In a previous post I discussed two-card hands that may look good, but can get you in a boat load of trouble, by which I mean they tempt you to keep on betting with the hope of pulling something, and then getting smacked when you do. I called them sucker suited hands. So if you’re beginning the game of Hold’em my first tip of advice would be to fold these hands unless you are in a really good position, and even then be wary, be very wary.
My second tip for beginners at the game of Hold’em would be to play tight. Playing tight entails a lot. But I think a big part of it involves how you bet with your two-card hands pre-flop. According to a study based on 16.6 million actual hands the following two-card Hold’em hands are the most profitable.
1. AA
2. KK
3. QQ
4. JJ
5. AKs (“s” = suited)
6. AQs
7. TT
8. AKo (“o” = off suited)
9. AJs
10. KQs
So the lesson to be learned is that if you want to play tight, and I suggest that anyone who is a beginner should play this way, then only bet or raise when you have these two cards.
If only I followed this advice when I was in Vegas. But I didn’t and I thought my pair of pocket nines was good enough to win, and I played aggressively, and I lost to my friend Milt, who had pocket tens. Why can’t I ever follow my own advice?
Those nines are tricky. Briefly, I’ve written about them before here.
Since your tip is for new players, I think it’s important to add that when you play tight, don’t limp in too often.