What to look for in starting hands Part I: Limit hold'em (2)

What to look for in starting hands Part I: Limit hold'em (2)

In this series, I will take a look at starting hands in three of my favorite games (limit hold'em, limit Omaha and pot-limit Omaha, high only). In last week's issue, we took off with limit hold'em, and discussed some of the important factors that influence the strength, and the profitability, of a relatively small pocket pair (77). Today, I will take a look at three more "situational hands": hands that are not always automatically playable, but that in some cases can actually be played for profit, whereas they may cost you money under different circumstances.

Hand # 2: KJo
Analysis
Also known as the 'problem hand', king-jack offsuit is the type of hand that can easily make you second best- and, unfortunately, there are no prizes for second places in poker. I'm not really fond of the hand in any type of game, not even in loose-passive games. Actually, the way I handle a hand like king-jack offsuit is this: I usually muck, unless there is a clear reason not to. Most players do exactly the opposite: they usually call unless it's very obvious (raises and re-raises) that folding is better. Still, this type of hand does have some value in some cases, especially in late position when there's been no raise.

Early-position (EP)

In a ten-handed ring game, I fold the king-jack more than 90% of the time. When there are fewer players, the hand might become playable and maybe even worth a raise, especially if it looks like the players behind you seem ready to throw away their hands.

Late-position (LP)

If there have been no callers when the action gets to you, you might have a raising hand- if the people who are still to act don't view you as a habitual stealer, that is. Also, keep in mind the game conditions. If the rake makes playing for small pots unattractive (for example, you are playing $10-20 with a max. $4 rake), then you might not give anything away by simply folding your hand.

Against a raise

Against a raise, you have no hand, period. That said, if you're in the big blind and you get raised by a very aggressive player on the button, then you would be giving up too much by folding (for more, see my article "Defending the blinds in limit hold'em").

Hand # 3: A5s
Analysis
One of the most overrated hands in limit hold'em, especially by inexperienced players. Has a lot of value in loose-passive games, but almost none in the tougher games that are the rule in the limits $10-20 and up. Some, even experienced, players call raises cold with this hand on a regular basis and quite often they get away with it, but most of the time they are making a big mistake. In tighter games, ace-little suited in late position might be good enough to try to steal the blinds with, and in short-handed games, you even hold a pretty decent hand most of the time.

Hand # 4: T9s
Analysis
The ten-nine suited has been the cause of a lot of discussion, controversy and disagreement. (For more on this, visit rec.gambling.poker, or better www.twoplustwo.com, where there has been a lot of discussion on this specific hand involving Mr. Malmuth, among others). A lot of players love the hand ("I always play suited connectors- I just love them"), and call regardless of position, opponents, betting actions or the texture of the game. Even though I play mostly pot-limit Omaha nowadays, I still play limit hold'em, my former main game, quite frequently (on a yearly basis, I would say at least 500 hours). Because the rake in limit hold'em is so high in most of the places I frequent, I play a lot tighter than almost all other players, and even tighter than most experts suggest. A high rake simply doesn't give room for many fancy plays, or plays that might have a slight positive EV (expected value) under normal, better, game conditions. Therefore, I will need a very good reason to enter the pot with a speculative hand like this. (In the higher-limit games that have time charge, this is obviously less true. Even though the time charge per hour may be higher than in most places in the U.S., there are no extra costs when you win a pot. Therefore, plays with just a slightly positive EV should not be abandoned anymore, because they will add to your hourly rate, even though it may be only slightly). When the rake is a bit lower, a bit more reasonable, however, you might play this hand a bit more often. You might occasionally play it from early position (in the somewhat tougher games, for deception mostly, or in the looser games, for its multiway value), and you might even raise with it from late position, once in a while. Always keep in mind what you hold, though; suited or not, a ten-nine is still a ten-nine and you will need a lot of help from the board to turn your hand into a money-maker.

Some final words.

We have now touched upon some of the starting hands in America's favorite game, limit hold'em, hands that may cause the average players some serious troubles. Parts II and III of this series are aimed mostly at the hold'em player wishing to step up (or step down, if you will) to the beautiful game of Omaha. Quite a few players who are making this transition find it hard to get a grip on this game, because they cannot figure out what to look for in their starting hand- and indeed, in Omaha it can be a bit more difficult to determine which hand can be considered good, and which hand cannot. (On top of that, in Omaha it often seems like there are no good hands, because you will often see freaky hands win huge pots. However, in the long run your hand selection will be very important and people who simply play every decent-looking hand, are almost sure to lose all their money). In the next issue, in part II of this series, I will discuss starting hands in pot-limit Omaha high. When we get to part III, limit Omaha (high only), the differences in hands selection between limit and pot-limit will be discussed. Take care, you guys, and good luck.