One common mistake when learning how to play Texas Hold’em is playing too many starting poker hands. Anyone who has read at least one poker book knows that starting hand strategy is the building block to an overall profitable Texas Hold’em strategy. Yet very few poker players demonstrate the knowledge and/or patience to play good starting hands.
Playing less poker hands than your opponents gives you the advantage in the long run. If your opponents play 40% of their Texas Hold’em poker hands and you are only playing 20%, you will have the advantage in the majority of the hands you play. You will win a lot more pots with the best kicker. When you hit pairs, they will be less vulnerable to over cards. Your straights will beat lower straights. Your flushes will out kick your opponents’ flushes. By playing fewer poker hands you will continue to put yourself in the best position to win the hand.
Of course, playing less poker hands as a Texas Hold’em strategy can often lead to playing too tightly. So how many starting hands should you play? This is all relative and depends on the criteria you should evaluate when you consider your starting hand strategy. One of the main criteria is how loose or tight the overall game is. You can play poker hands from late position with more callers in the hand. Loose games allow you to play slightly more starting hands.
Another criteria in Texas Hold’em strategy is whether or not the game is aggressive or passive. Many starting hands become unplayable whenever the pot is raised. A raise indicates that your opponent has a strong poker hand and also lowers your pot odds. Be very selective in the Texas Hold’em poker hands you play once the pot has been raised.
Ultimately, the better you are, the more starting hands that you can play. Any good poker book will tell you this. The number of poker hands you play should be dependent on how good a poker player you are. Advanced players are able to overcome the weakness of some starting hands by using excellent post-flop skills to outplay their opponents. They make better decisions on the flop, turn and river to minimize losses with weak hands and maximize their wins. This allows them to be able to play more poker hands with profitable outcomes than the beginning player.
