Starting Hands

By Brian Bavosa
5-6-06

When it comes to Texas Hold ‘Em, there has often been a long-winded debate about which starting cards to play. It is highly publicized that playing bad starting card will often result in more losses than wins, and often involve getting yourself trapped in hands that you should not have been involved in, in the first place. However, in a game like the ones at FullTiltPoker.com that involves quite a bit of luck there are times when it pays to be a little more aggressive, and play mediocre staring hands.

To better understand what I mean, we will run through an example of starting hands. The most obvious situation involves a small pocket pair. In my opinion, it is a good idea to play as many of these hands as possible—but only if the pot is not raised a significant amount “pre-flop,” or before the first three community cards are turned over. This is an even better idea to try and “limp in” if you happen to be either the small or big blind, or there is no pre-flop raise at all.

Let us theorize that you have a “Pocket 4’s,” or two 4’s dealt to you, “in the hole.” (Let’s say they are the 4 of Hearts, and 4 of Spades). If you can, try to see a flop. However, beware that this is not a hand you should play every time if you are short on chips. If you are “short stacked,” you may just want to get the maximum value for your bet and go “all-in” before and community cards are turned, or muck the hand all together.
Now, let’s pretend you have managed to see the flop for cheap, and it comes, “A” of Spades, “K” of Hearts, and “4” of Clubs. If there was any sort of raise before the flop, it is safe to assume that one of your opponents has either a King or an Ace. But, with the 4 of Clubs falling, we have now made a “set” of 4’s, or more commonly referred to as three-of-a-kind. We essentially have a strangle hold on the hand at this point. We can either make a large bet or raise, especially if you think someone may be playing “Big Slick,” or an Ace and a King. Or, you can “slow play” the hand, and try to let your opponent do all of the betting for you until the end. Either strategy will work, but you need to be aware of the flush and straight possibilities. (As of now, only a straight possibility exits with three different suits falling on the flop, commonly referred to as a “Rainbow Flop” = all different colors/suits).

If the turn is a 9 of Hearts, you still are safe in assuming you have the best hand. However, now there are two hearts “on board,” and need to make a little bigger bet. The river turns a “2” of Clubs. You must now know that only 3 hands beat you—pocket 9’s, K’s or A’s, which judging by our hypothesized action of betting so far, is highly unlikely.

So, time to cash in. We want to make a big bet/raise, hoping to lure our opponent into out lair. If they raise, re-raise, and try to control your smile. If they call, it will be out of stubbornness, and if they fold, they will be questioning themselves for the remainder of the game.

Either way, it is a good idea to sometimes take a chance with mediocre starting cards, but only if the size of your stack allows it. Also, if you do not catch a big piece of the flop, folding will help you avoid causing yourself a lot of grief.

As the saying goes, “you can’t win what’s not in the middle.”