Play suited connectors when you can see the flop cheaply, from a late seat, with deep stacks behind you. Against one random hand they win less than half the time, 47.9 in 100 for eight-seven suited, and against eight opponents they beat an equal share.
A suited connector is two cards in a row of the same suit, like the nine and eight of spades. They rarely make a pair worth betting. They make straights and flushes, and those are the hands that win big pots from players holding one big pair.
What happened
What you do
Folded to you, late seat
Raise to 3 big blinds
One raise, deep stacks
Call from the button or big blind
A re-raise
Fold
Under 30 big blinds
Fold to a raise
Flush draw and open-ended
Bet or raise
Flush draw or open-ended
Bet, or call a fair price
Gutshot
Usually fold to a bet
When are suited connectors worth playing?
When all four of these are close to true. Lose one and the hand gets marginal. Lose two and it's a fold.
A late seatCutoff or buttonYou act last after the flop, so you get free cards and you can bet when everyone checks.
A cheap priceOne small raise, or limpersPaying 3 big blinds to see a flop is fine. Paying 10 isn't.
Deep stacks100 big blinds or moreA straight or a flush only pays when someone has chips left to lose.
CompanyMore players in the potEight-seven suited is 2.1 points under an equal share against one hand, and 2.8 points over against eight.
Are suited connectors better at full tables?
Yes, and the numbers show why. An equal share of the pot falls fast as players join, and a straight or a flush is what beats a crowd. Pick a hand and see where it passes an equal share.
What does the flop usually give you?
Mostly not much. Count all 19,600 flops for eight-seven suited and it makes two pair or better 7.8% of the time and a strong draw another 19.1%, meaning a flush draw or an open-ended straight draw that 8 cards complete. So on about 27 flops in 100, you have something worth betting.
On the other 73 you have one pair, a gutshot (a straight draw that needs one exact rank) or nothing. That's why the price has to be small: you're paying for the 27.
Eight-seven suited, 100 flops
What should you do with a draw?
Count your outs first. The cheat sheet has the chance of hitting for each draw, and these three come up all the time.
15 outsFlush draw and open-endedBet or raise. You're a favorite over a pair of aces, winning 56 times in 100.
9 outsFlush draw aloneBet, or call a fair price. It hits 19.1% on the next card and 35.0% if you see both.
4 outsGutshotYou need one exact rank. It hits 8.5% on the next card, so fold to most bets.
A bet with a draw can win two ways: everyone folds, or you hit. That's why strong draws usually bet instead of calling. When a player has aces, your 15-out draw is ahead of them before the turn card is dealt.
An open-ended draw alone is weaker. It wins 37 times in 100 against aces. For the full price math, read how to play flush draws.
Eight-seven of hearts against aces
On 6h-5h-2c56%
On 6h-5c-2d37%
When should you fold them?
Early seats at a full tableEight players are left behind you. Someone raises, and you play the whole hand first to act.
Short stacksUnder about 30 big blinds there isn't enough behind to pay you when you hit.
A re-raiseSeven-six suited wins 22 times in 100 against aces or kings, and you'd have to pay a big price to find out.
Acting first, one callerYou lose your free cards, and you have to decide before you see what the other player does.
What does a hand with a suited connector look like, added up?
A $1/$2 game, with the pot shown after each round of betting. Nothing fancy: a cheap flop, a big draw, and a player who pays off.
The cutoff raises to $6 and you call. The small blind folds its $1 and the big blind calls $4 more.
The big blind checks and the cutoff bets $10. You have 15 outs, so you raise to $32. The big blind folds and the cutoff calls.
The cutoff checks. You check too and take a free card, because 15 / 46 is 32.6%, and a bet here risks a raise that could push you off the draw.
The four gives you a straight. The cutoff checks, you bet $60 and they call with ace-king.
You take the $203 pot, and you put in $98 of it: $6, $32 and $60.
Can you play these spots?
Twelve spots in three rounds: whether to play the hand, counting the draw, and what to do next.
Questions players ask about suited connectors
Are suited connectors good for beginners?
They're harder to play than big pairs, because you're so often drawing. Play them from the button when the price is small and fold them most other times.
What is the best suited connector?
Jack-ten suited, which beats one random hand 57.5 times in 100. Five-four suited wins 41.1.
Should you raise suited connectors?
From a late seat when everyone has folded, yes. Our trainer's 6-player charts raise jack-ten down through six-five from every seat, and five-four from every seat except the first.
How often do you flop a flush draw?
With two suited cards you flop exactly a flush draw 10.9% of the time and a made flush 0.8% of the time.
Which is better, a suited connector or a small pair?
Against one opponent the small pair wins more: fives win 60.3 times in 100 and eight-seven suited wins 47.9. Against eight opponents it evens out at 13.1 and 13.9.
How the numbers on this page were worked out
Win rates against 1, 2, 3, 5 and 8 opponents come from 60,000 random deals at each table size, with ties shared. Equal share is 100 divided by the number of players.
The flop split counts all 19,600 flops for eight-seven of hearts. Two pair or better is 1,537 flops, flush draws and open-ended draws are 3,747, one pair or a gutshot is 8,916, and nothing is 5,400. Chances of hitting use outs / 47 for the next card and 1 minus (47 minus outs) × (46 minus outs) / (47 × 46) for both cards.
Know someone who plays any two suited?
Send them this page, or save the cheat sheet as an image.