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Free Poker Tournament Games Guide To Mastering Intermediate Connector Hands Like 8-7 And 7-5
In Texas Holdem real money and free online poker games you play intermediate connectors like 8-7 or 7-5 because they are the best hands with which you can hit a Straight with. With an 8,7 for example, you can make 4 Straights (3 of them nuts), and with 7,5 you can look for 3 Straights (2 of them nuts). The difficulty is, as ever, how to play them to the best effect so in this free poker tips article that is what we will give you some pointers on.
Intermediate connectors aren't played as strongly if they Pair. For example, when you have 8-7 and the Flop comes K-7-2, you will be justifiably concerned with the King and you can fold.
It's also likely you can flop Two-Pair. With 8-7 and a Flop of 8-7-A, you can get a player with A-K in trouble.
If you both keep going until the end, and your opponent's hand does not get better then he will most likely slow it down in order to show it down. If the hand does improve it will be obvious as when he bets and you can just pay him off. He can pair his kicker or not, and whether he does, you still have a good showdown hand.
The best play (for you) the opponent can make is to call all-in or move all-in on the Flop (in a tournament). However, this is only so if the difference in chips between you and your all-in opponent is great. If you have almost the same amount of chips, your 8-7 may not be good enough because your opponent may be willing only to call you with something like A-8 or, worse, 7-7.
Or he might call you with A-K and suckout when he pairs his Ace, his kicker, or when, say, a Ten hits the Turn, and another Ten hits the river then his Two-Pair is better. If one stack is small and the other large, and you've got the small stack then you've a good hand someone holding an A-K might be prepared to call. If you've got the large stack, your all-in opponent might be anxious for a call with his A-x (without Two-Pair) until he knows you have him steamrollered.
Usually you stay in the hand Two-Pair until you hit a Full House. With this hand, play it just like you would play a made 5-card hand - value betting, pretending to bluff, slow-playing (pick your choice). However, should the Board comes 8-7-5, you may be willing to play it more slowly because if the Board comes Four, 6 or 9, your Two-Pair might be almost unplayable.
In the Flop, bet substantially to push a Straight draw out. If your opponent calls, it may signify a Straight draw. Should your opponent moves all-in or pushes you all-in, then call - or not call.
Still you are the favorite over a Straight draw. You might also be able to hit a Full House later on. But in addition you can decide not to call since your opponent might have a made Straight. In an 8-7-5 board, the possibility of a Flopped Straight is quite low because players do not play 9-6 or 6-4 that much.
But you ought to be careful in a Board of 8-7-J or 8-7-4, because their connectors are consecutive numbers, i.e. 10-9 and 6-5, and players, especially experienced ones, play these more often.
However, even if the Board comes something like 8-7-4-5-Q, so long as you are sure, or even half-sure, that your opponent doesn't have the 6, bet a small bet on the river. If your opponent has 9-8 or Q-x, you may be paid off.
If your opponent had the 6, you may be pushed, but you can fold without losing much. The thing is that, you should keep your aggression most of the time as part of your image, and you will do this by value-betting. If your opponent didn't have the 6, he may believe that you had the 6, and he may fold, too.
And finally, here's an addendum to our earlier example. Should you have 8-7 and the Flop comes K-7-2, you may fold. But you can also call a bet - you hope that your opponent had A-K - and if an 8 comes and you bet big, how will your opponent know you had another 8 in the hole? So long as you feel your opponent doesn't have K-8 or K-7 (not likely) both of you can get it all-in on the Turn - and you'll emerge almost a winner.
This is a fairly complicated subject and if you're not quite getting it then go play free poker games online to learn it the only real way possible which is to do it for real but learn to play poker free so that any mistakes you make don't hit you up for anything apart from time.
