If you have watched much televised Texas Hold em or read any books on Texas Hold em, you have probably read about or seen the power of suited connectors. Suited connectors are cards that have the maximum straight and flush possibilities, such as 8s9s or 3d4d. Many players like to see flops with these cards with the idea that if they hit, they have a well-disguised hand that is very strong, but if they miss, they can get away cheaply.

When to play suited connectors
In a Texas Hold em Sit and Go, a tournament that typically has only nine or ten players, starts whenever all the players arrive and ends when one of them has all the chips, you will consider playing suited connectors just as you would in any other tournament situation. Whether you play them or not depends on your assessment of your opponents and where you are in the tournament.

Usually Sit and Go's tend to be looser and more aggressive than other types of Texas Hold em tournaments. Since the blinds rise quickly, and since most Sit and Go's are online which tends to feature more loose aggressive play anyway, players will be willing to risk a lot to try to double up early. A lot of the value of suited connectors comes from the fact that you may get action on flops where you normally would not, plus you often set up your suited connector hand play so that you can bluff your way to the pot. Since play is so loose and aggressive, bluffs are not as effective, and you will often get action on your big hands, so playing marginal ones is not really necessary.

A selective approach
Playing a well timed suited connectors hand in a Texas Hold em Sit and Go can certainly reap great dividends, as you will almost certainly get paid off. However, suited connectors can also lead to trouble, such as when you hit a smaller flush than an opponent or when you make second pair. In the Sit and Go, you can win big pots when your top pair top kicker beats someone's top pair bad kicker or second pair, as players will often pay you off. Therefore, instead of wasting too many chips speculating on suited connectors, you may want to save them for when you have premium hands and then try to trap or bet for value.

As with most plays in Texas Hold em, playing suited connectors should be done selectively. If you choose the right moment to use them, they can pay great dividends. If you overuse them, you may find yourself on the rail much sooner than you had hoped.

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