Free Online Poker Training Lesson On Winning With Connector Hands Like 8,5

In Texas Holdem real money and free online poker games you play intermediate connectors like 8-7 or 7-5 because they are the best hands with which you can hit a Straight with. With 8-7, you can form four Straights (three of them nuts), and with 7-5 you can form three Straights (two of them nuts). The difficulty is, as ever, how to play them to the best effect so in this free online poker training tips article that is what we will give you some pointers on.

Intermediate connectors aren't played as strongly when they Pair. For example, when you have 8-7 and the Flop comes K-7-2, you can be justifiably worried about the King and you may fold.

It is also likely that you can flop Two-Pair. With 8-7 and a Flop of 8-7-A, you can get a player with A-K in trouble.

If both of you continue until the end, and your opponent's hand doesn't improve, he will slow it down trying to show it down. If the hand does improve it will be obvious as when he bets and you can just pay him off. He can pair his kicker or not, but either way you've still got a decent showdown hand.

The best play (in your interest) is for your opponent to call all-in or move all-in on the Flop (during tournaments). However, this is only so if the difference in chips between you and your all-in opponent is great. If you've got close to the same number of chips, your 8,7 may not be strong enough as your opponent may be willing to only call you with something like A,8 or, worse, 7,7.

Or he may call you with A-K and suckout when he pairs his Ace, his kicker, or when, say, a 10 hits the Turn, and another Ten hits the river then his Two-Pair is best. If one stack is small and the other large, and you have the little stack then you've a good hand someone holding an A-K could be prepared to call. If you have the large stack, your all-in opponent may be desperate for a call with his A-x (without Two-Pair) until they know you've got him steamrollered.

Usually you stay in the hand Two-Pair until you hit a Full House. With this hand, play it as you would play a made five-card hand - value betting, pretending to bluff, slow-playing (pick your choice). However, if the Board comes 8-7-5, you might be willing to play it more slowly because if the Board comes Four, Six or 9, your Two-Pair may be almost unplayable.

During the Flop, bet substantially to push a Straight draw out. If your opponent calls, it may signify a Straight draw. In case your opponent moves all-in or pushes you all-in, then call - or not call.

You are still the favorite over a Straight draw. You might also be able to hit a Full House later on. But also you can choose not to call because your opponent may have a made Straight. In an 8,7,5 board, the probability of a Flopped Straight is fairly small as players don't play 9,6 or 6,4 very much.

However, you should be careful in a Board of 8-7-J or 8-7-4, as their connectors are consecutive numbers, i.e. 10-9 and 6-5, and players, especially experienced ones, play these more often.

However, even if the Board comes something like 8-7-4-5-Q, as long as you are sure, or even half-sure, that your opponent doesn't have the 6, bet a small bet on the river. If your opponent has 9-8 or Q-x, you might be paid off.

If your opponent had the 6, you may be pushed, but you can fold without losing much. The thing is that, you should maintain your aggression most of the time as part of your image, and you can do this by value-betting. If your opponent didn't possess the Six, he may believe that you had the Six, and he may fold, too.

And finally, here is an addendum to our earlier example. Should you have 8-7 and the Flop comes K-7-2, you can fold. However, you can also call a bet - you hope that your opponent had A-K - and if an Eight comes and you bet big, how will your opponent know you had another Eight in the hole? So long as you feel your opponent doesn't have K-8 or K-7 (not likely) the two of you can get it all-in on the Turn - and you'll emerge almost a victor.

This is a fairly complicated subject and if you're not quite getting it then go play free poker to learn it the only real way you can which is to do it for real but learn to play poker free so that any mistakes you make don't set you back anything apart from time.