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A common misconception about poker, in any form, is that you MUST play the cards you have been dealt on any given hand. The reality is that one of the best ways to profit in Texas Hold’em is to FOLD. This means to muck your cards and take yourself out of the hand. Many people who are new at the game often make the mistake of playing the wrong cards at the wrong time (and some pros, too!). Here I explain the best ways to keep your self in ‘good-money’ situations, rather than ‘bad money’ situations.

There are two very important things to pay attention to when it comes to choosing what hands to play in Hold’em. As a card player, these are aspects of the game that can help you to put the ‘puzzle’ together and master your cash game or tournament.

First, pay attention to all the ‘action’ that is taking place around you, because your position, or where you are seated in relation to the dealer, has much to do with what you can do with the cards you are dealt. The common name for this is the ‘texture’ of the table. Through observations, you can make classifications of what the texture is of any given table. It is made up of each individual players’ tendencies, behavior, and what they’re communicating with their body and bets- loose, tight, aggressive, passive, are common characteristics- but, there are many other ways to characterize players, such as creative, hyper aggressive or passive, scared, and any card sharks favorite, a fish. (We will discuss how player tendencies influence the cards they play in a later post.)

Knowing your tables’ patterns is the first step in picking hands to play in Hold’em. (Again, because it will help you identify the hands of your opponents.)

Next, how much money do you have in your chip stack? In a tournament, the ‘critical’ period starts when players get down to 15-20 big blinds. This is a good time to stick to what Phil Hellmuth calls the ‘top-ten hands’. (AA,KK,QQ, AK suited, JJ, 10-10, 9-9, 8-8, AQ suited, and 77). Pick up any of these hands and try to win a showdown for all your chips, or get out of the tournamant. If you have a very large stack, then protect it (no matter what stage of the tournament). Sticking to the top ten hands is crucial, but knowing when to fold them is more important. If the action is on you and there is a raise and a re-raise before you, fold 77. There is no need to get involved with a small wired pair. These are the kinds of hand that you use to put pressure on other opponents as the initial raiser. It is often more profitable to play suited connectors, suited semi-connectors, and small pocket pairs for a cheap price because these hands can counterfit hands like AJ, A 10, and even KK, QQ, etc. once the whole board has been dealt. Playing these cards cheaply also allows you to get out of the hand with out much investment if the betting becomes too big, or you miss the board. Remember- Once you get knocked out of a tournament you’re done! (unless there are re-buys allowed).

Cash games can be approached slightly different but it is still important to pick your hands in ‘good money’ situations. The beauty of cash games is that if you lose a hand and have no money left on the table, you can buy back in and continue playing on the next rotation. Just like in tournament poker, the Top-10 hand technique is a great starting strategy but it is not everything. Since the blinds are not increasing, players have the opportunity to sit back and wait for premium hands like AA and KK but this wont go unnoticed. Other players will pick up on all the folding and know that when you enter the pot you only have a premium hand, and they fold. Cash games are a great place to experiment with a wide variety of hands, you just must know how to ‘get out’ of certain ‘bad-money’ situations and this comes with understanding the ‘texture’ of the table, and of course, experience.

So, good luck! and please post questions to the blog. I will address questions and offer tips to help you in your home games and tournaments.

JArgiro

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