Group 8: Various Weak Hands and Blinds

Part 8. How to Deal Various Weak Hands

Various weak hands

In sixth position I would play suited king-ten, king-nine and queen-ten. I would play them varying folds and raises fifty to fifty. And when I raised I would try and steal the pot by a simple raise three times higher than the big blind.

On the button I would as well raise with the following hands: either suited or not suited king-ten, king-nine, queen-ten, queen-nine and suited jack-nine.

With these quite board hands a lot depends on what I can find out about players contributing blinds. You can understand why studying of three players next to you on the left is so important. When you are in one of two late positions, second player on your left is always on the small blind. When you’re on the button, a player next on your left will be always on the small blind, and third player on your left will be on the big blind when you are next to the button.

A player contributing the small blind against a player contributing the big blind

Here’s my general strategy for small blind against big blind situations:

1. Play any pair.

2. Play any hand with ace or king.

3. Play hands with queen-x down to queen-five.

4. Play suited jack-ten and suited jack-nine.

Playing in this situation you’ll prefer to limp in half cases and raise in other half. When you raise make the sum five times higher than the big blind. The reason for this more than usual raise lays in the fact that you’ll be playing in bad position and so you need to prevent bargaining.