Classroom
Welcome to Blue Square Poker School. For those of you who are new to the game or for experienced players looking for a refresher on the rules of poker and how it is played, you have come to the right place. To start with we advise you to familiarise yourself with the various game types on offer at Blue Square Poker and to get to grips with the basics of how to play the game. Make sure you understand the poker lingo you are likely to encounter at the table with a quick glance at our poker glossary section.
To improve your poker parlance even further, become au fait with the slang names used for some of the better known starting hands in our hand nicknames section. In addition to these basic learning requirements, which are essential for anyone wishing to become a profitable poker player, we will also be publishing regular tips from our stable of pro players and a weekly poker lesson, all designed to aid your transition from poker chump to poker champ. The first of our weekly lessons looks at starting hands.
Lesson 1 – Starting Hands
While there is no hard and fast rule about which Texas Hold’em starting hands you should and should not play, there are some which stand out more than others as ones to get involved with. There are also those that positively scream out to be thrown away as fast as is humanly possible.
Of course situation is all important as one’s starting hand requirements will change depending on factors like how many players are at the table, what the relative chip stacks are and the style of play of your opponents, but as a basic guide, here are some of the starting hands that you should be considering entering a pot with:
The Top Rung
Pair of Aces:
Pocket aces are the best starting hand in the business. If you are frightened to get involved wit these, maybe you should try snakes and ladders instead. It is almost always worth putting in a raise when you get pocket rockets, but make sure it is big enough to prevent several other players from limping in cheaply, while not being so big as to scare everyone away.
Pair of Kings, Queens or Jacks:
These are also premium holdings and should be played strongly but be wary of over cards on the flop.
Ace- King suited:
Ace-King suited is one of the strongest hands in poker but it can be dangerous too. Many people overvalue the strength of this hand, even when it has failed to connect with the board. Play it well and you will rake it in, but overplay it and it may cost you dearly.
The Next Step Down
Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack, Ace-Ten suited:
These are strong hands but there are many hands that beat them so don’t put your entire bankroll or tournament life on the line when you look down to find one of them. More often than not you will be in the lead preflop with one of these hands, but against more than one opponent you will more than likely be overtaken on the flop if you haven’t connected with it yourself.
Ace-King, Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack unsuited:
Strong hands but again, not ones to get married to. Be warned or get scorned.
Jack-Ten, Queen-Jack suited:
These are powerful hands. Both have good flush and straight possibilities and are likely to be well disguised if played strongly.
Pair of tens or nines:
Not as comfortable as the higher pairs already mentioned. The lower the pair the more chance of being beaten by overcards on the flop. So adjust your betting patterns to narrow down the likely holdings of any player who dares to call your preflop raise. Be careful of entering raised multi-way pots with these holdings as there is a good chance you are already beaten by a higher pair.
Further Down the Ladder
King-Queen:
Suited or unsuited, it looks nice when you find it, but it’s not really as strong as it appears. Be careful calling someone else’s raise with this hand as even if you connect with it on the flop, it is likely that someone else has connected with it even more than you have.
King-Ten, Queen-Ten:
These hands are even less appealing than King-Queen. The best scenario you can hope for with these hands is to pick up a straight or an open ended straight draw, as you would not want to rely on the ten as a kicker if you connect with a king or queen on the flop.
King-Jack, Queen-Jack, Jack-Ten unsuited:
Against a smaller number of opponents these hands can be treated as better than they are, but in multi-way action they need to be treated with a bit of caution. They may contain high ranking cards, but they are not exactly high ranking starting hands.
One Foot on the Rung
Low pairs:
Sometimes worth playing, dependent on situation, but their main strength is when they flop trips in multi-way pots.
Suited Connectors, e.g. 5-6. 7-8:
Sometimes worth making a play with or seeing a flop with. These sorts of hands can bring the good rewards and are relatively easy to get away from when they don’t improve.
Ace-Ten, King –Ten, Queen-Ten:
Look better than they are but can be useful hands to play in certain situations, but you always have to be wary of facing similar hands with better kickers.
Woodworm
All your favourite quirky hands, like 7-4, 6-3, 7-2:
You may have personal reasons for liking these starting hands but the best advice is to ignore such superstitions and avoid playing these hands like the plague. They may win you the odd nice pot but more often than not you’ll be nursing a broken ankle after falling off the ladder.
Aces with low kickers:
Short-stacks waiting for ‘any ace to push with’ often favour these hands but they are highly likely to be dominated by someone holding an ace with a better kicker. Even if you are down to the felt, you might consider passing these hands and waiting for something less obvious to push with.
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