• Short Deck Poker Hand Rankings
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• Poker Best Starting Hands
• Short Deck Poker Best Starting Hands Wins

Jan 13, 2021 How to Play Texas Holdem Starting Hands Pocket Aces. Although you can write volumes about detailed lines and theories on maximizing profit with this hand, other than folding there is rarely a scenario in which you can ever make a mistake with this hand (pre-flop that is). Dec 07, 2018 Short Deck Hold’em is still new to the poker world, and so optimal starting hand selection and postflop play is really still up for debate. One thing is for sure though; starting hand equities are vastly different in Short Deck Hold’em compared to No Limit Hold’em. For example, hands like JT suited are much more valuable. Regardless of your playing style, success in Short Deck No Limit Hold’em depends largely on the starting hands you choose to play. Because there are 16 fewer cards than Hold’em, it may seem like every hand is playable, but that can quickly get you into trouble as you will often make second best hands.

• General Guidelines
• Seven Card Stud
• Limit Texas Hold'em

There are four main categories of starting hands in seven-card stud: Three of a kind, also referred to as rolled-up trips; big pairs; small and medium pairs; and the drawing hands. There are also some other hands that you occasionally should play, but a discussion of them is beyond the scope of this book. However, the starting hand quiz that follows this section provides a few tips on how to play some of these additional hands.

Three of a kind.

This is the best starting hand in seven-card stud, but you won’t get it very often — in fact, on the average of only once in every 425 times you are dealt in.

Because rolled-up trips are so strong, it usually doesn’t matter how you play them. Still, you don’t want to be dealt three queens and win only the antes. So if you are in an early position and think a raise will drive out the other players, you should just call. On the other hand, if several players are already in the pot before the action gets to you, your raise is unlikely to make them fold. But remember, although three of a kind is a powerful hand, it’s not invincible and occasionally does get beat.

Big pairs.

The big pairs are almost always playable and should be played aggressively. The exception is if you are likely to be up against someone who holds a larger pair. In this case, you should consider throwing your hand away, unless your kicker — the side card to your pair — is higher than your opponent’s probable pair.

When you play a big pair, you generally go all the way to the river. However, if your opponent pairs his third-street card (known as the door card) or makes something else threatening — such as a four flush on board — you should usually fold.

Small and medium pairs.

Determining whether to play a small or medium pair can be fairly complicated. The two most important considerations are the availability of the cards you need — that is, whether your hand is live — and the size of your kicker. As already noted, a high card can add value to your hand. Nevertheless, playing a pair of fours when you can see a four across the table is usually a mistake — even if your kicker is an ace.

The drawing hands.

Hands such as three flushes and three straights are often playable. Again, the cards you need must be available, and having a high card is helpful especially if you are heads up. Unlike the pairs, drawing hands have no present value; you play them because they have the potential to become very strong.

Starting Hand Quiz

1. You have been dealt two aces, one in the hole and one up. What should you do?

Raise or reraise when the action gets to you. A pair of aces plays best in a short-handed pot, so raise it up.

2. You have been dealt a three flush, but four of the flush cards you need are out and someone has already raised. What should you do?

Throw your hand away, as it’s just too difficult to make your flush.

3. What if the pot is not raised?

For the same reason, you still should throw your three flush away.

4. You have only three high cards, but the first five players have mucked their hands. What should you do?

Go ahead and raise.

5. What if several players have already entered the pot?

Throw your hand away. High cards play best against a small number of opponents.

6. Someone in an early position raises with a king up, and you have a pair of nines. Do you play?

Not usually, as your opponent’s raise from early position indicates that he likely holds a pair of kings. Consequently, to play under these circumstances, you need more than just a pair of nines.

7. You have a small three straight with a gap. You are in a late position, and several players have just called the bring-in. Do you play?

Usually. If you can get in cheaply and are fairly certain you won’t be raised, you can play some weaker hands. However, be careful. If you get caught up in the action, you will begin to play too many hands.

8. You have rolled-up sixes, and three players have already entered the pot. What should you do?

Raise it up. You have a great hand, so get more money into the pot.

9. Several players are already in, and you have a three flush. Should you raise?

No, as you still have a long way to go. Raise only if you have three cards to a straight flush.

10. Suppose you have a small buried pair and the pot is raised. Do you play?

Only if there are several players in the pot and your cards are live.

11. When you have a close decision concerning whether to play a hand, what should you consider?

How well those opponents already in the pot play. The better they play, the less inclined you should be to play.

12. How do you adjust the hands you should play if a jackpot is offered?

If the jackpot is small, you should not play any differently than you normally would. But when the jackpot has become large, it makes sense to play hands that contain a small pair or an ace if aces full or better is the required losing hand. If four of a kind is the required losing hand, you should play your small pairs. But don’t get carried away. A hand like the

is still terrible and should be discarded.

Basic Strategy:Tips : Position : Starting Hands : Bluffing : Betting : Money Management

The two cards that you are dealt at the start of a hand in Texas Hold'em are your weapons. If you want to play a hand, your cards need to be strong enough to fight against your opponents' cards to win the pot.

At the core of every winning poker player is good starting hand strategy.

Texas Hold'em starting hands table.

I'm not going to mess about here, I'm just going to give you the starting hand strategy table for you to get your teeth into. The tables below give starting hand recommendations for both full ring and short handed games depending on your position at the table.

How to use the starting hand strategy table.

First thing that you need to do is consider your position in the hand, because this is going to determine the range of cards that you are going to be able to play profitably.

• If you are in early position, you should stick to playing the hands in red only.
• If you are in middle position, you should play the hands in red, as well as the hands in blue.
• If you are in late position, you should play the red and blue hands, along with the hands in green.

So essentially, the better your position is at the table, the more hands you can play.

Short Deck Poker Hand Rankings

However, if you are in one of the later positions and there has been a raise before you, then you should forget about playing the hands in green, and stick with the ones in red and blue. This is because players raising from early position will typically have a strong hand, so you should also have a premium hand to play against them. Playing the green hands against a raiser from early position will usually put you in pretty bad shape.

Full ring starting hand strategy.

When you are playing at a full ring table that holds around 10 players, you really need to tighten up your starting hand selection. This is because the large number of players at the table increases the likelihood that at least one player has a premium hand, and so you want to be sure that you have one of the best hands at the table every time you see a flop.

The starting hand table may look to be very strict, but this is simply a rough guide to help beginner players find their feet in Texas Hold'em. After you start to learn the game and become more experienced, you can start to open up your starting hand selection to incorporate different hands in different situations. However, if you are a new player, it is advised that you stick with this table as it will give you the best shot at winning as you start out.

Short handed starting hand strategy.

Short Deck Poker Book

Seeing as there are less players at the table, you can afford to open up your starting hand requirements quite a bit. If you stuck with the full-ring starting hand table, you would be playing too few hands and missing out on good opportunities to make money.

Short handed tables are going to be harder to play than the full ring tables because the action is generally going to be wilder and less predictable. You are almost forced to play more hands, which means that unless you know what you are doing, the chances are that you are going to lose more money than you would at a full ring game.

Again, just as with the full ring table, the short handed table is merely the basic guide for a beginner player. As you progress, you will be able to work out how to profitably include other starting hands into the line up. But as for now, stick with this table if you're just getting to grips with short-handed play.

Starting hand strategy overview.

If you are a new player, these tables are really going to help set you up in the right direction. Even though this has only been a pretty rough guide on which hands to play in each position, it should have helped to build a solid foundation for you to build upon.

A lot of the time, there are going to be other factors like the type of players who you are up against, and/or the action that has taken place before you that will have an influence on your decision to play a hand. It's always best to use your head in poker, rather than relying on a table or rule for every play you make. So whilst this table will be a handy guide for now, try not to rely on it too much, and start to develop your knowledge of good starting hand strategy as you play.

At the end of the day, poker isn't really poker if you are playing from a set of rules. Always try and use your head when making decisions - they will be more profitable that way.

Go back to the sublime Texas Hold'em guide.

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