Poker Starting Hands - Early Position

One of the most important things that newer players need to learn is when to play and when to fold. Most, if not all, new players see far too many flops and this is why they lose. If you sit around and watch better poker players go at it, you will notice that they, in general, see few flops. Your position, as well as other factors, has a lot to do with how good a hand is. If you are in the early position, you should play tighter than if you are in late position. I thought it might be helpful to share some thoughts on opening poker hands in the early position.

As a player, you have to find your own playing style. Some of you might play tight, some looser and some might become total maniacs. For this article, I am going to show a relatively conservative way to play starting hands in the early position. The goal is to give you a better starting chance to take down some pots. If you are a newer player who just has to see the flop, pay attention. Remember, by being in the early position, you are one of the first to act and that’s why you want to tighten the reigns a little. There’s nothing worse than trying to limp in with a weak hand only to be raise by someone who is acting after you.

Please note that “s” next to the hand means suited.

Raise Hands

If you get one of the following hands, go ahead and Raise or Reraise.

Hands: AA, KK, QQ, AK (suited or not)

The JJ hand is on the bubble here. If you are not a player who is in tune with the table, limping in might be the best route. I am putting JJ in the Raise section, but if you are unsure, limp in. The idea of raising to the roof is because you have a solid hand and you want to build the pot up. Many players make the mistake of trying to limp around and build the pot up weakly. It’s usually a recipe for disaster, because you are allowing more players to get in and opening up the door for straights, flushes, sets and so on.

Call Unraised Pot, but Fold if Raised

Hands: ATs, KQ, KJs, QJs, TT, 99, 88, 77

These are pretty good hands to limp in, but if the pot is raised then you might be up against a superior hand so it’s best to lay the hand down.

Raise Unraised Pot, Call if Raised

Hands: AQs, AQ, AJs, AJ

The purpose of raising here is to try and get some opponents to fold out of the hand and to build up the pot. If the pot is already raised or gets raised behind you, there could be a high pocket pair (AA,KK,QQ) out there or Big Slick (AK). Either way, lay down the hand. If you are a more experienced player and know your opponents, then this is a gut call. New players should stick to procedure.

Are you holding a pair of starting cards not on this list? If so, it’s time to fold. This list assumes you are sitting at a relatively full table. If you are heads up or have only three or four sitting at your table, loosening up a little would be a good idea. As a newer player, you are better off sticking to full tables (8-10 players) if possible. In future posts, I will address playing in middle position, late position, the blinds and more.