No-Limit Holdem : Basic Starting Hands
When you start out playing No-Limit Texas Hold'em it is best to
avoid playing marginal hands, as you will have to do a lot of
guessing which will leave you vulnerable. If you have never played
NL before, it is recommended that you restrict yourself to only
playing pairs AA-22, AK and AQ. With these hands, you will not find
yourself caught in many difficult situations and you can still win
big pots. Playing only these hands requires a great deal of
discipline since you will not be involved in many pots. Playing with
this strategy will provide you with a lot of time to study the game
and observe the players as you play.
This table shows minimum required hands per position in
a semi-tight/semi-aggressive game.
Minimum required starting hand
when facing un-raised pot
|
# Players left to act |
Non-pair |
Pairs |
| 9 (under the gun) |
AK |
99 |
| 8 |
AQ |
88 |
| 7 |
AQ |
77 |
| 6 |
AJs |
66 |
| 5 |
ATs |
55 |
| 4 |
A9s, KQs |
44 |
| 3 (cut off) |
Axs, KJs |
33 |
| 2 (button) |
Axs, KTs, QJs, JTs |
22 |
| 1 (SB) |
Axs, K9s, QTs, J9s |
22 |
| 0 (BB) |
|
|
General Pre-Flop Advice
- Most of the time you should raise/re-raise with
top-pairs (AA-QQ) and top connectors (AK, AQs) in order to make
low-pairs and various connectors pay to see flops against you.
Remember, they will often have the opportunity to double up on
you if they hit (although many beginners do not realize this and
fold too often pre-flop).
- Stick to the premium hands (see table of minimum
required hands). You will pay dearly to "chase" with second-best
hands in NL.
- Keep most raises down to between 70% and 100%
(making it 3 times the big blind to go typically equals an 80%
pot bet) in order to save money when you get re-raised or called
by stronger holdings. If there are limpers in front of you,
raise to about 4-6 times the big blind.
- Have respect for strong tight players (for
example, you should drop AQ if a strong player raises under the
gun).
- When very weak players have entered the pot, be
inclined to call and take flops with them.
- Mostly raise or re-raise with AA-QQ, AK and AQs
in any position.
- Basically, all other starting hands are limping
hands. And though you might re-raise with them when you are
defending your blinds, you might also raise with these hands
when you are first in from a late position.
- Occasionally mix up your play by
raising/calling/re-raising with hands you would not usually
play. It is preferable to avoid becoming too predictable
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