Reading the Flop, High Cards

This article continues to relate starting hands to the flop. This time by looking how high cards in the hole fare with different texture of flops. This is article two out of three, the first looked at how pocket pairs behaved. The next and final article debates suited connectors.

With high gapped cards such as A Q, you do not have anything to start with, the flop needs to help you out. With this starting hand you are relying on the power of the high cards in Texas Hold'em. Sure you do not have anything before the flop but if you do get something it should be good.

Pocket Cards


The different flops are ordered from good to bad, for the case when you are holding high cards.

Flop, Two Pair, Trips or better


This is a dream flop. You have got the top three of a kind with the top kicker, A Q Q Q 9. Whether you get this flop or any other strong flop - like: two pair (using both your pocket cards, thus not including a flop as K K Q), a full house, or four of a kind - you are really in the drivers seat with these pocket cards.

Flop, Top Pair with Your Lower Card


This is a good flop, better than the next actually. Even though the pair of queens Q Q A T 5 is less ranked than the next hand you are relatively stronger. This time you would be beat by a pair of pocket kings, which will not be the case if you hit the pair with your top card, but otherwise it is much harder to conceive a hand that beats you with this flop. Obviously a pair of pocket tens are dangerous, but a set is a rare but always strong contender with any flop.

Flop, Top Pair with Your Top Card


This is a good flop, giving you the top pair with a hand that so far looks as: A A Q J 4. But it is certainly not a dream flop. Someone could have you "outkicked". One holding the "Big Slick" A K will beat you as the king is higher ranked than your queen. That players high cards are higher than yours. But someone with worse (preflop) cards than you can also beat you. Pocket A J makes a two pair with this flop. That is why getting two pair with your A Q was described as a dream flop above, then you could beat better preflop cards than yours. Still this is a good flop, just nothing to feel to confident about as soon as anyone else appears to feel strong, they might have good reasons to feel that way.

Flop, Underpair


The only overcard that still renders you a measly underpair is the king. With this flop you get Q Q A K 2. By itself it is a fairly strong hand, but this is a bad flop anyway. Now you could be beat with any crap hands such as K 9. The only comfort you get with this flop is that no overcard could come and alter the standings for who is ahead and behind in this pot. Should an ace come and make someone a pair, then you make two pair. If someone has the Big Slick and makes a better two pair then you, then you were already beaten before.

Overcards


Whenever you are holding high cards, there is a possibility that your pocket cards will be higher than the card that the flop comes with. As high as they may be you have nothing with A Q J 9 8, this is a poor flop. If you decide to play and you are up against someone with pocket cards as K J, then you would win if you hit one of your overcards on the following two cards. You are a big underdog doing this though.

Things could also be worse. If your opponent is holding A J, then you are said to be "dominated". It does not help you to hit one of your overcards, the ace, the opponent gets a two pair. Should you hit both the queen and the ace then it is back to the way it was before the flop, that is your opponent is dominated by your higher cards. Does not really matter, good starting cards can turn into inferior hands postflop, that is what happens with this flop.