When to Dump Your Second Best Hand

Most people know that feeling of discomfort from receiving a 16 in Blackjack. It's the worst position you can have; odds are your wager will be lost.

The equivalent hand in Hold'em to that 16 in Blackjack is the hand of 2-7; it's the worst hand you can be dealt. Yet, with the 2-7 Hold'em hand, you really shouldn't lose anything because you should fold before the flop, or in a worst case, you will drop your blind. We believe you really shouldn't object to being dealt a 2-7 hand; at least you know the hand value. Far worse is receiving an A-A; that hand can potentially result in losing significant funds. Here's the paradox: a good hand can be much scarier than a bad hand. This concept is based on a very important precept of poker, relative hand value.

Of course, to be a success playing poker, you must maximize wins and minimize losses. The easy part is maximizing wins. Slowplaying and trapping help make these wins effective. Practically anyone, even an unskilled player, can win most of the time when holding a really good set of cards.

What differentiates the winning player from the losing poker player is HOW those two players lose hands. The winning player dumps a second-best hand but the losing player will play it, continuing to call it until he or she loses at the final showdown.

There are some psychological differences, in general, that exist between the winners and the losers. The losing play has a drive to satisfy curiosity; he feels he just has to know what the other players have in their hands. Specifically, he feels he must become a detective and make certain an opponent is not bluffing and that he didn't fold when winning was a possibility. The result is that a losing player calls when he simply shouldn't. The winning player overcomes these desires and focuses on playing skillfully, paying attention to his OWN game.

Having called your attention to the necessity of identifying second-best hands, how do you play these? Well, that depends upon whether you are playing limit poker or no-limit poker. Let's look at how to play each scenario:

Limit poker

When playing in limit poker, calling when holding a second-best hand won't kill you immediately. In the near-term, you will probably win sometimes, but over the long haul, you'll definitely see the impact in your bankroll.

To limit second-best hand losses when playing limit poker, the best method is to focus on pre-flop play. Avoid going in with cards that do not have a legitimate kicker, which means dumping things like K-8 or A-7, because too often these hands are dominated hands. A dominated hand refers to the scenario where you and an opponent have hands that are similar, but one will almost always beat the other. Examples of hands considered to be dominated hands are A-A versus A-Q or A-K versus A-9. The dominated hand has only three outs or maybe even fewer. For example, the A-Q hand must get two Q's without an A falling, or it must develop into a straight to stand a chance of winning the pot. Smart playing before the flop can limit second-best hands; you will call less often with dominated hands, because of the kicker.

In limit poker, flop play is handled a bit different. If the board holds A-K-9 and you have K-Q in your cards, you potentially have a second-best hand. So how do you know? Sometimes the best method is to bet or raise at the flop and watch the results. If there is resistance, you are most likely beaten. If there is a big multi-way pot, you should probably fold because someone is almost certain to hold the ace.

No-limit poker

When playing no-limit poker, the strategy is entirely different. Unlike limit poker where one second-best hand won't cost too much, with no-limit you stand to potentially lose your entire bankroll! When playing no-limit, it only makes sense to play the nut-like hands most often. Pocket pairs go up in value because of the potential to obtain a set. Connecting cards become more valuable because of their ability to build straights. Ace-suited hands go up as well because of the flush potential; beware, however, because other players are frequently aware of a potential flush and shut you down at the flop when you hit a flush draw.

Because these hands increase in value, sometime must go down, right? After all, the saying goes, "Everything that goes up, must come down". A-Q, A-J, K-Q, K-J, etc. go down in value. These hands have the potential to get crushed when playing no-limit poker. They may win small pots with a top pair, but they will lose the really large ones when another player lands a set or straight.

It is essential when playing no-limit to avoid always dumping these second-best hands pre-flop. Instead, investigate what other players are holding on the flop. But, don't just call bets with these second-best hands. You should raise the bet to understand where you stand. When another player bets at you, they are attacking your entire stack if the bet is a large one. You must come back with an attack on their stack. Should the board have K-10-7 and you hold K-Q, you could be in big trouble. Someone betting at you may very well hold the 10-10 of 10-J and it is very important to learn their relative strength through the technique of raising them at the flop.

Of course, some people are going to say, "Couldn't they just bluff re-raise me?" Yes, that is a clear possibility, however will cost that player a stack of money when you land the nut hand. Simply call the re-raise, should that happen, and taken the rest of their money on the turn or the river.