Suited Connectors: Straights, Flushes and a Turn Spot
Suited connectors like 8♠7♠ win their big pots with straights and flushes. Before the flop, 8♠7♠ has 41.9% against A♥K♦ but 22.3% against Q♥Q♦; offsuit, 8♠7♦ drops to 37.6% and 17.9%. Of the 19,600 possible flops, 2,145 give it a flush draw, 1,904 an 8-out straight draw, and 256 a made straight.
8♠7♠ in the big blind on 6‑4‑2, then the 8♥
The small blind completes and you check with 8♠7♠. The 6♣ 4♦ 2♥ flop checks through, the 8♥ turn gives you top pair and a gutshot straight draw, and the small blind checks again. Check, bet 33%, bet 55% or overbet 125%?
See the answer
On 6♣ 4♦ 2♥ 8♥, a five makes 8♠7♠ a straight: 4 outs. Against hands the small blind checks:
| Small blind's hand | What it holds | 8♠7♠'s equity |
|---|---|---|
| A♥T♦ | two overcards | 86.4% |
| K♦J♣ | two overcards | 86.4% |
| 6♦5♦ | a pair of sixes and a straight draw | 79.5% |
| 6♥3♥ | a pair of sixes, a flush draw and a gutshot | 68.2% |
| 9♦8♦ | a pair of eights, better kicker | 15.9% |
| 2♠2♦ | a set | 9.1% |
| 5♣3♣ | a straight | 6.8% |
Top pair is ahead of most hands that check twice. The medium bet gets called by sixes and fours and makes the overcards pay to see the river. The expected answer is the 55% bet.
Suited or offsuit: what the suit is worth
| Opponent's hand | 8♠7♠ (suited) | 8♠7♦ (offsuit) |
|---|---|---|
| A♥K♦ | 41.9% | 37.6% |
| A♦Q♥ | 41.6% | 37.3% |
| K♥Q♦ | 40% | 35.5% |
| 2♥2♦ | 53.5% | 51.1% |
| Q♥Q♦ | 22.3% | 17.9% |
| J♥J♦ | 21.6% | 17.1% |
| 9♥9♦ | 18.9% | 14.3% |
On every row the suited version gains a few points. Against a higher pair, the connector often has only straights and flushes to win with.
Suited connectors against A♥K♦ and Q♥Q♦
| Hand | Against A♥K♦ | Against Q♥Q♦ |
|---|---|---|
| 5♠4♠ | 41.9% | 23.1% |
| 6♠5♠ | 42.2% | 23% |
| 7♠6♠ | 42.3% | 22.6% |
| 8♠7♠ | 41.9% | 22.3% |
| 9♠8♠ | 40.4% | 21.6% |
| T♠9♠ | 41.2% | 20.3% |
| J♠T♠ | 41.2% | 18.9% |
Against A♥K♦, the seven connectors in the table have almost the same equity. Against Q♥Q♦, it drops on every row from 5♠4♠ to J♠T♠.
What the flop gives 8♠7♠
There are 50 unseen cards and 19,600 possible flops. Draws are counted in outs with the app's equity module.
| The flop gives | Flops | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| a made straight | 256 | 1.3% |
| a made flush | 165 | 0.8% |
| a flush draw (9 outs) | 2,145 | 10.9% |
| an 8-out straight draw | 1,904 | 9.7% |
| a 4-out straight draw (gutshot) | 3,296 | 16.8% |
| a flush draw and an 8-out straight draw | 243 | 1.2% |
The rows overlap: the 243 flops in the last row also count in both draws, and a straight can also be a flush.
Keep going
- The other family of suited hands: suited aces.
- Counting draws: poker outs.
- A flush draw and a straight draw together: combo draws.
- The boards that hit connectors: low connected boards.
- What draws win later in the hand: implied odds.
- One spot every day: the daily poker puzzle.
- Higher suited hands: suited broadway hands.
- JTs against a 3‑bet: facing a 3‑bet in position.
- The same turn, seen from the limped-pot angle: limped pots.
- More chips behind for hands that hit big: deep stack strategy.
- How much being suited really adds: suited vs offsuit.
- Five cards in a row, and which straight wins: the straight in poker.
Sources
- Every equity is computed by exact enumeration with the app's equity module, checked on October 11, 2026; the flop frequencies come from enumerating all 19,600 flops.
- The answer to the spot follows rules written by the app's author; it does not come from a solver.