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Online Poker - Texas Hold'em Tips\Advice

Randy Holland our buddy from ParadisePoker.com stops by to give us his weekly Texas Hold'em Tips. Read On!!!! Randy Says: "I play at Paradise because of the security and integrity of the site and I love the array of options when choosing which game to play." Accomplishments: Back to back titles at the L.A. Poker Classic in 2002 and 2003 in Limit Hold'em. Two World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets/championships; 2001 World Poker Open Stud Hi-Lo Champion; 2000 WSOP Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Champion; 1996 WSOP Razz Champion

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Hold'em Tips Playing Big Hands Playing Medium Hands Playing Small Hands
Playing Suited Big Cards Playing Unsuited Big Cards
Playing Lesser Suited Cards Playing Other Hands Playing The Blinds

Hold'em Tips For Texas Hold'em

Playing Lesser Suited Cards

1. Playing Lesser Suited Cards.
Suited cards which would almost never be worth a play if unsuited do well in loose, passive games. These hands should almost always be mucked in early position, and rarely can stand a raise. Their value comes from volume, giving them more value in middle and late position where players have limped in front of you. You want to get in cheap with many players in the pot. These hands play better in situations where players are less likely to bet/raise after the flop, giving you greater opportunities to see fourth street and an additional chance to pick up a draw. In such situations the hands are more likely to get a high level of volume and your opponents are more likely to call if you do make your hand on later streets. Note that this does not apply to all suited cards; small cards (Qx and lower) that are suited but not connected are virtually never worth a play.

Axs:

In early position, these hands are worth a play only if you think you are going to get volume (4+ callers) and the game is not too aggressive. In middle position behind one or more limpers play this hand if likely to pick up additional callers and there is not a lot of aggression to act behind you. The texture of the caller(s) is also an issue. Do not call raises with this texture of a hand unless very certain there will be many players (4 or more) calling behind you. In games where many players are playing 'any ace' the A9-A8 texture of hand derives some additional value from the potential to outkick them when flopping an ace. In games where players are not playing Axo, the 2-5 wheel cards with your ace add straight draw potential to the hand. In late position the situation becomes clearer. If you think you are in kicker trouble and the pot is likely to be played shorthanded passing the hand to a raise is usually the best play. When opening the pot in late position raising the hand (depending on the propensities of the button and blinds) is worth consideration.

Kxs:

This hand is much weaker than Axs, is an obvious mucker in early position and generally in middle position as well. The pot better have a cheap entry price and a lot of opponents, preferably ones who give you lots of bad action. Its traits are similar to Axs, although the hand has lost a significant amount of strength. First with hands such as K9s, your opponents are much less likely to be playing K6o and when you hold Kx of any given suit there is about a 6% chance that someone holds Ax of the same suit. Kxs must be played significantly tighter than Axs.

Q9s, Q8s:

These hands are rarely playable, and even more rarely for a raise. In late position with many people having already entered the pot, they can be flop-seers. They have great potential to make a second or third best hand trapping you for many bets, and this negative potential tends to cancel out much of their positive potential, dictating a muck in most circumstances.

J9s, T9s, 98s, T8s, 87s, 76s:

I have no hard and fast rule of how to play suited connectors. They are extremely situation dependent, and I play them much less frequently than most poker commentators suggest is correct. My reasoning for this is that the texture of the game required to make these hands worth a call is also a game where many players are playing suited hands. Therefore the propensity of a hand such as 87s to be up against a hand with a higher ranking flush draw is great. When I do play these hands I'm always happier making the straight rather than the flush.

That said, these hands can playable, but the situation has to be right. T9s, 89s, and 87s can occasionally be played in early position but the texture of the game must be loose and passive. In situations such as these you need to assess the value of the calls. The greater the propensity to gain value from your opponents, the more confidently you can call. If the game is tight or aggressive, pass these hands. As you move around to middle position you can include a few more hands, especially if some early position players have called. The greater your skill level the more often you can correctly play suited connectors. I do like these hands as deception hands, hands I play to vary my play. My reasoning for this is that if I hit the flop my opponents will not put me on this texture of hand and if big cards come I can represent them.

The requirements for entry with suited connectors in early, middle and late position are much the same as for Axs, however there is lesser value in late position raises because of the absence of a high card which might win unimproved. Taking off a flop with 8-high in a short field is generally an untenable proposition. With these hands you do not want to find yourself in a shorthanded situation when the pot is raised or worse yet multiple raised. In volume pots (the only place you should really be playing these hands) being able to read situations and get away from spots where your flush draw is not likely the best add great value to these hands.

65s, 54s, 97s, 86s, 75s, 64s:

It may seem obvious, but the higher your suited connectors, the better. Hands like T9 suited are much better hands than 54 suited. They are more likely to make the best pair or two pair, are more likely to get action when they hit the flop and are less likely to lose to other flush combinations. Also, the lower your connectors the more likely you are to be in trouble with the idiot end of a straight.

If the situation is right, with lots of passive volume expected, include 76 and 65 in the middle and late position calling range either opening or against a limper. In late position, the situation must be right, but you can loosen up considerably. These hands can be played as long as many players have called in front of you, those players are likely to give action and the propensity of the pot to be raised behind you is not great. In average games you should not be playing these hands in any position. They are almost never worth calling a raise cold. If you are playing these hands, be aware that you may be drawing to the second best flush. Reading and folding those situations correctly will add great value to your pre-flop calls.

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