How to Play Small Connecting Cards Preflop

How to Play Small Connecting Cards Preflop
There are a lot of questions at the poker tables of the correct way to play small connecting cards before the flop. The reason why there are so many questions is because there are so many different opinions. One person may play these cards like they are good cards, while another may play them like they are just a couple of rags.
The number one reason why there is such a difference with the way one may play small connecting cards before the flop then another is because of the outlook on the hands. That is actually the main reason why it can be so hard to read another player at the table that you do not know. You will be able to sense when a player is strong or weak, but how do you know what they think is strong or weak? A skilled knowledgeable player knows that two pair is not a very good hand when there is a flush and a straight on the board. A player that is not very knowledgeable may think his or her two pair is great. The point here is that everyone has a different outlook on different hands; and the same goes with small connecting cards before the flop.
With small connecting cards there are a lot of possibilities going into the flop. The most important thing to think about when playing these kinds of cards is going to be your position. There is no point in playing cards like small connectors before the flop if you are in bad position. That will only get you into trouble most of the time while you are already playing against the odds.
A Deeper Look into Small Connecting Cards
Think about the possibilities of a hand like 5 6, which would be considered to be a small connecting hand. If you know that you have good position and good pot odds and you feel that you are going up against a lot of similar higher hands, then you probably have a pretty good chance of making something happen with a hand like this. Most of the time your opponents will not put you on a hand like 5 6, when there was a raise. There are a lot of players out there that play only high cards, and they do no understand that not all players do it that way. The idea is to be to surprise your opponents with your suited connectors when you hit a monster. If they cannot put you on that hand, then you will probably get paid off when it hits.
What to do?
Before the flop you need to think about two things. First of all you must think about your position -- if you have bad position then toss your small cards. If you have good position, then move on to the next question. What kind of pot odds are you getting? If you are getting great odds and it is worth it for you to play your small connectors then get in the hand and do not think twice about it. Every once in a while, if you have the good position and there is no raise; you may want to mix it up a bit and throw raise out there. Overall, you just want to make sure your decision is justified by the amount of money you are able to make if your hand hits. The only way your small connectors are good to play is if you have the position, the pot odds, and a few opponents in the hand with you.