Wow! I've Got J-10 Suited! Now What?

There used to be a misconception that J-10 suited was the best starting hand in limit hold'em, but that has proven to be a myth. Two aces is the best starting hand and will always remain that way. Played under the proper circumstances, a J-10 suited or unsuited can be a very profitable hand; however, it isn't profitable if you play it from under the gun or call multiple raises with it.

When I have two big connectors and am the first one into the pot, I like to bring it in for a raise. This includes A-K through Q-J. It does not include J-10, which is the favorite hand of lots of people. Remember that you might get a better hand the next deal, so why burn up money on J-10 with a raise? You can flat-call if you want to, or call a raise after you have limped in, but why set yourself up to be reraised and cost yourself three bets instead of one or two?

Some people call those raises with their beloved J-10 suited, just as they do with their big pairs, and then catch a small piece of the flop and trap themselves for multiple bets, usually with sorry results. Occasionally, they get there with the J-10, just as they might with any two cards. In fact, any two cards (all the way down to 7-2 offsuit) can be played profitably under the right set of conditions. And any two cards up to and including kings often cannot be played under any conditions. Just about the only hand that you can safely say should be played 100 percent of the time is two aces.

The big connectors are A-K, A-Q, A-J, and possibly K-Q and K-J, but I like K-Q and K-J only in unraised pots from late position. I occasionally have violated this principle and called a raise from late position with these two hands – and was justifiably punished. I also have limped in from early position with a K-Q or K-J, called a raise behind me, flopped top pair – and was punished. Does this mean that you should always fold your K-Q or K-J? Of course not. But it does mean that you must be selective about when you enter the pot with these types of hands.

For example, suppose there are two or three limpers in the pot and you have the K J two or three spots in front of the blinds. You generally don't want to raise with this hand, but you can see the flop with it. The same is true with a hand like A-10 suited. But let me clarify one thing: I also would call with these hands if they were unsuited from a late position in an unraised pot with a couple of limpers already in the pot. But if the pot has been raised, these hands go down so much in value that they usually are not worth playing.

I try to avoid having to make tricky, delicate decisions after the flop. When you play one of these marginal hands in a raised pot, you might flop something to it, true, but if there is any kind of action in front of you, you will always be in a precarious situation. Before the flop, you're actually looking for a hand that will play itself, so that you won't need to make delicate decisions after the flop. Although I think my personal judgment will be superior to that of most of the players in the game, that doesn't mean my judgment is flawless. Half the battle is trying to avoid these traps before they snap their jaws on you. Don't misunderstand me, I won't routinely throw away A-10 from late position, suited or unsuited, in an unraised pot. Sometimes I will slip in with it, because my thinking is this: If someone really had a stronger hand than my A-10, he probably would have raised (unless he was sandbagging, which does happen). If I flop to it and there's a lot of strong action in front of me (remember that I entered the pot from late position), I can decide whether I should continue playing or fold. Nothing is set in stone. Just because I came into the pot with an A-10 and flopped an ace – or better yet, flopped a 10 (the highest card on the board) with top kicker – doesn't mean that I must continue playing the hand when there's a bet and a raise before it gets to me. People sometimes forget that.

Even a fair number of higher-limit players (not just low-limit players) will ignore positional considerations and continue playing in this type of situation. They will play the 10 9 from under the gun, or two deuces from early position, and with middle or small suited connectors or pairs, they will automatically call a raise. If I choose to gamble a little bit before the flop, I would much rather gamble with medium or small pairs, because they play so much easier than connectors after the flop; a lot more judgment is involved with connectors if you catch a piece of the flop. But when I'm gambling with connectors, I want to have position and several limpers in the pot. I don't want to gamble with them from up front. Always remember that little bit of advice that was presented in my last column: Throughout their poker careers, most players, even successful pros, lose money on most hands they enter the pot with from the first three positions.

If our medium-high connectors hold up, we probably will meet someday soon in the winner's circle, maybe even at the Jack Binion World Poker Open in Tunica, Mississippi, or the Golden Gate Classic in San Pablo, California.

Editor's note: Tom McEvoy is the author of Tournament Poker and the co-author with T.J. Cloutier of Championship Hold'em, both of which are available through Card Player. Visit www.pokerbooks.com for more details.