Starting Hands
Knowing the value of your cards is, of course, paramount to playing poker. Despite all the professional’s words about position and reads and bluffs and all the other factors involved in playing poker; at some point you actually do look at your cards. As a new player it is important to clearly understand the hand rankings when it comes to the particular game you are playing.
If you do not know why AA23 double-suited is a better opening hand in Omaha hi-lo than say AA2K double-suited, then you need to do some reading before you give away your money. As our lessons continue here we will be going into more and more detail on the various aspects of the game and we will certainly include the value of starting hands.
But for now, let us just offer that there are many resources both in print and on the web that you can quickly use to evaluate starting hands.
It should be second nature to you what hands you will and should play or fold pre-flop in any game. You need to have a clear picture of whether AQ suited is a better of worse hand in Hold’em than say pocket 7s. Beginning players, indeed all poker players, should not be making emotional decisions based on starting cards. Yes, J 10 suited looks good when you peek at your hole cards but do you know the 10 or 12 hands that are ranked higher? And can you explain why J 10 suited is a better starting hand than QJ suited?
The evaluation of starting hands is actually one of the easiest and fastest to learn pieces of information that a new player needs. Take ten minutes and make yourself a cheat sheet or buy a starting hand guide and keep it with you in your early games. Just a glance each hand will easily commit the basics to memory.
-This is Beginner’s Poker Blog Post #12
