suited connectors

[Lexicon Devil]

Hi - long-time lurker, first post here. A bit about myself (feel free to
skip to the next paragraph if you don't care) - I started
playing online only a month ago (not a B&M player beforehand), quickly
learning to profitably quad-table the $25 NL on Pokerroom. I started out
as a bit of a rock and found that it was a solid strategy at these
labels. A couple of times I tried moving up to the $50 tables, but found
myself a little too timid for the more aggressive players there. So I
read a couple books (and this forum), trying to become a more aggressive
player myself. My game has totally transformed - I am now extremely
aggressive (maybe too much so), and quite a bit looser in my opening hand
selection. This approach has paid great dividends at the $50 NL level,
and i've been able to successfully quad-table at a solid hourly
rate. I've turned my initial $350 deposit into $2400 now, so i'm quite
pleased with my progress, although there are still many leaks i'd like to
fix.

Anyways, on to the topic of my first post. When I started as a rock I
rarely paid suited connectors - I may have limped occasionally, but would
never have thought to play them raised PF. When I read Super System and
how much Brunson loved these hands, I changed my thinking. I started
playing these hands all the time - not only do I play them raised PF, but
following Brunson's advice, I actually want the pot to be raised PF, so I
can take down a high pocket pair or TPTK. From MP/LP I've been calling
any raise (up to 5% of our respective stacks), and from early position
i'll limp, hoping to call a raise. I'll do this with any 4-straight
suited connector (56 through JT), and selectively with one-gap and two-gap
suited hands.

I'm trying to evaluate this opening strategy. Obviously you're hoping to
hit something like (using the common flop odds from the sticky thread):

1) exactly two pair (2.0%)
2) trips/full house/quads (1.5%)
3) flush (0.8%)
4) flush draw (10.9%)
5) straight (1.3%)
6) 8-out straight draw (10.4%)

So you might expect to hit a solid hand 5.5% of the time, and a draw
another ~20% of the time (not including gutshot).

It looks to me like suited connectors would be quite profitable if you
could put your opponent on AA/KK/QQ/AK every time. But if they're raising
with something along the lines of AQ/AJ/KQ/JJ, they probably won't pay you
off enough to make it worth it.

So, a couple questions:
- Should I play suited connectors raised PF against players with a
large PF raising %?
- Should I play suited connectors in early position (since a late
position raiser less likely to hold a quality hand)?

Right now I rarely slowplay when I hit. I wouldn't slowplay a straight
unless the board was rainbow, and I certainly wouldn't slowplay
two-pair - I'll very rarely slowplay trips, and certainly not against
more than one opponent. No would I slowplay a baby flush. So:

- Should I slowplay more when I hit?

What is happening to me too much right now is - in late position, someone
will bet (say 2/3 pot), and I'll raise to a couple x the pot. I'm
hoping that my aggressive table image will lead to more action, but
still, they usually fold, and I don't seem to be getting paid off
enough. From early position, I'll lead at the raiser.

- Should I checkraise?

Obviously it depends, but I'm really not a fan of the checkraise in this
situation - it seems to me that it gives away the strength of your hand,
and usually you'll only win that first pot-size bet from your
opponent. Not to mention you risk a free card.

There's also the matter of baby flushes. Without a solid read, if your
opponent holds higher cards of the same suit, are you destined to pay him
off in the case of three suited cards on the board? Barring a large
overbet, is it possible to get away from this hand? I can't say that I've
laid them down in this situation - is this bad poker on my part, or just a
situation where i'm destined to pay off my opponent?

If you read this far, thanks - I don't mean to sound negative about suited
connectors, i'm just looking for advice to increase their profitability
for my game.

When you raise someone, raise the amount of the current pot. Then they will be priced in more. Or you could min-raise if they are not familiar with the "min raise when opp drawing dead" play

[Rondavu]

Don't play them out of position at all. Against aggressive opponents you can't draw cheap, and against passive ones your implied odds are shot. These are hands I "preserve the button" with.

In terms of your action drying up.... You don't need to image mold at this stake. You're overthinking the situation. At 25NL, I look for any and every opportunity to let my opponent committ themselves. In other words I slowplay only at the right times, but definately whenever possible. I don't reccomend not protecting hands, but I find a lot of people get overzealous on boards that won't draw them out.

If you really want to look like an aggressive maniac to stimulate action, then don't hold back. Really act crazy. Show down your bluffs with 72o. Switch from loose to tight and back. Get nuts. Have the skill to know when your opponent is truly weak and make big bets they can't call. You'll get action. You might bust if you get a bad read too, but action will bloom.