Starting hands guide

Juicee asked me to make a new thread about starting hands so here you go:
this chart will give you a nice guide for what to play preflop in relation to your position
generally you should raise with the hands on the charts, though other plays (like a backraise with AA under the gun) are obviously acceptable
hope this helps
(picturized version from: No Limit Texas Holdem , By Brad Daugherty & Tom McEvoy, made by jasondavies)

Attached Images

startinghands (Medium).jpg (57.0 KB, 251 views)

Nice job, Chuck, thanks. The graphics on this one make it very clear and easy to read.

thank jasondavies he made it

hey chuck, can you please let me know some things

firstly, are these the only hands that you should LIMP with or are they all hands that you should raise with? obviously persoanl preference will come into play

secondly, where they are suited on the chart, i.e A6, AQ and K10 does that mean to only play those hands if suited?

well everyone has there own style in relation (passive, aggressive etc.)
but really you should be raising with them
this is not always the case, though
say you have 44 on the button, and an early position player who you know to be tight raises, then you should definitely fold them.
as for the suited thing, yes that's what it means
where it says KT or whatever suited, you play them only if they're suited
again this is only a guide and you might want to play TT from early position at a tighter table sometimes, instead of only in late position

i am an average player and try my best to avoid limping in with hands that are not strongs enough,but that makes it tough for me because either i would win most of the hands if i played them or sometimes lose some of them,my problem is i am not disciplined enough, after a while i get bored and just limp in in any hand like ace 2,3,4,5,6,7.8 9suited or no k2,3,4 5 6 7 8 9.and so on,so what do you think i should do, desperatly need advice

yes boredom and impatience is a factor in hand selection lol
i find myself doing the same thing sometimes

you just have to have enough willpower to say to yourself, where will this hand get me, and if it's a K2 then obviously it's not worth playing
wait for the better hands, thats all i can say

Chuck nice chart with pictures too lol................Rock

Yes, Rock does MUCH better with pictures!

thanks i knew which hands are the best starting hands, but seeing where to play them in relation to your position on the table makes sense of why people do and ahould pl;ay cards like a-9, q-10suited, etc...

very,very good info...extremely helpful to this newbie

Do not get in the habit of playing that hand. Here is why: You may connect on the flop and beyond and get commited to a pot only to lose to a higher kicker. K10 and above is the minimum; at least you have a straight possibility that you don't have with K7. TRUST ME, you will save more money in the long run by folding K7 especially in early position. Of course it's all relative. If you are heads up, K7 is strong against a random hand but in general, fold it.
IZ

With respect to what hands you play and why, I suggest that you get a feel for how strong a hand is versus another hand. For example you need to know that a medium pair versus two high cards is about a coinf flip etc. Mess around with poker calculators and put in several scenarios. Such as 3 people holding ABC cards with a flop of xyz and you will be able to see how strong or weak a hand is. In general, you need strong to very strong hands in early position to call the big blind. In middle positions, the requirements are relaxed a bit. In late position, you may limp in with mediocre hands PROVIDED THAT YOU ARE GETTING THE PROPER POT ODDS TO DO SO. If you have a hand like 7/8 suited and you are on the button, I would call if 5 people limped in because you will be getting 6 to won on your money. Understand that most of the times, you will miss the flop so you get out, but when you do connect and win, the implied odds that you get will justify that call. On the other hand against only two other people, I would fold because chances are that the other two have high cards especially if they are not in the blinds. Your calling requirements will also dictate your fluctuation. If you call with many hands, you will win more pots but you will also experience more swings in your bankroll. Loose aggressive = Huge Swings Tight = Less fluctuation. It's the classic risk reward model.

Thanks Chuck, it's stellar man, just stellar! This post really helped me out tremendously. Just another one of your threads going in 'Useful Threads' post!!!!!!!!!!!