Texas Hold 'em Pre-flop Strategy
Submitted by Abagail on Sun, 2004-12-12 06:24.
- Top ten starting hands, in descending order: AA; KK; QQ; AK suited; AQ
suited; JJ; KQ suited; AJ suited; KJ suited; AK. (The last four hands are
closer in value than the first six, and so the order is not as rigid amongst
them.)
- High Pocket Pairs: Pairs from Aces (AA) to Tens (TT) are always a good
starting hand. They often begin as the best hand and hold up. They also have
the opportunity to complete high flushes and straights, and they show a large
profit when they "flop a set" (hit a third card of the same rank on the flop,
to make three-of-a-kind).
- Middle Pocket Pairs: Without improvement, a middle or small pocket pair is
a weak hand in a full game. Its value increases as the number of players
decreases. The usual strategy is to try to see the flop cheaply with a hand
like this --- if you flop a set, you now have a very strong hand. If you miss
the flop, you should usually fold. Since the odds of flopping a set are about
7.5:1 (or 12%), try to avoid calling too many bets pre-flop, since you will be
folding most of the time on the flop.
- High Cards: Two suited high cards (Ten or higher) are strong and usually
playable, especially in late position. They have the combination of all three
attributes of high card value, and high straight and flush possibility. The
value of two unsuited high cards is considerably less. Unsuited high
cards, unless they are strong hands like AK or KQ, should generally only be
played in late position for a single bet. Calling with KT or AT in early
position in a full table is a common beginning error.
-
Suited connectors: If your two cards are suited, don't
overrate them. Suited connectors, such as 9♥ 8♥,
are good drawing hands: they have a chance to make both a straight and a
flush. These types of hands play well against many opponents. However, random
suited hands, such as J4♣ or 96♠ rarely show
a profit.
- Other: If a hand is not listed above in the above types, it is almost
never correct to play it voluntarily. The most common mistake beginning
players make is to pay to see the flop too many times with bad hands, which
costs them plenty of money over hundreds of hands. Yes, any hand such as 72
offsuit (which is the worst possible hand) can get lucky, but much more often
than not, these hands will miss the flop and require a fold. Marginal hands
are possibly even worse, as they are easily dominated (e.g. A7 against AQ) and
will often go all the way to the river paying off the best hand.
|
