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Texas Hold Em, any two cards can win right? Absolutely, but if you always play any two cards you will go broke faster then you can say, "Let's see the flop". That is why it is extremely important to choose your starting hands using some form of "expected value" for the hand if you play it all the way to the river. Many authors have written articles, chapters, and whole books on the subject of starting hands. This is by no means comprehensive but should give you a good foundation to begin playing. For more information take a look at the recommended books. First we are going to assume you are playing in a "loose low-limit" game. This means that most of the poker knowledge of the players at your table is limited to: a) Any two cards can win. b) A flush beats a straight and so on. c) Other players have a desire to know if you are bluffing. d) Other players are not afraid to bluff against you on occasion or A LOT. At this type of game not very many hands are won before the flop, but you can lose all of your money if you follow the any two cards philosophy. The key, at this point, is to start with better cards then your opponents are playing, and fold before the flop when they are average or bad. In order to start listing hands for you we need to cover a bit of shorthand we will use throughout this site (and widely accepted in poker texts). We will list the cards by a number or letter such as 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, T, J, Q, K, A and the suit is listed buy the first letter (h)earts, (d)iamonds, (c)lubs, and (s)pades. Therefore As Kh is the Ace of Spades with the King of Hearts. When talking about the suits of your hand in general, (s) is used to notate that both are of the same suit and (o) is used to designate that the cards are of different suits. Therefore JTs would refer to a Jack and Ten of the same suit and JTo is a Jack and Ten of different suits. If neither (s) nor (o) is used it is assumed that the cards are of different suits. Finally (x) refers to any card lower then the first card, for instance Axs means any Ace with a second card 2-K of the same suit and Kxs is a King with 2-Q of the same suit (the ace is not included because it would be AKs or Axs). Another important concept to familiarize yourself with is position. As people act before you, you learn more information, therefore it is more profitable to act last. To begin we will assume you are playing "on the button" otherwise known as the dealer position, in an unraised pot. Since this is a low-limit game you will likely have 2 to 4 callers in front of you. In a situation such as this you need to be playing "tight/aggressive" poker. (Tight - meaning seeing a few flops with good cards, folding when you don't make a hand or a good draw. Aggressive - meaning you are raising when you have the best of it and only playing draws when you have the correct odds.) Raising hands: Big pairs (AA, KK, and QQ) Large suited aces (AKs and AQs) and Very Big cards (AKo and AQo) note Tens and Jacks are not considered big cards for raising, if you face a raise you are probably out kicked by a Queen or King. On the other side if you raise the callers will likely have big kickers and you run into the same problem. Calling hands: Mid-pairs (77, 88, 99, TT and JJ) Mid Suited aces (A7s-AJs) Big aces (AJo and ATo) Big suited (KQs, KJs, QJs, and JTs) and Big cards (KQo, QJo, QTo, and JTo). The following hands are playable, but a beginner may lose more money with these cards at first, until they get a better read on the dynamics of certain player types and the game. Marginal Hands: 22, 33, 44, 55, 66, Axs, A9, A8, Kxs, KJo, QTs, and any suited connector. As the button moves around, and you get closer to the blinds, you need to play fewer hands because you may face a raise by someone with better position behind you. The raising hands do not change, but play fewer calling hands the earlier you have to act before the blinds. From the Big Blind (BB): With many hands it is best to just check and see the flop for free, but when it is raised you need to be selective on what you call with especially if it is a good player who raised. In this situation if there are 2 to 4 others who have either bet before the called the raise, you can follow the late position requirements. Reraising with AA, KK, QQ and AKs. From the Small Blind (SB): In the SB it is typically only half a bet to call. Do not call with any hand simply because it is cheep. In addition to the late position, you can call with many suited cards that have both straight and flush potential. A tight aggressive player will see approximately 15%-30% percent of flops over the long term including play from the blinds. You may see more or less depending on the short term luck involved with the game, but in the long term (hundreds or hours) you will get you fair share of good hands and be able to show a profit with good play. |
