One kind of hand you have to consider in Texas Hold em is a hand with connecting cards. Connecting cards are consecutive cards like 9, T or J, Q, and their value comes in that they offer the best opportunity to make a straight. Hands with one gap like J, 9 or even two like T, 7 can also make a straight, but it is much harder for them to connect with the flop. For example on a flop of 4, 7, 8, a player holding 9, T has eight chances to make his straight, the four Sixes and the four Jacks, whereas the player with J, 9 can only make his straight with one of the four remaining Tens.

A big-card poker game

Fixed Limit Texas Holdem is a poker game of big cards, so small unsuited connecting cards have very little value. Big unsuited connectors have slightly more value, although their profitability is limited. The way to play these types of hands is largely dependent on how big your connectors are. If your connectors are very big, like A, K or K, Q, you should be playing them like any two big cards. Raise with them to thin the field and hope to flop top pair with a big kicker. If you prefer to flat call and see a flop first, that can be all right, but if you do hit your hand you should bet it aggressively. Most of your profit will come from playing these hands when they make top pair. You only have one way to make a straight with A, K and two ways with K, Q, so it won't happen very often. When it does, the board will be very scary and it is unlikely you will get much action. Since your hand is not suited, you are unlikely to make a flush, and when you do you will get no action at all since there will be four of a suit on the board and everyone will suspect you have it.

Play lower connectors like drawing hands

With a slightly smaller connector like J, T, you probably want to just limp and try to take a flop. The special advantage with J, T is that any straight you make is the "nut" (unbeatable) straight, assuming one of your cards doesn't match the board and "counterfeit" the one in your hand. This is a hand where you would like many people in the pot, since if you make it, you would like as many players contributing to the pot as possible, since none of them can beat you (unless the board pairs making a full house possible, or three of a suit come to create a possible flush). You don't want to put in too much money early though, as your hand will miss more often than it will hit. Fixed Limit Texas Holdem is a game of big cards, and that, not suitedness or connectivity, should be your main concern. If you do like to play connecting cards, you should play them in later positions, where you are more likely to see a flop cheaply and be able to take advantage when you make your hand.