Posted Thu Jan 23, 2003 8:10 am GMT by doublebubble
I have been playing holdem for about a year now, mainly on paradise poker but am after advice.
It still confuses me what I should being sticking with on the hole cards. Time and time I see a pot won where the hole cards havent been that good. Questions like
If you have a pair on the hole cards how long would you stick with them before stacking, if the flop etc doesnt improve your hand
Would you fold or keep a 9,10 (unsuited)
Would you fold or keep an Ace with a low card eg A,5 (unsuited)
any help, hints appreciated 
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Posted Thu Jan 23, 2003 9:04 am GMT by Nytecaster
Please visit my appendix on the website beneath my signature. It's a good starting place to begin and is relatively safe for new players or for those who are having trouble determining what starting cards to stick with. There is also some good information concerning what to expect on the flop and beyond when you hold certain cards.
Please note that these starting hands should only be used as a guide, not an absolute and errors on the side of safety.
Posted Thu Jan 23, 2003 2:23 pm GMT by Carson Cashman
Also note that the your position in relation to the dealer greatly determines which starting cards you can see to the flop and which you get rid of. Being in early position (first to act pre-flop) is a tremendous disadvantage, as you have no information yet about the cards people behind you are holding. When in early position, you only want to hold top pairs, and AQs at the lowest.
In middle position you can open up a little bit more, but not too much. I might play A10s or better, or some medium pairs depending on the people I'm playing.
From late position, you have more options, since you have the advantage of watching all the other players bet before you have to make a decision. From this position, you can play suited connectors (especially if on the button, and there are atleast a few callers already), smaller pairs, etc. Being in dealers position is optimal.
Playing good positional poker is very important, so always be mindful of where you sit at the table in relation to the dealer.
Posted Sat Feb 15, 2003 11:59 pm GMT by Guest
Nytecaster mentioned a website , but I couldn't find it, I was wondering if the site had been uptdated or moved, perhaps? Thanks
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Posted Sun Feb 16, 2003 11:16 am GMT by RUSS3602
I have always found this a good place to start http://posev.com/poker/holdem/strategy/
Posted Sat Dec 06, 2003 9:00 pm GMT by Coconut
Depends what type of player you are. I consider myself very tight and am surprised that I win at all. I ususally make a lot of money on all-ins. I bluff rarely too. sad isn't it?
Posted Mon Apr 05, 2004 1:18 pm GMT by jayg
| doublebubble wrote: | It still confuses me what I should being sticking with on the hole cards.
|
You need to understand that limit hold'em is all about creating favorable expectations. So, yes, 2-8 off-suit will will win hands when played against A-K, but repeatedly playing garbage will get you terrible results.
| doublebubble wrote: |
Questions like
If you have a pair on the hole cards how long would you stick with them before stacking, if the flop etc doesnt improve your hand
|
Depends, depends, depends. What's the pair. Below TT -- you're in serious trouble against multiple opponents if you don't hit a set. Just forget it if you don't flop a set.
| doublebubble wrote: |
Would you fold or keep a 9,10 (unsuited)
Would you fold or keep an Ace with a low card eg A,5 (unsuited)
|
9-10 -- maybe I play out of the BB for on additional small bet -- but that's it, and if I don't hit the flop hard I'm gone.
Ace-rag is easily the biggest money-losing proposition in hold'em. Play it regularly, you'll go broke. I promise.
You really need to pick up Lee Jones Winning Low-Limit Hold'em.
-j
Posted Mon May 24, 2004 3:47 am GMT by snoogins47
To me, 9 10 has infinitely more value than A5o
Ace + Rag unsuited is very very very weak.
I mean, think about expected situations...
Board shows an Ace. You have kicker issues, big and bad, and chances are somebody else has an Ace, as Aces tend to stick around in hands.
Your off card hits... now you've probably got low pair, middle pair... somethin like that, with a good kicker. If the board is low enough to give you top pair, you're probably looking at a possible straight on the board as well, depending on how low your off is.
The only thing that Ace Rag offsuit can pay you off on is monster hands... flopping two pair is pretty strong, but even then, top/bottom pair can easily get dominated by the river. Even two aces on the flop can be a big money-loser for you. Really, catching trips off your low card, or better (house, four of a kind, etc) is the only time I can really see you in a very good position with Ace Rag offsuit. Or of course, a wheel straight, if you're talkin A5 and below. And yes, A2, A3, A4, and A5 would be better propositions than A6, A7, A8, A9... unless you're in a shorthanded game, typically as a rule of thumb.
I would only play Ace-Rag in a big game if it's suited, and straight-able ;P Even then, there'd have to be a lot of callers, no raises, and I'd have to be in late position, or randomly playing a hunch. And this is probably only in NL, where I know that if I DO flop a monster, I have a chance to win a much larger amount of money than I would in limit.
That is what helped me immensely... not thinking about things in black and white "call this, raise this late, fold this" ways, but thinking of what the hand could theoretically bring, and how you'd be looking in those situations.
And with Ace Rag, barring a monster flop, it's very difficult to be confident in the strength of your hand.
Posted Mon May 24, 2004 3:49 am GMT by snoogins47
And as for pocket pairs.
I believe you flop a set roughly 1/8 times. If your pair is an over, stick around. If it's not, you have to gauge how it is in relation to the board, and your opponents. If you've got 9s, and the high card on board is a 10, and there's only one person in the pot, whom called a pre-flop raise from you, you might want to consider betting it out, because often you will have the best hand here. Same board, 6 way action, and you better get the hell out... at least, I would ;P
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