The truth: You're really not that far behind 95% of the poker players in the world. And you don't need 0️⃣ to be the foremost expert on the game to become a winning poker player. In fact, a relatively small amount 0️⃣ of basic poker principles can produce massive improvements in your results almost immediately. The first step to becoming a good 0️⃣ poker player: simply figuring out how to stop sucking at it. One of the ways to do so is to 0️⃣ start playing fewer hands. Here' what we mean and how to put it into practice.
Play Fewer Hands
Learn how to play 0️⃣ like Phil Ivey
In Texas Hold'em there are 169 different possible starting hands you can be dealt (this is ignoring specific 0️⃣ suits). Out of all these possible hands, there are only five hands that are considered "premium."
AA KK QQ AK (Suited) 0️⃣ JJ
Regardless of your position at the table, a premium hand should always be played if there is no raise ahead 0️⃣ of you. If there is a raise ahead of you - especially if there are callers or re-raises - sometimes 0️⃣ it can even be a mistake to play anything below Aces or Kings. When you think about Texas Hold'em starting 0️⃣ hands this way, you'll realize you should be folding around 80% more hands.
Naturally, the hands you play, and how you 0️⃣ play them, will change depending on thousands of different variables at the table. But at the very core of the 0️⃣ game there are very few hands that are considered playable. If there has been no player to open the pot 0️⃣ (meaning no one has raised, or even limped ahead of you) you can play almost any hand with any sort 0️⃣ of potential value.
Once someone has raised ahead of you, your hand selection should be narrowed down to only the hands 0️⃣ that can give you the nuts, and help keep you out of any situation which has you dominated.
For example: you 0️⃣ should never play KQ into a raise, as AA, KK, QQ, AK, and AQ all have you dominated. Unless you 0️⃣ have a very good reason to do so, as a beginner poker player you should stick to playing only the 0️⃣ top 10 to 15 hands, period.
The more you play, and the better you become at the game, the more hands 0️⃣ you can add to your playlist. Until then, keep it simple, and always head to the flop with the best 0️⃣ of it.
Top 15 Hold'em Starting Hands
AA KK QQ AK (suited) JJ 1010 AQ (suited) AJ (suited) AK (off suit) KQ 0️⃣ (suited) A10 (suited) KJ (suited) AQ (off suit) 99 JQ (suited)
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Pick Your Texas Hold'em Hands Wisely
By playing fewer starting 0️⃣ hands you can give yourself a huge advantage against loose, aggressive players. Exactly the kinds of players mentioned above. You'll 0️⃣ also make your post-flop decisions much easier and cut way down on the times you're putting money into the pot 0️⃣ with the worst hand.
When you have more experience you can begin to play more hands and get more creative with 0️⃣ your post-flop play. But until then, it's a much more profitable enterprise to keep it simple. And only put money 0️⃣ into the pot when you have a good hand. In this beginner poker strategy video we teach you how to 0️⃣ tighten up your starting hand range to win more money playing Texas Hold'em poker.
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Check out this quick video and 0️⃣ continue with the rest of the How Not to Suck beginner poker strategy series below:
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