Holdem Starting Hands Selection

lilsweet_thang · 08-25-2007, 11:52 PM

Starting hand selection in Holdem

For any No Limit Texas Holdem player, it is important to be able to exercise good starting hand selection. Being able to sort between the bad hands and the good hands is key to becoming a winning poker player, which makes it a fundamental skill that all new poker players should try and learn. If you are unable to choose the correct hands that you should and shouldn’t be playing, you will find that you will be losing money through a very big leak in your game.

If you are entering any pot in Holdem, you want to try and make sure that you have the best chance to win the pot as possible. Therefore if you enter the pot with good hands, you should expect to see good results in the long run. Likewise, if you are entering pots with trash hands, you will find that your bankroll will become a reflection of the hands that you play - substandard.

There are a number of hands in Holdem that are more likely to win than others. Hands like AA, KK and QQ have good chances of winning when up against any random hand, which means that playing these hands is usually very profitable. Similarly, hands like AK, AQ, AJ and KQ can become very profitable as they can make big pairs, straights, flushes and so on. So if we stick to playing these hands and folding weaker ones, we will find that we are more likely to win pots and thus win money in the long run.

Hands that beginners should try and avoid playing are small connecting cards, or cards that are suited. Most novice players are attracted to suited cards because they are more likely to make flushes than hands that are not suited. However, the increased likelihood of making a flush is minimal, and more money will be lost in the process of calling to hit a flush, than will be made from every time you do actually make a flush.

Small connecting cards can also get players into trouble, because although they can make straights and sneaky two pairs, you may find yourself in a tricky situation if you only catch half a flop or an awkward draw. Therefore it is recommended that you stick to the big cards if you are a novice player, to make things easier for yourself and to keep yourself out of sticky situations on the flop.

Written by Inersha