How To Play Suited Connectors and Small Pairs Pre-Flop
The Rule of 5 and 10
Suited Connectors and Small Pairs Need High Implied Odds.
The Rule Of 5 and 10 Makes Playing These Hands Simple!
Playing high implied odds hands such as suited connectors and small pairs pre-flop can be very profitable in poker. Yet so many players get the play of these hands wrong and end up losing more chips than they gain. This article provides an introduction to the best way to play these hands by introducing the ‘Rule of 5 and 10’ to your poker game.
We start with an explanation of why suited connectors and small pairs are great hands pre-flop and the circumstances required to play these. Implied-odds concepts are introduced as part of this. We then describe the rule of 5 and 10 and show how this can help with your decisions. Finally, other factors such as position and player tendencies are introduced into the thinking process.
The reason that suited connectors (for example 6-7 of hearts) are good hands pre-flop is that, for a small bet, they can hit a well-hidden ‘monster’ hand on the flop – one which can enable you to take the whole stack of an opponent with an over-pair such as kings. Sure, you will miss the flop and fold most of the time – but this is more than made up for by those times you hit a straight or small flush.
Small pairs play in a similar way. For every 8 times you miss the flop, once you will hit trips and stand to gain a big payoff. Of course the advantage with a pair is that a bet on the flop might win the pot when you miss – assuming your opponent has also missed.
Poker implied odds are at the heart of playing these hands. Your profit only comes occasionally but is large. The ‘implied’ payoff when you hit your hand is more than the total of the small bets you invest those times that you fold – meaning that your play shows a profit over time.
The ‘Rule of 5 and 10’ is a great way to ensure that you have the correct implied odds to play these hands and is very simple to implement. The idea is this:
- If the raise (or call) pre-flop is less than 5% of your stack then you should usually play.
- If the raise pre flop is more than 10% of your stack you should usually fold.
- If the raise is in-between these amounts then use your judgment!
This rule makes perfect sense in terms of the implied odds – with 5% or less you have the potential to make 20 times your initial investment when you hit hard. With 10% you can only make 10x (and since you will not always get an opponent’s entire stack this includes a margin of safety).
The ‘judgment’ in between should take into account a few factors. Firstly your position at the table. If there are still several players left to act, any of whom might raise, then you would be less inclined to play than if you were in late position. If the pre-flop raiser is wild and unlikely to fold after the flop you would be more inclined to play (since you are more certain of getting paid-off the times that you do hit).
Your own table image can also factor into this judgment, if you have a ‘loose’ image yourself you are more likely to get paid-off. That is your implied odds with suited connectors and small pairs are higher because your opponents are less likely to believe you have a hand. If you are ultra-tight then the opposite may well be true.
To summarize, suited connectors and small pairs are great hands pre-flop when the stacks are deep in relation to the blinds and antes. This is due to the implied-odds – the extra bets you will win those times you hit a big hand. The ‘rule of 5 and 10’ is a simple way of ensuring that you have the implied odds to play. Judgment based on position and player tendencies will further assist in making sure your play is profitable.
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