Review
The tables on the following pages are a summary of starting hand play and are
intended as a general guide for most situations. There are further explanations and
considerations in the text for certain situations that may vary from these guidelines.
Most Hold'em books provide some type of tables for starting hands. Although many
of these tables are very easy to understand, they sometimes put the user in
unprofitable situations since they usually do not focus on the number of callers in
the hand. In addition, many starling hand charts do not show strategies for raised
pots.
The goal of these tables is to ensure that beginning players play hands in profitable
situations. Before using the tables, be sure to carefully read the following
instructions and reread them if necessary to ensure you have a clear understanding
of how to use them.
To use the tables, the first step is to find the table for the related position. There are
separate tables for early position, middle position, late position and the blinds. The
next step is to then find the row for the corresponding hand. Pairs are listed in the
top column followed by hands starting with an ace, then king, queen, etcetera.
Once you have found your hand, you then need to find the appropriate column
depending on whether or not the pot has been raised.
The table then shows whether you should reraise, raise, call, or fold depending on
how many callers there are in the pot. The following should help with the
terminology in the tables:
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