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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

Playing Unsuited Big Cards

1. Playing Unsuited Big Cards
Unlike big pairs, big cards (suited or unsuited) must catch a favorable flop to have good value. Often when big cards do catch a flop they are in better shape than big pairs. This is because an opponent who holds the same pair, but with a weaker kicker has only 3 cards to win with over your hand, whereas if you held an overpair your opponent would have 5 wins over your hand. While a wired pair is a made hand pre-flop, the edge expectation of flopping a big pair and having an opponent with the same pair weaker kicker is much greater. This is why AK is a premium hand despite its flop-dependency.

Note that a major variable affecting the value of high cards is the propensity to have someone outkicked or be outkicked. Kicker issues are an important component of winning limit Hold'em play. They may be the most important reason why starting hand selection is such an important issue. It is tough to escape "kicker traps" post-flop and those who circumvent those situations tend to be the ones taking down the dough. Playing situations where you are potentially outkicked is extremely difficult out of position, which is why hands with weak kickers should be mucked in early position in most games.

AKo-AQo:

In a standard game, it is virtually always correct to play AK and AQ in the first two seats. Generally raise with the AK, although calling to trap worse aces or kings into the pot is a possible play. The problem with flat calling with AK upfront is that the hand plays better in pots in which one pair is likely to win, and the more players in the pot, the less likely one pair is to take down the chips. Calling AK can be correct only in games where raising will not eliminate players or the texture of the game is such that it is unlikely to become a volume pot anyway. Also, if thinking about calling take into account the texture of the blinds. If they are tight, be more inclined to raise. AQ can be played either way, raising or calling. The same concepts that apply to AK also apply to AQ, however because the AQ is weaker hand, calling with it is more often correct.
AK has significant advantages over AQ and other lower kickered Aces. With AK the propensity to be against a hand that has you in bad trouble (Only AA and KK: 6 potential combinations) is much less than with AQ (AA, KK, QQ and AK: 24 possible combinations). Also added into the equation is that AQ loses much value when a King hits the flop (16.2% of the time). With AK, when you miss the flop you always have two overcards.

AJo-KQo-KJo-QJo,:

All these hands should routinely be folded in early position in a full 10 handed game. While being outkicked can cost you a bunch, taking undercards against overpairs can cost you big too, a major risk with KQ, KJ and QJ. Many poker experts deem KQ worth a call in early position, but it is in fact a very situational decision. It's perhaps worth a call in front if your play of hands decisions are topnotch, in passive rather than aggressive games, but for most players in most games it should be folded.

In middle position you can loosen up on your starting requirements. Assuming nobody has raised or no tight player has called, from the middle the propensity to run into a superior hand is diminished. KQ and AJ become calling/raising opening hands and hands to call/raise limpers with, although generally not call raised pots. Raising with KQ and AJ in middle position is correct when raising concept factors are high. QJ can be played for a call in late middle position although you are not losing much value if you throw the hand away, and it has a tendency to be a trouble hand on later streets.

ATo, JTo, KTo, QTo:

All these hands are potential kicker traps, and other than AT all are likely to be against overcards when they hit top pair on the flop. With AT you'd much rather hit the ten on the flop and have it hold as top pair (Trapping opponents with a ten, rather than being trapped by a better Ace). Tend to muck all of these except perhaps when opening in late position, when opening with a raise can be correct or when calling concepts are very high. I do not like these hands much beyond button calls against weak opponents and blind stealing hands. I will play them in other situations, but the situation must be right.

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