Poker Forum - Register
Play Online Poker Games at US Poker Sites - Get the maximum Full Tilt Poker Referral Code and PokerStars Marketing Code exclusively at Cardschat. Try online poker at Everest Poker, Ultimate Bet.
Party Poker Titan Poker PokerStars Bodog Pacific Poker
Online Poker Guide

Online Poker Guide Guía de Poker

Table of Contents

 Online Poker Guide
 About this Guide

Your Bankroll

 What Is a Bankroll?
 How Much do I Need?
 Depositing
 Cashing Out
 Keeping Score
 Bonuses
 When Do I Move Up In Limits?
 When Do I Move Down?

The Games

 Limit
 Pot Limit/No Limit
 Tournaments
 Single Table Tournaments (STT)
 Multi Table Tournaments (MTT)
 Full vs. Shorthanded (6-max)
 What Should I Play?

The Studying

 Why Study?
 Poker Books
 Reviewing your Own Hands
 Online Resources

Appendices

 Glossary
 Starting Hands Chart (Hold 'em)
 Software Tools

Other Pages of Interest

 Poker Lessons
 Poker Strategy
 Poker Games
 Poker Sites
 Poker Bonuses
 Poker Odds
 Full Tilt Poker Referral Code  PokerStars Marketing Code


Texas Hold'em Starting Hands

The game of Texas Hold 'em is very complex. So complex, in fact, that it's borderline impossible to state what the correct poker strategy for any given situation is. There are so many variables involved in the decision making, not the least of which is the opposition, that giving hard advice is... Well... Hard.

Nonetheless, there are guidelines to be had, especially when it comes to preflop play. Preflop, the amount of variables are kept to a minimum, and here, it's basically a matter of playing the cards you're dealt. If you're just starting out as a Hold 'em player, playing decently correctly preflop will probably keep you afloat, if not even a winning player. At the very lowest limits, your opposition will play so poorly that you have an almost insurmountable advantage just by playing tightly preflop. Use that advantage to accumulate a bankroll, while simultaneously practising your game, and learning to understand why your preflop play should look the way it does. But until then, follow the chart below. It recommends a very tight preflop play, and while not ideal, this is a pretty fast way to achieve profit at the lowest limits.

For a more specific article on preflop play (which may help you understand why the chart looks the way it does), see the > preflop concepts article.

The notation below works this way: For pairs, when it says "JJ" that effectively means all pairs higher than jacks. And when it says AJs for "suited", that includes also AQs and AKs, etc.

Early position (the first three seats to the left of the big blind):

  Pairs Suited Offsuit
Raise: JJ AQs AK
Call: None.    

Middle position (seats 4-6 to the left of the big blind):

  Pairs Suited Offsuit
Raise: TT KQs AQo
Call: 88 QJs KQo

Late position (the cut-off and the button):

  Pairs Suited Offsuit
Raise: 88 ATs KJo
Call: 55 T9s QJo

A big thank you to ChuckTs for making a graphical chart!

Poker Starting Hands Chart  


 


Full Tilt Poker
PLAY WITH THE PROS, $600 BONUS, US FRIENDLY POKER SITE!


Copyscape   Poker En Ligne Online Poker Poker Online
All original site contents ©Cardschat.com 2004-2008. Reproduction is prohibited.