Poker Coaching with Jonathan Little: Playing Suited Connectors

In the $1,500 buy-in World Series of Poker Monster Stack event that is filled with amateur players, the blinds were 100/200 with a 25 ante. A 35-year-old guy in the hijack seat raised to 525 out of his 15,000 effective stack, and only I called from the big blind with .

While calling in this spot may seem a bit optimistic, given my excellent pot odds (about 3-to-1) I think seeing a flop is perfectly fine. If I got the vibe that my opponent was particularly weak, I think three-betting to 1,700 could also be a fine play. If I thought my opponent played at a world-class level, I would consider folding — but even then, calling is acceptable. When you are getting excellent pot odds, you do not…