Starting Hands In Texas Hold'em Poker

I think it is safe to say we have all seen a Texas Holdem starting hand chart, some memorise it, some take it to bed and some throw in the bin.  Although a Texas Hold'em starting hand chart as an important aspect in poker, you will still need to include many factors on weather you are going to play a hand


Even with a top ten starting hand you will still need to play your poker hands tactically, which means that you still need to observe your opponents, take notes, watch out for traps and calculate your odds.  Any poker player can be dealt a great hand, it's maximising it's value or getting away from it that's the tricky part.

Position Affects Your Hand Value

One of the most important aspects to focus on is the value of position when it comes to your hand, and also what has happened in the hand previously. In Texas Hold'em, position is a huge advantage.  Being in late position and one of the last players to act is a huge advantage, and occupying the dealer position or button is the best place to be at the table.

When you are in positions like the SB (Small Blind) and BB (Big Blind), you can see that your starting hand slection will drop significantly in Texas Hold'em. This is due to the fact that you often end up betting or calling in these positions with hands that are much weaker than you would normally play due to getting the right pot odds to make a call. In addition, people behind you get to see your actions, so they are in better position to perform tricky moves or steal the pot if necessary.

This is why many Texas Hold'em experts say that if you observe a game, that money tends to flow toward the direction of the Button.

This means that you want to tighten up your starting hand selection early in the game and drop questionable hands like [KT], [QT], [JT], [T9] - and possibly even [KJ] or [QJ] again this will depend on your style of play and if the game is loose or tight. You can see for yourself on the EV chart that these hands will lose you money in the long run in Hold'em.

Starting hands are the key to success in Texas Hold'em

You might think that starting hand strategy in poker is all about getting big cards and winning with them, but that's only half the story. The other half of the story is avoiding getting yourself into situations where you call down with weak cards.
Ever Been In This Kind Of Situation? 

You're in the Big Blind and you catch top pair on the flop with a weak kicker. A player bets, and you call the flop with your top pair. The player bets both the turn and river, and you call again (even when you really don't want to). When you turn your cards over, you find to your dismay that your opponent has a bigger kicker and wins the pot.

You've just been out-kicked! This happens all the time and the key is to let it happen to your opponents - not you! Always remember this fundamental principle to poker: "A bet saved is a bet earned!"

Thoughts and comments below please!