 7\u2665. Legendary poker vlogger Ethan \u201cRampage\u201d Yau loves T\u2666-9\u2666 because it\u2019s a natural in baccarat. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":205,"featured_media":2520922,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[877,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2520700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-poker-basics","category-poker-strategy"],"acf":{"peak_live_date":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/PC-Blog_3-Truths-and-3-Myths-About-Suited-Connectors.png",1280,720,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/PC-Blog_3-Truths-and-3-Myths-About-Suited-Connectors-373x210.png",373,210,true],"medium":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/PC-Blog_3-Truths-and-3-Myths-About-Suited-Connectors-746x420.png",746,420,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/PC-Blog_3-Truths-and-3-Myths-About-Suited-Connectors-768x432.png",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/PC-Blog_3-Truths-and-3-Myths-About-Suited-Connectors-1024x576.png",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/PC-Blog_3-Truths-and-3-Myths-About-Suited-Connectors.png",1280,720,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/PC-Blog_3-Truths-and-3-Myths-About-Suited-Connectors.png",1280,720,false],"author_image":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/PC-Blog_3-Truths-and-3-Myths-About-Suited-Connectors-100x100.png",100,100,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Lee Jones","author_link":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/author\/jonesleehgmail-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"It seems like everybody loves suited connectors. I guess they look pretty, the 8\u2665 snuggled up to its neighbor, the 7\u2665. Legendary poker vlogger Ethan \u201cRampage\u201d Yau loves T\u2666-9\u2666 because it\u2019s a natural in baccarat. […]","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2520700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/205"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2520700"}],"version-history":[{"count":41,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2520700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2524596,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2520700\/revisions\/2524596"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2520922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2520700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2520700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2520700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}