One of the biggest mistakes is play of flush draws.  Many players thrive on action,  which is why the majority of low stakes holdem games are loose and passive  -–  many callers want to see the flop  (after all,  it's “just $2 to call,” right?)  and hope to hit their hand.  Many will call the flop bets and,  even worse, turn bets,  hoping for the miracle cards that they saw their favorite pro get to win a huge pot.  The odds for the draw,  the pot odds,  and the chances of making another hand other than the draw  --  these are all foreign concepts.

Playing two suited cards can be confusing,  especially when it seems the pros play them all the time on TV.  But playing them well is a key to holdem success. Here’s a guide to help you know when to play your two suited cards and when doing so will just get you into trouble.

Any two suited cards won’t do.  One thing I am consistently amazed with is the number of players who play two suited cards.  (Warning: bad beat story ahead.) The other night I was in a low stakes game on PokerStars.  The poker gods blessed me with pocket aces.  Of course,  I raised pre-flop.  The player to my right called my raise from middle position.  The flop came 5-7-8,  with two suited cards.  I bet again and he called.  The turn brought a blank;  again I bet and he called.  The river brought a possible flush to the board with a third diamond.  I checked,  he bet,  and I called.  Of course he held T7 suited,  and he made his flush.  Frustrating,  most certainly  -–  but I’ll welcome any such individual at my table anytime,  because if we played the same hand again and again,  he would be crushed.

Hopefully you aren’t the guy who will play T7 suited against a raise.  You should not even be the guy who plays T7 for one bet  (although a call if you are the little blind is justifiable).  But so many play that way because they saw the hand on TV come through. Just because you have two suited cards does not mean you can toss in a couple of chips to limp and see the flop Two suited cards happen frequently  -–  about 24% of the time you will hold them pre-flop.  But you are only going to make a flush with two suited cards about 5.7% of the time  (or about 1 in 16 times)  were you to see the hand to the river.  Therefore,  you have to use caution when playing suited cards pre-flop.

Here are situations in which you can play two suited cards:

Suited Connectors.  Suited connectors are cards giving you two to a flush and straight,  like TJ suited.  These are my favorite hands,  because they are sneaky. The beauty of such hands is you can often limp with them in low-stakes games,  and they have the potential for a huge payoff if you hit your hand.  You can also get away from them if they do not hit  (assuming you are disciplined enough to know when to dump them  -–  more on that to follow).  When playing them,  though,  you cannot automatically play any two suited connectors,  but must keep in mind how big they are,  how aggressive the game is,  and your position.

The bigger the cards are,  the better situation you are in.  Obviously,  TJ suited is much better than 34 suited.  This is because you will often back-in to hands you were not originally going for  -–  such as flopping top pair with jacks but no flush or straight draw.  Flopping a pair of fours won’t do much for you.

Concerning position,  you would rather be in late position than early when playing suited connectors.  “Big”  suited connectors  (9T or better)  can be played from any position for one bet.  With smaller ones,  like 56 suited,  you have to be more careful.  Tend to play them from later position because the threat of a raise is greater the earlier you are to act.

Finally,  how aggressive is the game?  Many games at the low stakes are passive,  but sometimes you get people who love to gamble hard and raise.  In a very aggressive game,  be more careful with suited connectors,  staying away from the small ones which can be quite costly.  Limping with 67 suited for $2 is fine in a passive game.  But limping with the hand in early position when a raise or two is almost certain will cost you a bundle over the course of your session.

In general,  from early and middle position,  limp with 67 suited or better.  From late position,  you can play 45 suited or better.  In the little blind,  call with any suited connector as long as it has not been raised.

Bigger is Better.  The bigger your two suited cards are,  the better.  Again,  this is because with big cards,  like KT suited,  you can hit hands giving you top pair. Usually I will always play an Ace and a suited card in a passive game,  only folding hands like A6 suited or smaller in early position if very aggressive players are acting after me.  Very often Aces will be good enough to win a hand (though you must be careful if you flop a pair of Aces with a small kicker because you may very well be out-kicked;  if you do flop top pair bet if first to act or raise for information and fold if it is re-raised).

Kings are a different story.  Limp with a king and a suited card from late position in a passive game.  In early and middle position,  limp with K8 suited or better. Hands like K3 suited can get you in trouble,  because you may end up stuck if you flop a king and run into an ace that comes on the turn or river or be out-kicked.  Many low-stakes players play any ace,  so don’t give them more opportunities to get more of your money.

As far as queens are concerned,  play Q9 suited or better if you can limp.

For other hands,  you can limp with some  “one-gaps”  such as QT and J9 suited,  but unless you are on the button or one off the button,  do not limp with anything lower than J9 suited.  Hands like T8 suited can be tempting to play, but they are not worth the trouble.  On the button or one off the button when holding a  “one-gap”  suited connector,  limp with 97 suited or better.

Bigger pot = more calling.  One final word before looking at how to play your two suited cards on the flop:  Keep in mind the size of the pot!  As the size of the pot grows,  you can be more liberal in your calls,  playing hands in late position like 64 suited.  This is because the threat of a raise is minimal and there is the potential for a huge payoff if the flop helps you.  (Of course,  if it is raised,  you will not be calling with hands like 64 suited!)

When the Flop Comes.  How you play your flush draw on and after the flop is crucial,  and the place where many Texas holdem players drop the ball, because they have no knowledge of odds,  just the vision in their heads of a big pot.

First and foremost,  if you catch only one of your cards on the flop,  most of the time you are going to fold.  Catching two running cards to get your flush may look common on TV,  but the chances of this happening are not good:  55-to-1. That does not mean,  though,  when you have to catch two running cards to make the flush you will always fold  –-  but the times you call  (or raise)  will be the exception and not the norm.

You can call if you have one of the following:

Overcards.  An overcard means you have a card higher than anything on the flop.  You want two of them when considering a call.  For instance,  say you have big slick,  AK of clubs.  The flop comes 7-5-2 with one club.  This is a relatively safe flop.  You could be up against a set or big pocket pair,  and if that is the case a player will (probably) raise in which case you can fold.  But if it is just one bet to see the turn,  go ahead and call,  especially if it is a family pot with many callers.  Any Ace or King will likely give you the best hand,  and you still might catch your flush,  even though you are a big dog.

Back-door straight draws.  If you have a hand like 89 of hearts,  and the flop comes 5-6-K with one heart,  this is again a situation in which you can call one bet.  Here,  you have four outs for a straight along with the chance for your two running cards for the flush.  Limp and see the turn,  and fold if you do not catch another heart.

Picking up a pair.  If you flop a pair to go with your flush draw,  this is again a situation where you can limp.  Obviously,  if you flop top pair,  you will bet or raise to try to win the pot right there.  But if you flop middle pair,  go ahead and call one bet.  Back to the example of 89 suited,  suppose you are in middle position and the flop is 8-T-2.  The player to your right bets,  gets two callers, and the action is to you.  As long as the game is not too aggressive and you believe you can see the turn for one bet,  call,  hoping to get one of the other two eights,  a nine,  or another heart.

The pot is large.  The size of the pot is one of the most neglected aspects for low-stakes holdem players.  Remember,  it’s not about how many pots you win –-  it’s about how big the pots are that you win.  Maximize your money. Remember pot odds,  and compare them to the drawing odds.  As the pot gets larger,  you can be more liberal in seeing the turn.  Your odds may not be that good to hit the hand,  but if you have the chance of backing into a hand you think will be good,  be more apt to call,  as the payoff will be huge.