Hands that Consistently Lose Money

Nothing is so difficult as not deceiving oneself. - Ludwig Wittgenstein

Continuing to work on my “A” game, I am reviewing my data and looking for hands that are consistent losers. By eliminating these from my game for the most part, I am lopping off a sizable chunk of my “C” game. The net result should be an increase in my “A” game. Which hands are these wicked temptresses that lure me into handing over my hard earned cash, you ask? They are probably the same hands that entice some of you with their siren song, my dear readers, sweet seeming suited connectors like J-10s, 9-10s, 8-9s. Add in the handsome looking K-10s and the lovely Q-10s and you have a cadre of attractive starting hands that are consistent losers for me. What else might we find? Well, I mentioned in a previous post that the cute little ducklings 2-2 have also proven to be losers. Then, add in the hands that I know are troublesome and probably should not be playing anyway like A-Jo, A-10o, A-9o, A-8o and voila! There you have it.
While I will not recommend one should never play these hands, one should certainly limit their allure to the Hi-Jack, Cut Off, and Button. Even then, one should exercise caution and prudence as these hands often make a hand that is 3rd or 4th best – which is definitely negative EV.
A couple of caveats to note are:
1) suited connectors containing a 5 were more often winners than suited connectors containing a 10, and
2) big suited connectors, such as Q-Js, K-Qs, and A-Ks, are consistent winners.

I whole heartedly recommend you perform a similar exercise for yourself and see how much of your “C” game you can eliminate. Until next time, good luck at the tables.