The art of living dangerously

Sometimes, poker hands which look good at first glance can blow up in your face.
But never fear - Phil 'Dangerous' Shaw is here to make sure you don't get your fingers burned.

Danger hands in poker are the ones that you either shouldn't be playing in the fi rst place - but do because they look seductive, fun or profi table (shortly before getting you into trouble) - or they're ones which have massive potential, usually either to win you a lot of money or lose a lot.

Below is a list of some of the most misplayed hands in Hold'em, and some of the ways in which people commonly go wrong. Bear in mind that poker is a game of situations, people and position: a hand that's easy to play (or fold) in one situation could present a different problem in another.

Winning at poker is therefore all about making good (or great) decisions. To do this, a poker player needs to be an expert in laying and taking odds, or knowing when to refuse a bet, in complex situations. They can do this with some margin for error and accept some risks, but overall each decision gives them a small edge which over time adds up to serious financial gain.

If you're playing a No Limit Texas Hold'em tournament and you're dealt 8:3; in fi rst position, you don't have much of a decision - you pass it quickly. But that's not profi table. Profi table decisions come in situations where you play a hand better that almost everyone else, whether you pass, call or raise with it. In our hypothetical tournament, it would be equally obvious what to do with AA or AK if you only had a small number of chips left - you would stick them all-in and hope to win the hand and survive. But what about fi nding a danger hand in that situation if instead you have lots of chips left - for example A9 OS, 78 S, QJ OS or even JJ? Now, your decision is a lot tougher. Each of these hands has a generally optimum way of being played in fi rst position (fold, call, fold, raise) which will make you some profi t in the long term, and you will need to have a good idea of what this is. But it also depends on exactly where you are in a specifi c game - is it the re-buy period, is someone on tilt, are many players likely to call? Whether you see the opportunity to be a little creative by doing something slightly different comes into play, too, as does fi nding what Howard Lederer calls: 'A profi table way to stray from what would generally be considered the proper play.' The reason for doing this is that if you always play a hand in the same way, people will recognise it, and your game will become transparent. Therefore, raising with the suited connectors or check raising with the Jacks might be more profi table occasionally. But just bear in mind that by doing this, you increase the risk of serious harm if your plan backfi res, and that danger hands before the fl op can become nightmares after it when played like this. If such a situation develops when you slow play a monster or push a marginal hand too far, you should simply remember that the fi rst mistake is often the easiest to walk away from, and that such cards are called danger hands for a reason…

If you always play a hand in the same way, people will recognise it, and your game will become transparent

AA

The 'American Airlines' can look as appealing as a fl ight to the Bahamas, but beginners are often found at the bar, complaining that they not only cost them their luggage but their shirt as well. Because a Hold'em hand consists of fi ve cards from seven overall but only two pre-fl op, the value of Aces is massive early on. However, it drops soon afterwards as the fl op might give someone two pair or trips, and may present a straight or fl ush draw for the turn or river to complete. In contrast, the bets in No Limit or Pot Limit games are smallest at the start and escalate rapidly from there. So other players are often getting the 'implied odds' they need to call pre-fl op and try to make a better hand or draw before setting about taking your money. For this reason, Aces need to be played strong early to deny others the implied odds and to leave you with a good idea of what any callers might have made on the fl op. So if you raise with a good portion of your chips and the fl op comes K;5Ú2; after which you and your one opponent go to war, you can be fairly confi dent of being ahead. If you just called - looking for a checkraising opportunity that didn't come - and several players get involved, you could be facing any number of hands that are now ahead or could be by the river.

JJ

The 'Hooks' are called that for more than one reason, as they can reel you into losing a fortune and are generally regarded as one of the most diffi cult hands to play in Hold'em. If you raise with them and are called, the chances are that the fl op will contain one or more overcards. And even if it doesn't, there is always the danger of then losing a fortune to Aces, Kings or Queens. If someone re-raises you, it's likely that they hold either a bigger pair or overcards, such as AK or AQ, so you are either a small favourite or a big dog. In poker, this is a situation you are constantly trying to avoid, so Jacks more than any pair are like chameleons. For example, if you know someone often plays small pairs or weak Aces, they can be a great hand to come over the top with. However, if there has already been a raise and a re-raise to you, in most games you would sooner light a fi re with them than get involved.

22

Small pairs are often overplayed in limit games, or by people who ignore the cardinal rule of No Limit tournament all-ins, which is to get the money in when either 50/ 50 or better. If you think about it, when you are holding 22 to do this, an opponent's hand would also have to contain a deuce, and they could also have a better pair, making you around a 9/2 dog! All small pairs are best avoided late in tournaments unless you are in late position and face many callers or only a very small raise. They are playable early in big-bet tournaments or cash games where the money is deep. But once you get to the flop, you should follow the advice of Tom McEvoy and TJ Cloutier: 'No set, no bet.'

AX OFF-SUIT

The weak Ace is exactly what it sounds like in most situations, despite some players and commentators' predilections to get excited about it. If you raise and are re-raised, you are forced to fold, and if you get to the flop to see an Ace you may have 'kicker trouble'. Similarly, hitting the low kicker is rarely enough to continue in the hand, and you will frequently miss altogether. In short, then, it's one of the main danger hands in Hold'em and unless you're an expert, you play it at your peril. Remember, a hand with a hole in it is frequently worse than no hand at all (with no hand you lose no money). Playing the weak Ace after the fl op can often feel like the equivalent of walking around with one leg broken. Depending on the level of game you play in - and your opponents' care of choice over kickers - it will need to be calibrated differently though. For example, against loose, weak opponents who play any Ace, AT or AJ could easily be enough to ensure success, whereas a player such as Doyle Brunson describes even AQ as being a trouble hand in many situations.

QJ OFF-SUIT

Although face cards may look pretty and appealing, they can often get you into trouble and leave you feeling sick afterwards. That's why John Duthie described getting excited about them as 'suffering from a disease'. The reason is that although they are high cards they are always losing to any Ace pre-fl op, and can frequently be in a tight spot if the Ace's kicker 'duplicates' one of them (such as KQ vs AQ), especially if played all-in. They are moderate, defensive hands if you need to act in a hurry, and they are playable in late position or if suited. However, just don't fall for the impression that a nice paint job means you'll find sound engineering underneath.

98 SUITED

Suited connectors, such as 9…8… or 6Ú7Ú, can be useful hands as long as they're played carefully and cheaply. That's because no-one will ever suspect a straight on a fl op of 67T, or a monster draw on one of AÚ5…6Ú. However, they also suffer from the slim possibility of putting you in a complete lock against a higher straight or fl ush and guaranteeing you lose all your chips. This danger is most apparent either very early during big tournaments, or in deep cash games, otherwise the odds will be usually be in your favour - but when it happens it's nothing less than a complete disaster! Making the lower fl ush is a danger you will struggle to avoid when you're playing this type of hand. But, with straight draws, you need to remember what other hands you could be running into. For example, 89s looks great with a fl op of TJQ, until someone turns up AK. Similarly, as soon as higher cards start competing your draw, they are also likely either to be making a better one for someone else or hitting them directly and making you a favourite to be bet out of the hand.