Instructional Guide To Starting Hands In No Limit Texas Hold’em
One of the most difficult things about learning to play No Limit Texas Hold’em is that there are no hard and fast rules. Even though there are finite amount of starting hands, how you will play that hand will depend on a variety of other factors like positioning and betting from your opponents. There are a few general rules that are worth considering though. Here is a guide to a few starting hands.
AA, KK. QQ
Always play these hands. Obviously you’ll never fold AA before the flop. Most pros says they’ve only folded KK before the flop maybe once or twice in their life. QQ is also usually pretty safe, though once the flop comes, you should be worried if you see an ace or king on the board.
JJ, TT, 99, 88
These are known as the toughest hands to play correctly, but you should almost always try to play them. Be wary of calling really big bets, but also don’t be afraid to raise with these hands if there is no action in front of you.
Any smaller pocket pair
These hands usually aren’t very good against any raise, but they are worth trying to see a flop cheaply if you can, because of their potential to make three of a kind, which can net big results. It’s also good to play these hands aggressively if there are only one or two other people still involved in the pot before the flop.
AK, AQ, AJ
Almost always play AK, though be prepared to back down if you can’t make a pair on the flop and you think your opponent has made a pair. Same for AQ, though be a little more careful of calling a big raise. I don’t like to play AJ or anything lower, even if they are suited. If you pair your ace, you can’t be confident that your kicker is big enough, and if you pair the Jack, you can’t be confident that someone else doesn’t have an over pair.
Suited Connectors
These hands are popular because of their potential to make straights and flushes, but I only play them rarely, unless I’m at a smaller table. The best time to play these hands is if you think your opponent has a premium hand, but has made a very small bet. But be prepared to get rid of this hand ASAP if you don’t make something on the flop.
Any other hand really isn’t worth playing, unless you are the big blind and can check. That’s not to say that you can’t mix in a stone cold bluff every now and then, but just about every amateur player bluffs way more than they should. The best advice for less experienced players is to try to be more selective with your starting hands than you think you need to be, because odds are, you’re more likely to be too aggressive as opposed to not aggressive enough.
