How to Play Jack-Ten Offsuit in Cash Games
Jack-Ten offsuit is like a cloned version of Jack-Ten suited.
It might not be as good as the original, but it can still get the job done in some situations.
In this article, you’ll learn how to make the most out of this offsuit broadway hand. Here’s what I’ll cover:
- How to play Jack-Ten offsuit preflop
- 3 tips for when you hit the flop with Jack-Ten offsuit postflop
- 3 tips for when you miss the flop with Jack-Ten offsuit
Let’s begin.
How to Play Jack-Ten Offsuit Preflop
This section will cover how to play Jack-Ten offsuit in a variety of common preflop situations.
Here are the positions that will be referenced in this section:
Unopened Pots
Jack-Ten offsuit is a decent hand. That said, it has much worse playability and expected value (EV) than it’s suited counterpart.
There’s two big things working against this hand:
- You cannot profitably call a 3-bet preflop with Jack-Ten offsuit (whereas Jack-Ten suited can)
- Jack-Ten offsuit doesn’t flop flush draws nearly as often, thus you will more often be forced to fold on the flop
For these reasons, this hand cannot profitably be opened from every position.
You should fold Jack-Ten offsuit from the early and middle positions. You should only open-raise with it from the Cutoff, Button and Small Blind.
Against an Open-Raise
Although Jack-Ten offsuit is a decently strong hand when the action folds to you, once someone has already raised, you should mostly fold this hand preflop.
The only time you should call a raise with Jack-Ten offsuit is when you are in the Big Blind. In that position, you can usually call. You shouldn’t 3-bet since its equity and playability are too low to make it a profitable play.
You can consider folding Jack-Ten offsuit versus a raise when one of the early positions raises. Those players should be raising with such a tight range and Jack-Ten offsuit doesn’t perform well against it.
Against a 3-Bet
Jack-Ten offsuit is too weak to call any 3-bet. It’s usually at the or close to the bottom end of all the opening ranges. That’s the part of your range that you can fold comfortably (without fear of getting exploited).
Note: Look up how to play any hand in every common preflop situation in a few seconds. Get instant access to extensive preflop charts (for cash games and tournaments) when you join the Upswing Lab training course and community. Lock your seat now!
The Advanced Solver Ranges for cash games — one of six sets of preflop charts in the Upswing Lab.
3 Tips for Playing Jack-Ten Offsuit When You Miss the Flop
You’re going to completely miss the flop around two thirds of the time when you have Jack-Ten offsuit.
Tip #1 – Mix up your play with gutshot straight draws
Gutshot straight draws are disguised hands that can hit your opponent by surprise (hence the name “gutshot”). These draws are not the strongest, but they have a decent chance of hitting a straight on the turn or river (around 16% of the time).
Example: You defend your Big Blind with Js Th and the flop is 8c 7d 3s. You check, your opponent bets, and the action is on you.
When you check and your opponent bets, you should mix these hands between calling and check-raising. This way, when the draw comes in on the turn, you can have that straight in your range regardless of which play you made on the flop.
A lot of times there will be multiple gutshots available for check-raising. And if you want to have a balanced check-raising range, it cannot contain all of them (since you’d be massively over-bluffing). You should seldom check-raise with them.
Tip #2 – Play your stronger draws more aggressively
Open-ended straight draws, flush draws, and combo draws should be played even more aggressively than gutshots.
They have a better chance to make a strong hand, thus there is more incentive to increase the size of the pot.
Gutshots, on the other hand, are much weaker as you only have 4 outs to make a straight (compared to 8, 9, 13, or 17 outs for the stronger ones). You’re not as eager to increase the size of the pot.
When you have one of these strong draws, lean towards playing it aggressively.
Tip #3 – Be more inclined to play aggressively if you have some backdoors to strengthen your hand
With just two overcards, you have a 24% chance of hitting a top pair on the turn or river.
If you have some backdoor flush or backdoor straight draw to go with it, then you get an additional 3-5% chance to hit a straight or a flush on the river. This incentivizes you to keep being aggressive as you have a higher chance of winning a big pot.
Example: Say you open-raised from Middle Position and the Big Blind calls. The flop comes 8x 5x 3x rainbow. You should continue betting with Jack-Ten offsuit very often. You have two overcards to top pair, and 1 backdoor straight draw (on the 9-7 runout).
3 Tips for Playing Jack-Ten Offsuit When You Hit the Flop
Let’s go over some tips for when you hit a pair or better with Jack-Ten offsuit.
Tip #1 – Mix up your play with top pairs
Top pairs are strong hands on the flop, especially if there is no straight possible already. That being said, a top pair with a Jack or Ten kicker isn’t a “triple barrel for value” kind of hand, except in the rare cases where it improves to a two pair.
For this reason, you should plan to check at least one street with these medium-strength top pairs. You can start with a check on the flop and plan to bet the turn/river. Or you can bet the flop and plan to check a later street.
Example: You are on the Button and the Big Blind defended your raise the flop is Tc 6s 5h. You should mix it up (bet sometimes, check sometimes) with Jd Ts in that scenario.
Tip #2 – Play passively with your second and third pairs
Second and third pairs can’t get much value from your opponent. Furthermore, they are not happy facing raises or check-raises. For this reason, it’s best to play these hands passively, looking to pick up bluffs on the following streets.
Example: If the flop is something like As Js 7d, you should check back with your Jack-Ten offsuit.
Tip #3 – Fast-play your strong hands (slow-playing is for rookies)
Slow-playing your strongest hands is reserved for very rare instances on the flop. And if we’re talking about c-betting in position, you should only do it if you don’t like money.
It’s pretty simple: when you flop a strong hand, play it fast. You will only cost yourself money (on average) if you slow-play.
Final Thoughts
Ta-da! Your 5-minute guide to playing Jack Ten offsuit is finished.
You now know how to maneuver in the majority of situations. I want you to go out there and play like a pro with this hand from now on.
That’s all for this article! If you enjoyed it, let me know in the comment section down below! Also, if you want me to cover any other hand, let me know in the comment section down below.
Till’ next time, good luck, grinders!
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