Tip #12 - Don't play every suited hand

Many players overvalue suited hands, thinking that any two cards of the same suit are playable because they might make a flush. While suited cards do have more value than their unsuited counterparts, the advantage is not as large as many players believe.

Here are some important facts about suited hands:

• You will make a flush only about 6.5% of the time when holding suited cards
• Even when you do make a flush, it might not be the best hand (someone could have a higher flush)
• The value of being suited adds only about 2-3% to your overall chance of winning the hand
• Bad hands like 7-2 are still bad hands even when suited

Some suited hands are definitely worth playing, particularly:

• High suited cards (like A-K suited, K-Q suited) which can win with pairs as well as flushes
• Suited connectors (like 9-8 suited, 8-7 suited) which can make both straights and flushes
• Suited aces which give you the nut flush draw when you flop a flush draw
• Suited one-gappers (like J-9 suited, T-8 suited) in late position or multiway pots

However, hands like J-3 suited or T-4 suited are still weak starting hands. The fact that they're suited doesn't overcome their other deficiencies. These hands are particularly dangerous because when you do make a pair, you often have kicker problems, and when you make a flush draw, you might be drawing dead to a higher flush.

Remember that position and the overall strength of your hand are much more important than whether your cards are suited. It's better to play strong unsuited cards (like A-K offsuit) than weak suited cards (like 7-2 suited). Don't let the allure of a possible flush cause you to play hands that should be folded.