How to play pocket jacks or better

Coming in with a high pair is always welcome to most Poker Holdem players but sometimes they can flatter to deceive. Ranging downwards from a pair of aces to a pair of hacks,  ask any professional and they will tell you that these hands can be tantalisingly difficult to play.

In fact a player that opens with pocket jacks has to be very careful in assessing the play and it is not a sure thing that they will continue through the hand at any cost, even though it is classed in the top five hands.

On the contrary, beginners to Poker Holdem will usually get very excited when the turn over a high pair, and might even be inclined to overplay their hand, give all kinds of clues that will force other players to fold, or at least convince the blind players not to rise before the flop. Although they will usually win the hand with a high pair, they certainly are liable to limit the amount of money they might have won if they had slow played the hand.

So when a player draws a high pair, they should take a second to gather their thoughts and decide their strategies.  An experienced player will already have learned that every hand at       Poker Holdem is unique and how it pans out is dependent on a number of situations.

• The player's  position at the table

• The playing style of the opposition players.

• The players position relative to any aggressive players

• If it is a cash game or a tournament game

• The state of your chip stack.

Drawing a high pair can be treacherous, if a player is short-stacked, and not playing too many hands, the other players at the table will recognize that the player feels they have strong     hand and may well fold. Position at the table also plays a part, with the general rule that the later in the pre-flop the player has more time to assess the opposition.

After the flop, things can look a lot different, the last thing a player holding a pair of jacks or better is a single over card (a card that is higher in value than their pair) any pair improves their position, yet it is impossible to say for sure what the players in the hand are holding. The picture comes clearer on Fourth Street and on the river card. Players who stay in till the end of the hand will know the exact state of their hand, and whether they have succeeded in bringing it to its maximum potential. What they may never know is if one or more of the other players at the table have, if they decide to fold.