Everyone loves to play suited cards, especially suited cards in NL Hold’em. This is because once you play suited cards, you stand a much better chance of making a hand that will be very profitable to you. Suited cards give you a lot more options during either pre-flop or flop. You can be a little more confident that you are holding something profitable when you look at your hand with a few co-isites. Keep reading and we’ll all share a few hands with you.
First of all, notice that you have the same chips in both hands. That doesn’t mean that if you limp with 4c-5c, you should. Usually you want to be the first person to limp, unless someone in front of you has limped in. In that case, you can come over the top of him. A good opportunity to steal some chips from the blinds.
Second, two tens or two Aces. Suited cards give you a lot of options at either end of the hand. You can be conservative and wait for a stronger hand, or you can take a little risk. I like to raise when I have aces or kings. Sometimes you will be outdrawn, but if you get paid off nicely for your risk, it might be worth the loss.
Third, a pair of Fours. This is slightly trickier than the two tens. It depends in what situation you are in. If you just made a small pre-flop raise, you want to make a continuation bet here. Against strong opponents, you can let this bet pass. Against weak opponents, you can continue to bet the flop. Most times they will fold here. Sometimes they’ll call, but not very often. Might as well try to take down an easy pot here.
Fourth, a King or Ace of the same suit. Again, when you have aces or kings, you want to toy with people. Against strong opponents, you can take free cards. Against weak opponents, you can go ahead and get heads up. Against good opponents, you will always bet, unless they have a good hand. Then, you will always check, or give up all control.
Show some initiative by not just checking, but also by betting. You will find that players will have a lot of trouble hiding their hands behind you. They might think you have great cards, and not many people really have great cards in this game. This is fine because you can always show the power of your hand. And, in this way, even if they throw a good pass line, they will have a hard time calling a heavy bet.
The flop, second pair, and third pair are often played out in 3’s. This is not a problem if you have a high pair or really anything. But, if you are playing middle or low cards, a flop of 3’s is particularly scary. Many times players have gone to the wall holding middle or bottom pair, only to lose to a set of hitting your cards. If you have a pair, especially inside straights, you should be happy to take the flop, unless the board is scary. Many people will scream that it isn’t worth calling if they have a pair. They forget that they have already made a profit.
