Holdem Starting Hands
Top starting hands should be raised and played aggressively.
AA, KK, QQ, AK, JJ, AQ, these hands are most likely to be the
best before the flop. By raising and eliminating other players
early you reduce the risk of getting outdrawn. These hands will
hold up the majority of the time against 2 or 3 opponents. So it
is important to reduce the number of opponents you face early by
betting strong. Other factors when deciding on how much to bet
is your position. If you are first to act then you should be
folding all but top hands. If you are near last position you
have the advantage of seeing what your opponents bet and can
make your decision on how strong you feel they are based on
there actions.
Top hands are so important and new "rookie" players lose more
often by playing too many hands. Its dificult to fold so much,
but if you do you will see how profitable it can be. Watch the
poker players on TV. These players beat hundreds of opponents to
get to the final table, and they do it time and time again.
These are great players and most of them play premium hands or
are at a level much higher than this and are experts at playing
there opponent and not there hands. So as a new player dont try
to play hands you shouldn't because you see it working on TV.
Playing your opponent and not your cards is what makes the poker
greats masters. But it takes much longer to master these skills,
and you need the building blocks to get there.
These hands look good to start with, but will trap you and cost
you money if you do not improve or if you are dominated. Hands
like AJ, KQ, KJ, QJ, K10, Q10 and J10 . These hands should not
be played after a raise and not played at all in early position.
You want to have your money in the pot when you have the best
hand, playing these hands will cause you to lose money in the
long run.
Meduim pairs are great to start with, but if after the flop you
haven't tripped out you should fold them. A single pair will
rarely win in a multi-opponent game.
Suited connectors are a decent starting hand. If there is a bet
and a call before you fold them. They are best played in late
position.
Top Ten Starting Hands 1. A-A (Pocket Aces) 2. K-K (Pocket
Kings) 3. Q-Q (Pocket Queens) 4. A-K (Ace King) 5. J-J (Pocket
Jacks) 6. 10-10(Pocket Tens) 7. 9-9 (Pocket Nines) 8. 8-8
(Pocket Eights) 9. A-Q (Ace Queen) 10. 7-7 (Pocket Sevens)
Raise these Hands
Top hands to raise with preflop A-A (Pocket Aces) K-K (Pocket
Kings) Q-Q (Pocket Queens) A-K (Ace King) J-J (Pocket Jacks)
10-10(Pocket Tens) A-Q (Ace Queen)
Hands you want to see a flop with A-J (Ace Jack) K-Q (King
Queen) Q-J (Queen Jack) J-10 (Jack Ten) 9-9(Pocket Nines) 8-8
(Pocket Eights) 7-7 (Pocket Sevens) A-10 (Ace Ten) 10-9 Same
Suit (Ten Nine Suited)
Kerry Mann is an online poker pro. His website
http://www.pokerliving.net tells more about him and how he makes
a living at online poker.