Playing small cards in Texas hold’em is frequently challenging simply because the game is based around big cards and folding small cards – particularly after the flop, is quite often the proper play. Sure it is tough to throw away a low pair or a draw, but every so often hands with potential like this can win goliath pots because your opponent will commonly not have any idea of what you’re playing.

Be wary here is that Texas hold’em is a betting game, and good players tend to play cards that permit them to bet on their strength alone. That in general means big paint cards and aces. In that sense most of the hands you play holding lower pairs and connectors are going to be chip burners. The strategy however is to keep the pots small and get to see a affordable flop.

Players are able to make these hands profitable long-term, and that commonly means one of, or a combination of position, opponent profiling, and pot size. When you play these hands in position you are less likely to be re-raised pre-flop, granting you to see the flop for cheap. You want to be able to do this to keep your entry costs minimal, while still maintaining your win potential much higher.

You can also play these hands by virtue of opponent profiling, when you see a particular player who is prone to error after the flop. Often times their aggression factor, and the amount of chips they are willing to risk a single hand can result in a super pot by virtue of their ignorance of the flop chemistry. This happens all the time in poker, and one or two hands like this during the entire session will advance your bankroll. You just have to recognize that special point where someone is likely to make a colossal error.

Pot size can be an inducement when calling in late position a multi-way pot. When holding cards with potential against multiple opponents, you are going to have an easier conclusion after the flop as to what to do, and if you get a great draw or a set, you may be able to keep numerous players in the pot to make the pot very lucrative. You will typically make far more money playing these hands in multi-player pots, and when the flop is really effective for you, a double or triple up is not unusual.

So when playing weaker hands, you should always be looking for implied odds situations where the prospective for payout is huge, even though your hand is considered weak.