Starting Hands in Texas Holdem

Which starting hands should you be playing in Texas hold’em and why does it matter? One of the most common mistakes new players make in Texas hold’em is playing too many hands. Players realize that “any two cards can win” and want to see a flop no matter what cards they hold. In free Texas Holdem games, you can afford to do this, but in real money games, it will be costly.

However, the reality is that for one, most flops miss most hands so even seeing flops and then folding can be costly. Furthermore, a bad hand risks catching a small piece of the flop, making it tempting to continue on with a second best hand.

Hand Selection for Tight Players

If you are a tight player playing in a cash game, there is no reason for you to play unusual hands outside of the blinds. Playable hands include pairs of tens through aces and cards in the “Broadway Zone,” meaning both cards are in the ten through ace range.

You should be more inclined to play suited cards that are close together. Other hands, like small pairs and suited connectors, should generally only be played in unraised pots in late position.

If there is a raise before you, tighten your requirements even more. You can play hands like AJ and KT in a limped pot, but if there is a raise, these hands can be big trouble.

Hand Selection for Loose Players

Some players like to employ a loose aggressive strategy, playing a wider range of hands. If you do this, you must be aggressive and you must know when to release these hands.

These players will still not play hands like AT or K9 if the pot has already been raised. They prefer to play hands like small suited connectors (5d 6d, for example) middle pairs and complete rag hands.

When they come in, they usually come in raising. With these types of hands, they can run a bluff without wasting the bluff on a hand that has actual value. They can also manipulate the pot if they secretly flop a big hand or get away cheaply of they do not.

More on Loose Hand Selection

If you are going to play hands like small pairs and suited connectors, you should often raise (although in late position with many limpers you may want to limp along and try to catch a big hand that can win a big pot cheaply). Be prepared to release the hand, unless you catch big or are planning a bluff.