How To Play Hands Like Jack-Eight Off Suit

Did you know that Jack/Eight off suit is a favorite against one random hand?

Without the knowledge of knowing what two cards have above average equity, you could be putting yourself at a big disadvantage even if you are the Big Stack. When you are the short stack, it's absolutely critical you understand the percentages to make the correct play. Of course it's not a guarantee to victory, but it is a guarantee you'll more likely than not get your money in with the best of it.

Whether you're in a situation that presents an opportunity to steal or late in a tournament with a short stack, the correct play is to press your advantage against one player.

Simulation work has been done using the Donahue Digital's DD Tournament Edition Poker simulator, for the answers as to what hands had an above average equity against one random hand.

Here are the obvious cases:

* Any pocket pair. Even pocket twos have a 50.35 percent equity against one random hand.

* Any Ace or King. A-2 off suit has a 54.94 percent equity against one random hand, K-2 off suit has a 50.5 percent equity against one random hand.

Of course, there are some less-than-obvious answers. The following combinations are just above even equity, and thus, are "better than average" hands:

* Q-5 off suit or any better unsuited Queen.

* Any Queen if it is suited.

* J-8 off suit or any better Jack.

* J-6 or any better suited Jack.

* T-9 off suit.

* T-7, T-8, T-9 suited.

* 9-8 suited.

All other hands are less than 50 percent equity and should be folded in this situation.
One of the reasons I really love this game is that I'm always discovering the seemingly undiscovered. I've never seen anything like this in print before—it truly was an undiscovered fact.