Sitting down to some action in one of the world’s most popular games can be a wonderful, stressful and exhilarating experience, and it can all happen in a single hand. We’re talking hold’em, Texas Hold’em and all the betting varieties associated with this great game of poker. Many beginners, as well as novice players, can easily grasp the concept of how to build a winning hand, but all too often, the eagerness to play trumps the ignorance of knowing when NOT to play. In hold’em poker, to win big, it’s all about understanding your starting hand.
Kenny Rogers Wasn’t Lying – Great Hold’em Poker Starting Hands
It has been said a million times about hold’em, and it’s worth repeating. You gotta…know when to hold’em, know when to fold ‘em. When those pocket cards come your direction, they’ll either serve as a hole you want to fight from, or a hole you want to get out of. Most beginners find the allure of a pair in the pocket to be too tempting to let go. While a pair is often an excellent place to start, it shouldn’t arbitrarily become the horse you want to bet on – every online poker player should take their starting hand into great consideration.
A quick example: You hit a pair of 5’s on the deal. Unless you’ve got something against a pair of 5’s, you will probably want to see the flop, if you can get to it inexpensively. The flop comes A,7,10, no strong suit, and then the game immediately becomes about playing the players instead of your hand. Now, you won’t be drawing the nuts, but there is a slight chance another 5 could hit the board, or even another pair. However, someone playing with aces or faces will own a distinct advantage over your hand.
Pay particular attention to the way the table bets around you pre and post-flop. Are people in early positions betting, checking, check-raising? Are players in late positions staying in the action? If variables lean in the favor of a competitor, don’t fall in love with seeing the turn based on a “hopeful” starting hand, regardless of whether or not it is “made.”
Holdem Strategy – The Best Starting Hands to Play
Some great hands to ride are the wonderful occurrences of royal pairs, aces or digits that set up nicely for a straight – connectors. Playing suited connectors is also an excellent and strong move, depending on what the board shows post-flop. You experience potential for both a flush, straight or straight-flush with such a starting hand.
No one should forget that they begin every hand with the same playing odds as everyone else at the table and it goes for all online poker sites. Great starting hands will eventually come the way of each competitor. Staying patient to make strategical, strong plays with great starting hands will lead to far more showdown success than failure. If a starting hand isn’t there, however, there’s no reason to get in that deep.