Hand selection and position

Position is critical when deciding what kind of hands to actually play before the flop. The rule of thumb is that you play much tighter (have higher starting hands requirements) in early position and play looser in late position. Your advantage in late position is that you can see what the other players do before you decide what to do.

This is a simplification, and a lot of people aren’t going to like the way I do it, but I divide starting hands into just three groups. There are definitely sub-divisions and subtleties between these groups but starting out, you’re basically looking at just three different groups: strong hands, drawing hands, and unplayable hands.

Strong hands are pairs of 10 or higher, plus AK suited. AA’s and KK’s almost always warrant raising preflop, unless you’re in early position and you’re hoping for someone to raise behind you. AK suited, QQ’s, JJ’s, and 10’s are worth raising with if no one else has raise, they’re sometimes worth raising with if someone else has raised, and they’re almost always worth calling with.

Drawing hands are hands that need to improve on the flop to win. Pairs of 99’s or lower and suited connectors are usually drawing hands, and so are big-little suited. (Big little suited is an ace and one smaller card of the same suit, and it’s a playable hand sometimes because of its flush potential.)

Suited connectors are adjacent in rank and of the same suit, so they have the potential to make a flush or a straight or possibly even a straight flush. And the smaller pairs go down in value as they get lower in rank. They’re normally worth calling if no one’s raised unless you’re in early position, when you should usually fold them. Sometimes pairs of 77’s, 88’s, and 99’s are good starting hands to play strongly with too, especially if your opponents are very tight and you could win the pot right there without a showdown.