Texas Holdem Connectors with a Gap

Playing Texas Holdem connector cards in online poker can be a little bit tricky but they are even tougher to play if they have a gap. In Texas Holdem, gapped connector hands can range from one, two, or three gaps in rank such as Queen-Ten, Queen-9, or Queen-8. Suited gap connectors are better to play but even those are dangerous. Any gap in a connector makes the hand much less valuable. How do you play such hands in online poker and should you be playing them at all?

The first thing to remember about playing gap connector hands is that they are dangerous. Playing them from middle or late position is something you can do with caution, while they should be discarded altogether from early position. Even in middle or late position you really only want to play gap connectors if there has been no raises in front of you. The problem with these gap connector hands is that they invite all kinds of trouble.

From early position you should throw these hands away. You may also want to throw them away from middle position. You can play them from late position but you need to do so with caution. For example, let’s say you call with a K-10 from late postition and head to the flop four-handed. The flop is K-9-3. You have top pair but a weak kicker. You shouldn’t feel very confident in this situation although it looks good. It is a hand in which you could be spending a lot of money only to find out you are out-kicked.

Here is another example. We’ll stick with that same K-10 hand. Let’s say the flop is Q-10-2. You now have a straight draw but even if you hit the Jack for your straight you could be facing the low end because an Ace-King would give someone else an Ace high straight to your King high straight.

Those two examples are just some of the major problems you can run into with gap connector hands. If you want to play gap connectors you really need to make sure you aren’t subject to higher straights, higher flushes, etc. You don’t want to be holding the 2nd best hand.

Remember when you have a gap connector hand in online poker that you are weak. Even if the gap happens to be Ace-Queen you still could be facing a better hand. Always remember with gap connectors that danger is lurking. Keep that in mind if you decide to play them at an online poker site.