Throw away your starting hands charts.
Seriously. Toss 'em.
Stop worrying about AJ or KQ and where to play them. Stop listening to all the talk about "domination" and having a better hand to call with than you'd raise with.
I am dead serious.
Here's why. Almost every single poker author puts a chart in their book or, like in the Harrington series, offers so many hand examples you can create charts. However, and this is the most overlooked point, every single author, without exception, says "it depends." It depends on the way the table's playing, whether you have tons of calling stations or maniacs. It just all depends on....whatever.
That's because NL is more about the players and position than it is about the cards. You'd be better off telling yourself to play "x" range of hands against player A and "y" range of hands against player B than creating charts to play mindlessly against everyone.
In "Hold 'Em for Advanced Players" (designed mostly for limit play) Sklansky even says his starting hand charts will do no more than help you break even. That's a lot of damned work just to break even. Then, to be a better, more dangerous player, you need to break away from the charts as "your game evolves."
Horsehockey!
Why tie yourself to a "system" which you then have to unlearn in order to actually make money?
I'm speaking as one of the "chart lovers" out there. And I've been working damned hard to unlearn things.
There is no system, no rote way of playing, that will make you a winner.
I haven't made a deposit in over 2 years but I do have a few withdrawals. I'm a very, very small winner. Just enough to say I'm not a loser and am better than break-even. But I didn't turn the corner until I started fighting back against the indoctrination of the the "charts".
I'm tellin' ya, toss the charts. You'll never really learn what works for you until you do.
Brann
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