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Starting Hands
Selecting the right starting hands to play in Texas Holdem with free poker money involves taking many factors into account. These include your position at the table, stack sizes of both you and you're opponents and the tendencies of players who have entered the pot or have yet to act.
However there are some easy rules to follow for beginning players in selecting profitable starting hands. This guide first groups starting hands into simple categories, then suggests how to play them based on your position at the table and whether someone has already raised ahead of you.
1 – Premium Pairs
These hands are A-A, K-K and Q-Q these hands should be raised from any position at the table regardless of any player raising ahead of you. All of these hands are at their most profitable when most of the money is in the pot before the flop and you are playing against a single opponent. Re-raising an opponent who has already raised is often the best way to achieve this scenario.
2 – Medium Pairs
These are pairs from 8-8 through to J-J. Medium pairs are often the best hand before the flop, however their value decreases dramatically after the flop if there are several players also involved in the hand. The reason for this is that many players like to play high cards and any Queen, King or Ace on the flop could make an opponent a higher hand. Medium pairs should be raised before the flop to cut down the number of opponents. If there has already been a raise and a re-raise before you act then whether to play these hands will depend on whether you have seen the players involved raising with weak hands in the past.
3 – Small Pairs
2-2 through to 7-7 are considered small pairs in Texas Holdem. There are two ways of playing these hands profitably. Raising before the flop if the nobody has already raised will sometimes win the blinds uncontested, when you are called then betting out on the flop will win the pot more often than not. Alternatively these hands can be used to limp or to call a small raise. Approximately one time in eight you will hit a set on the flop and stand to win a big pot when this happens.
4 – Unpaired High Cards
Hands such as A-K, A-Q, A-J and K-Q suited are playable before the flop in many Texas Holdem games. These cards benefit from seeing all five of the community cards as this increases your chances of hitting a high pair. The best play with these hands is to raise or re-raise before the flop and then bet strongly after the flop. In early position unpaired high cards should be played more cautiously – the chance of a good hand being ahead of you and having to act first after the flop reduces their value considerably. Aces with side cards 10 and below should only be played from late position, stealing the blinds or isolating a ‘light raiser' is your objective here – however you do have some backup in the event that you are called.
5 – Suited Connectors
This refers to cards which are both close in rank and suited, for example J-10 of spades or 7-8 of diamonds. The benefit of these hands is that they can make both straights and flushes on the flop and will be well disguised. These hands are best played in a multi-way pot when it is cheap to see the flop. In early position they are best folded – as you run the risk of opponents raising ahead of you. In later position, especially when several players have limped ahead of you, then limp with these hands. If you hit a good flop you stand to win a big pot for a small investment.
6 – Suited Cards
Caution is advised playing suited cards which are not connected before the flop. Playable hands in this category include A-5 suited and K-J suited. The ideal situation is that you see the flop as cheaply as possible in the hope that you make a flush (or perhaps 2 pairs). These hands should be folded from early position or if there has been a raise ahead of you. From later position after some opponents have limped into the pot you can also limp.
7 – Trash Hands
Anything not mentioned above can be considered a trash hand and should not be played. As you gain experience at the tables then situations where the cards you hold become less important than other factors will become apparent. For the beginning player sticking to hands with real value will ensure you get off to a profitable start.
If you are not sure how hands in poker are ranking, make sure to check our Hand Rankings article.
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