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Playing J-10 Suited in the Middle of the Pack
Posted by T.J. Cloutier | June 16, 2006

Suppose you're playing a $300 buy-in no-limit hold'em tournament. You've made it to the third level and are about par in chips. You're sitting in middle position with the Jh 10h. Two players have limped into the pot and you limp also, hoping to see the flop cheaply with your drawing hand. Everyone behind you folds to the player on the button, who is very aggressive. He fires out a bet about eight times the size of the big blind.

The blinds fold, the first limper calls, and the second limper folds. Now it's your turn to act. What's your best play?

In this situation, your best move is to fold your suited connectors. Jack-10 suited looks mighty pretty to a lot of players, but it simply cannot stand a big raise before the flop. Also, the limper that just called the button's big raise may have a big pair. If he does, you can be sure that he's trying to trap you and the aggressive player after the flop.