Slightly confused what to do when you are dealt two queens in no-limit Texas Hold'em? Don't worry, you are not alone! Although it's the third best starting hand of the game, many poker players aren't as confident with pocket queens as they would be with kings or aces.
So, how should one play them pre-flop? partypoker Team Pro Tony Dunst recently made an article on the topic in which he explained the importance of, for example, playing them accordingly to your stack size.
Usually, when we're dealt one of the top two pairs in a poker tournament our objective is to get all the money in pre-flop. However, with pocket queens, we can't be as eager to sling our chips in the middle without considering the possibility that we're behind and the deeper the stacks become, the less likely it is that getting queens all-in pre-flop is a good idea. That said, it's a mistake to play your queens too cautiously in a tournament because they are still the third best hand in Hold'em. How aggressive you should be about playing them pre-flop should be determined stack sizes (the effective stack sizes of the players involved), image (both yours, and the players your against) and position.
The most important factor is stack sizes. You can get pocket queens in for 20 big blinds pre-flop in any situation and it's likely to be the correct play. With 30 to 60 blinds, you'll probably be re-raising your queens pre-flop and trying to get the money in, but if the player is tight or raised from early position it may be better to flat-call his initial raise instead of three-betting with the intention of getting the money in. And if you have 60 blinds or more, you should still probably three-bet your queens pre-flop, but you should also consider folding them to further action if a very tight player puts in a fourth or fifth raise for a ton of his chips.
Click here to read the entire blog entry.
