Big-Little: What is It? Why Should We Avoid It?

Whenever I see players turn over hands that I call "Big-Little," I am tempted to say a prayer for them. These are some of the worst trap hands to get involved with at the middle limits. I am speaking of hands such as K-2, Q-4, A-8, and you can imagine the rest. I don't care how suited they are, they are almost always to be discarded in full-table games.

I say almost because there are always exceptions, but those exceptions are generally reserved for the most skilled and aware players at the table. Toward the end of this column, I will discuss my perception of those exceptions. For now, I must stress the primary reason I abhor Big-Little: You can almost never lead the hand confidently with these atrocities!

All good writers and good players are in agreement that you must be aggressive in order to be a winner in poker. Why? Because the leader creates his victory and reacts occasionally only when it is clear there is danger before him. Note the distinction between creating and reacting. The creator has the control while the reactor has the fear. Even when creative players are reacting, they are not doing so out of the same type of fear; they are responding to intuitive feelings that enable them to retreat with little or no injury.

Let's walk through a realistic example: You are in late position and have been dealt the K 7. Three people have limped in, and knowing the climate of the table, you are certain that both blinds will call. You decide that you're getting good odds even for this marginal hand, so you call. Then, the button raises. Bummer! But by the time the action gets around to you, there are 13 bets in the pot. What possible hand is not worth 14-to-1? So, you call.

The flop comes down K 9 6. How do you feel? Excited? Nervous? If I were you, I'd feel sheer dread, knowing I was about to lose a whole bunch of chips. First of all, how confident can I be playing this hand? Not very. I have no kicker and six opponents, most of whom never drop out before the turn. A player to your right comes out firing. Now what? You'll probably get at least 20-to-1 on your bet, so what's the big deal? Well, what if the button raises, which is likely? What does that mean for your hand? Does he have A-K or aces?

You could raise and hope to pressure the button off his hand to gain position. But what are you putting the bettor on? So, you call and the button raises, and by the time you call the raise, you still have four opponents, two of whom cold-called a raise. Can your hand possibly be any good? What card would you love to see fall on the turn? A 7? Another king? Another heart? Most of these cards will only serve to gouge more chips from your stack.

This scenario is unbelievably common. It's another humdrum hand in which six people lose and one lucky guy takes down the pot. But true students of poker do not put themselves in these uncomfortable situations in limit hold'em because they can't charge forward with this much uncertainty. Having this hand is like a man asking an attractive woman out on a date by calling her friend and seeing if she'll ask her for you. It's extremely lame.

When your kicker is strong, you have the power. You don't worry about your kicker because your kicker kicks butt! What would it sound like if you were the king and were introducing your kicker (the 7) to some friends at a party?

"Excuse me, everyone. I'm sort of embarrassed to even say this, but this pathetic little thing I brought with me tonight is … well … it's like, my kicker." People half-glance over at you as your head is shamefully bowed and could care less. Then, another king walks by and his kicker is the superhot and sexy Q. She lays a roundhouse kick in your timid little 7's rear end and you lose! There's no two ways about it.

Big-Little is a very uncomfortable hand to play because only on rare and occasional perfect flops can you lead out with aggressiveness and confidence. Regardless of the pot odds you think you're getting, before you toss your chips in, focus on how you will play this hand when you get only a piece of the flop (which is much more common than the full house you're hoping for).

Exceptions

Raising with this hand when I'm on the button and it has been folded around to me is a definite consideration. It will depend on what the blinds are like and how they perceive me. These days, any raise from the button is highly suspect, so I will be less likely to proceed against very strong players or players who call ceaselessly.

I am aiming to take this hand up against one or at most two opponents, where there is a good chance I can outplay them with aggressive betting or raising. I want my image to be ripe, and I want to enter the hand ready to pull a strong bluff with complete follow-through if the situation feels right.

Many players pick up a hand like A-6 and become blinded by the ace. Then, they flop an ace but passively check and call, hoping their ace holds up. Or, they get involved when the flop comes down 6-4-2, calling all the way to the end because they flopped top pair. Can I just say one thing? You will never be a winner playing this way! Never! What part of never aren't you hearing?

That's it, I'm done. Please carry on.