Here’s an example from a cash game where suited connectors can really pay Antonio ‘The Magician’ Esfandiari was playing $10-$20 against an unnamed foe, whom we’ll call Brujo, (being as it means ‘wizard’ in Spanish). Brujo opened for three times the big blind, and Antonio called from late position with 8♠ -7♠ . He rated his opponent as inexperienced, and also liked his position. ‘Suited connectors are a good hand to play in no-limit Hold’em from late position,’ he says.

The fl op came down 9♦ -8♣ -4♣ , giving Antonio middle pair. When Brujo checked, Antonio made a pot-size bet and got a call. At that point, he fi gured he had the best hand, putting Brujo on a flush draw, but open to the possibility that Brujo had a Nine. When the turn came 10♦ , Antonio picked up an open-ended straight draw to go with his draw to a third Eight. This demonstrates the multi-way potential of suited connectors: if they don’t win one way, they can often win another way. Moreover, that Ten can look mighty scary to someone who called with, say, A-9 on the flop.

Between the possible fl ush draw and the possible scared Nine, Antonio decided to apply maximum pressure to Brujo, whom he had covered, by moving all-in. By doing so, he denied Brujo the right odds to draw to his flush, and gave him the opportunity to release a Nine if he had one, thus folding a better hand. Notice that the two-way potential of the suited connectors can also create two-way potential for a foe to make a mistake. And even if Antonio was completely wrong, and Brujo had something like K-K, the Magician still had 10 outs – eight for the straight, plus two Eights.

As it turns out, Brujo was on the fl ush draw, with A♣ -J♣. Eventually he called, and though he paired his Jack on the river, it gave Antonio the straight and won him a nice pot.

Esfandiari did three things right in this hand. First, by calling with suited connectors in position, he accrued both a positional and an informational advantage in the hand. Second, by betting when he thought his hand was the best, he built a pot worth winning. Third, by pushing all-in on the turn, he gave his foe the opportunity to make a mistake for all his chips. Antonio says, ‘If you force opponents to make those kinds of mistakes, then you’ll be a successful player.’ He also advises not to be afraid of getting drawn out on. ‘That will happen. But in the long run, you’ll make money.’