Starting Poker Hands: Hold'em or Fold'em?
The general principle of Texas Hold'em poker strategy revolves around knowing which starting hands to play: play few hands, but play aggressively. It takes a lot of experience in poker before one could get a feel for which hands to keep and which to fold.
By having a rough guideline on which starting hands to remain active in and which to fold, you could easily conserve your chips and bet aggressively when you hit a big one.
Here are some guidelines on which how to pick the correct starting hands in Texas Hold'em poker.
1. Know the strategic implications of your position
Your position in a game of Texas Hold'em will spell what hands would be most favorable for playing. In the early position, try to stick to superb hands like high pairs and high suited drawing hands. The middle position allows you to play mid-range cards and soft bluff. The late position is suitable even for low-ranking pairs and bluffing.
2. Trash is trash, whatever the situation is
Even if you are in the late position and the only remaining active players are the blinds, never attempt to bluff if you have a really trashy hand. When we say trash hands, we mean those hands that have low-ranking cards that are not paired, could not improve into a straight or needs three miracle middle cards to do so, and are not suited.
If you go for a bluff with a trash hand and the players still in hand call you, you have a very miniscule chance of winning if they bring you into a showdown. Be sure that when you bluff, you at least have an Ace or a face card. That is, if you don't have a drawing or made hand.
3. Tight play is a great play
It is best if you stick to playing superb cards. By superb we mean excellent-ranking cards, from the high pairs of ace and face cards to high-ranking and suited drawing cards. But of course, you could not be dealt these amazing hands all the time.
Thus, it would be beneficial if you stick to this rule: play superb hands each time, mid-range hands when there are a few raises, and weak hands when there almost no bets placed.
By choosing which starting hand to play in Texas Hold'em poker, you will be able to save your chips. By doing so, you could easily risk more when a great hand is dealt to you. Just keep in mind: position matters, trash hands are always trash, and keep your play tight.