Mixed-Game Strategies

Q: Limit Hold’em – Are non-suited connectors actually playable for value, or can you only play them profitably in limit if you are going to be able to bluff and semi-bluff some percentage of the time? If they are, what do the conditions roughly need to be, like, a multiway pot, defending from the blind, etcetera?

A: In limit hold’em, you are generally trying to just make a pair. Unlike in no-limit hold’em, where you can get value from straights and flushes, you are most likely not going to receive the necessary payoff in limit hold’em on later streets to make playing low or mid non-suited connectors profitable. High card hands such as J-T, Q-J and K-Q are non-suited connectors that you can play for value, but in these starting hands you are still just trying to make a pair. If you happen to make a straight or a flush with these hands that is a great bonus but these big hands are such a rare occurrence. The main difference between the J-T, Q-J, and K-Q and lower connectors is that with these holdings when you pair the board you are much more likely to hold top pair and your hand will be much easier to play post-flop.

There are exceptions where playing an 8-7 or a 5-6 would be profitable. If all hands are folded to you when you are on the button it would be somewhat standard to raise with these holdings. You have the added benefit of fold equity from the blinds preflop, and, by continuation betting on the flop, you gain even more fold equity. Another spot where it would be standard to see a flop is when you are in the big blind with one of these holdings and there is a raise and a few callers before the action is on you. If you are getting 5-1 or greater on your call this could be a profitable spot to see a flop.

Q: Omaha Eight-or-Better – I play in a low stakes cash game, and so far it has seemed profitable to mix in a few good high-only hands like K-Q-J-10 double suited, or even some slightly worse high hands, regardless of the number of players in the pot or my position. My question is, if I play higher-stakes games, I assume I will have to be more selective as to when I play high-only hands… what is the ideal situation for these hands?

A: High runners without an ace in them such as K-Q-J-T play much better in Omaha eight-or-better when there are multiple players to the flop. It is common knowledge that when playing Omaha eight-or-better you want to make a low first and back into a high hand. That being said, most players are going to play any A-2, A-3, A-4, 2-3-4, 2-3-5, A-5-6 holdings, so when multiple players are in the pot, so many of the low cards are already taken out of the deck. Thus it is more likely the flop will come with two or three high cards and you will be in great shape most of the time with the K-Q-J-T.

As you play higher stakes you will have to be more selective in all your decisions, including starting hands. In poker you make your money from your opponents’ mistakes and when playing higher stakes your opponents will in theory make fewer mistakes. Playing a tight passive style might be profitable in lower limit games but as you play any higher than $80-$160 you will need to become tighter and more aggressive to attain that profitability. That said, it won’t be your style that wins you the money. It will be your individual decisions that will win you or lose you your money in all games and limits in poker.

Q: Badugi – I still have a hard time gauging relative hand strength in Badugi. I know what a very good hand is, but when I make a 9 or a ten Badugi, I am absolutely lost. In a full game, what is the average winning hand in your experience?

A: In a full game of Badugi, the average winning hand is probably a king Badugi. That hand consists of any 4 non-paired cards (one of each suit) that includes a king. In Badugi, often no player makes a four-card Badugi, and the showdown will go to the players with the best three-card Badugi. Three-card 4s (2-3-4, A-3-4) and 5s (A-2-5, 2-4-5) win a good percentage of the time.

Badugi is learned through experience. When starting out in the game, it is hard to know when you should bet a 9, break a 9, call a 9, or raise a 9. These are all viable options depending on the situation and will best be learned over time. ♠