Starting Hands

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Starting Hands
Part 2: Starting Tight
by Guide Bill Burton
The two videotapes I picked up when I started this project  had similar ideas about starting hands for beginner players. Both tapes stressed limiting the selection of hands played. Playing any starting hand is thought of as playing loose while limiting your play to the stronger hands is thought of as playing tight. They advised playing tight and limiting your play to just essentially the most powerful starting hands for your first few sessions. These are basically cards you could play from early position. There are 16 opening hands that fit this criterion. The Fantastic Five AA KK QQ JJ AKs If you've gotten these you'll be able to raise from any position and re-raise if the pot is raised before you. The opposite starting hands I'VE dubbed the early eleven. The Early Eleven AQs AJs ATs KQs KJs QJs AK AQ JTs TT 99 All of those hands can also be played from any position that allows you to alleviate making positional mistakes It was also suggested to play small pairs in late position in an UN-RAISED pot but be prepared to fold should you don't  flop a set. If you're the big blind and nobody has raised you get to peer the flop without putting in any further money. You'll stick with any cards because you already have bet the hand. You could be thinking that limiting your play to those hands is playing too tight but there's a logical cause of this recommendation. In the "How to overcome Winning Hold'em Players" tape, Ben Tracy stresses the significance of the patience and discipline had to become a winning player. He suggests playing only these hands for a three-hour test. If you cannot limit your play in this time frame it is important to work a lot more on you discipline in case you ever hope to become a winning player. I think that is some sound practical advice for anyone starting out. After a few sessions of tight play you'll gain confidence and will begin to expand the choice of starting hands you play.  If you're just starting out you might as well learn the sport correctly from the start. This implies learning, which hands are playable and which aren't. It is going to be much more profitable if you do. When I participated within the free poker lesson at Foxwoods, The dealer suggested that I enter their low limit tournament to get the texture of live table play. I CAN do that three-hour test after I enter the tournament next week. Limiting my play to those hands will allow me to pay attention to the opposite fundamentals of the sport. I can use the time to watch other players, attempt to read hands and establish a strong table image. Back to page 1 > Guidelines > Page  1, 3 Until next time, remember: "Luck comes and goes...Knowledge stays forever." NOTE: This is the unique series of articles that was written in 2000 as I learned to play the Texas Hold'em. It documents a few of my experiences during my first year of playing casino poker. I have tried to maintain the links to outside sites updated where possible. This series of articles isn't a part of my book,   From the Kitchen to the Cardroom- Get the threshold at Low Limit Texas Hold'em

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