There are a lot of people who think that the best hands to play when playing poker is “I’m-ready” hands. While some people prefer them, many feel that it is often a bad idea to play these kinds of hands. If you’re unfamiliar with these kinds of hands, you should familiarize yourself with their strengths and weaknesses.
The first thing to understand is what they are and why you want to avoid them. You see, the “I’m-ready” hand is a good bet because it involves a weaker hand. This means that your opponent has an easier hand to beat (i.e. it is better suited for your style of play) and that your hand will probably be valued more.
That being said, if your opponent has an ace or better in his or her hand, it may be worth the time to raise with this hand. However, you should make sure that you know exactly how your opponent’s pocket cards are positioned before you ever do so. You don’t want to get taken by surprise and lose a lot of chips on the flop or river by not raising with this hand.
It is important to realize that there are still good reasons to use the “I’m-ready” hand in comparison to other “best hands.” The main advantage is that it can be turned over more often (especially at higher levels of play) and thus can create you a small amount of pot odds. That amount is minuscule compared to the benefit of the weaker hand, but the best thing about the “I’m-ready” hand is that it can be used in conjunction with other strong hands to create better outs.
Furthermore, there are two reasons to consider playing the “I’m-ready” hand, one with your opponent’s pocket cards in your hand, and one without. The first time you use it, you will always be able to place higher bets with your stronger hand.
Then again, if you don’t think you will be able to turn the hand over, you should usually play without the partner and without seeing the cards. On the other hand, if you’re convinced that your opponent’s hand will be exposed later in the game, it may be smart to play with your partner and see the cards. After all, you can always try to bluff them later to “catch” them. Also, when playing “I’m-ready” hands, it is a good idea to try the off-suit variety, because the strength of the player’s hand should be clearly visible from the suit color.
The problem with these types of hands is that they are rarely played. You should never be folding to them, unless you’re one of the very few people who know exactly how to bluff on a particular pocket card. So when the situation arises, it is usually good to play the “I’m-ready” hand and be aware of how the opponent’s hand compares to yours.
The “I’m-ready” hand is a good hand for situations where the stakes are small, or the draw is weak, but the hand isn’t that strong as the best hands to play when playing at the table. When the stakes are high and the draw is good, it may be better to play with a better suited hand such as a 5-4 or a suited pair. Conversely, when the player has a very strong hand, it may be smart to play without a partner (the hand will rarely be exposed) and see the cards and fold to an opponent’s superior hand.