suited hands

[chanman83]

Do you play them? I get them alot and I play them with more odds that they dont' come out what I need. Is it wise to play hands like k3 suited etc?? Should I just fold?

[fishstick]

ring or sng?

how many players?

if an sng, what level?

what position, how many limpers, raised pot, etc?

for the most part with something like K3 suited, on a full table, with cheap blinds, i'd complete the small blind with it looking for a flush, and that's about it.

[chanman83]

ring or sng?

how many players?

if an sng, what level?

what position, how many limpers, raised pot, etc?

for the most part with something like K3 suited, on a full table, with cheap blinds, i'd complete the small blind with it looking for a flush, and that's about it.

sng

mostly 5 + .50 or 10 + 1

the others factors i'm still learning.. Usually I just limp into the hand if i had that with a small call.

[Humphrind]

Do you play them? I get them alot and I play them with more odds that they dont' come out what I need. Is it wise to play hands like k3 suited etc?? Should I just fold?

Well, as the answer to all poker question is... it depends. As a general rule, if I am on the button, or 1 off from the button, I will limp in with Kxs or Axs. If it is raised, I will fold, if I am in UTG, I will fold it. If I have a utra-tight player limping in before me, I will consider folding.

[fishstick]

sng

mostly 5 + .50 or 10 + 1

the others factors i'm still learning.. Usually I just limp into the hand if i had that with a small call.

ditto what humph said, but only for the early (cheap) rounds. i would stop playing these hands at all when the BB hits 100 (maybe even 50 if your stack is in trouble) in an SNG unless you're the jumbo stack.

also, if you catch two of your suit on the flop to your flush draw, really think about bets you'll call (think pot odds). if you flop your flush, you're probably good, but remember, all it takes is one more of that suit, and if someone is sitting out there with the lone ace, your flush just got flushed!

[michael1123]

I really only call with Kx (x lower than 9) suited on the small blind with no raise, or big blind with a minimum raise. Even with K9s, I only call in position when the blinds are low.

Ax suited I like to limp in when I can afford it, but Kx suited is very different to me. Partly because it isn't as much of a complete crap hand as Kx is if you don't hit the flush, and partly because if you hit the flush, at least you know you're not going to lose to a higher flush.

Think about it. In the best case senario with Kx suited (the board brings 3 of your suit), which is rare enough as it is, you can still lose a lot of money to a higher flush. Its just not worth it to me.

[Toasty]

In SnGs I don't bother with Axs at all nm Kxs unless its from the blinds in an unraised pot. It just burns to many chips.

e.g.

You call, BB min riases you call again. Flop brings a 4 flush somene min bets you call, Turn a blank, someone bets double, you have plenty of odds to call and you do, river a blank.

Lots of chips burned chasing a hand, you have now lost some of your stack and feel more presure to win some chips.

Remember the flush is only going to come 6.5% of the time if you stay in for every round. Add on the 2% of the time you flop 2pair but even in all of these times you will occasionally still lose. Just bide your time for a better hand. For instance 88 is flopping a set almost 12% of the time when you compare those odds to the flush full board 6.5% you can see why I consider it a loser.

[koolmoe]

In limit ring games I will usually only play Axs or (less frequently) Kxs if there are many limpers ahead of me and no (or maybe one) aggressive player behind me. What makes it playable is to have at least 4 others in the hand with you. I will stop playing these hands if there are too many aggressive players behind me because it will get raised too often, and I don't want to play these hands for two bets.

If you have four others in the pot, you'll have pot odds to draw to the turn (if you flop a draw) as long as no one raises the flop. In a limit game, if you're the last to act, you can sometimes get a cheaper look at the river by raising the flop or betting it if it's checked to you. That can get you the river card for $1 instead of $2. This works best if your opponents are passive. The downside is that some opponents will fold when you might have preferred them to follow you to the turn.

In no limit, I really try to steer clear of these hands unless I feel fairly certain I'll be able to get in for the minimum, and only in late position. It's too hard to draw in NL against reasonable opponents. If one of your opponents has top pair, and there are two of a suit on the board, he'll usually bet enough that you don't have odds to call. I also find the implied odds aren't there. When three to a flush are on the board, it's hard to get many callers.

At Party and affiliates, I don't touch these hands early in SnG's because the stacks are too small relative to the blinds. I *might* consider it if I'm the chip leader simply because it is a decent hand to bully with. At some other sites, you get enough chips to start with that it may actually be worth playing. The implied odds are a lot better in SnG's than ring, I have found.

[Fnord]

I'm such a scrub...

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (6 max, 5 handed) converter

Fnord ($44.32)
Button ($68.86)
SB ($24.33)
BB ($18.85)
UTG ($17.40)

Preflop: Fnord is CO with A, 8.
UTG raises to $1, Fnord calls $1, Button folds, SB folds, BB calls $0.50.

Flop: ($3.25) 3, Q, T (3 players)
BB checks, UTG bets $3, Fnord calls $3, BB folds.

Turn: ($9.25) 4 (2 players)
UTG bets $5, Fnord calls $5.

River: ($19.25) 5 (2 players)
UTG bets $8.4 (All-In), Fnord calls $8.40.

Final Pot: $36.05

Results in white below:
UTG shows As 5s (one pair, fives).
Fnord shows Ah 8h (flush, ace high).
Outcome: Fnord wins $36.05.

[fishstick]

At Party and affiliates, I don't touch these hands early in SnG's because the stacks are too small relative to the blinds. I *might* consider it if I'm the chip leader simply because it is a decent hand to bully with. At some other sites, you get enough chips to start with that it may actually be worth playing. The implied odds are a lot better in SnG's than ring, I have found.

specifically at party, these hands can be profitable in the early rounds of an SNG ASSUMING you can get in cheap and draw cheap. this usually means limping on the button or completing/checking a blind.

for example, it's hand 13, level II, blinds are 15/30, you're the button with A3 suited, and you limp into an unraised pot. you either flop a flush or catch it on the turn, and you have the nut flush.

why this can work:
- so many people playing on party don't really get pot odds, and won't bet to ruin a drawers odds, so you can typically see the turn for little or nothing.
- if there are three of a suit on the board before the river, a disturbing number of people will call a big bet (to your made flush) or go all-in if they have a high card of that suit, hoping to hit their flush on the river.

[Fortune 500]

All depends. If I can limp in with it, I might play it ONLY if it is Kxs or Axs, maybe Qxs on a really loose table. Might even call one small raise with it, but more than one raise or any show of power and I'm out of there quickly. Definitely not worth fishing out bluffs with that.

If I can get to the flop cheaply, it's all about the cost, to me. If I've got four to the flush and the draw is cheap, I'll maybe play it to the turn.