No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em Starting Hands Overview

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No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em Starting Hands

16 September 2008 8 Comments

A starting hand is a term to describe the playable nature of the two downcards dealt pre-flop in Texas Hold ‘Em (see more poker rules here). There are numerous theories and charts on starting hand strategy ranging from tight play to aggressive play. The purpose of this article is to give the beginner a set of guidelines to follow to avoid difficult situations post flop.

The key to determining your starting hands for Texas Hold ‘Em lies in what position you sit at the table. At a full table of 9, the button is the last player to act in a given betting round and the small blind is the first (except in the first round where the UTG or under-the-gun player is first to act. The UTG player is the first player after the big blind.)This is important as you can play with a wider range of hands in the later positions and should play a tighter set of hands in the opening positions.

Note: You should vary your play in terms of limp/call/raise to avoid giving away information about what you are holding. For instance, if you only ever raise AA/KK preflop in early position, then an observant opponent will know what you have when you raise preflop in early position.

Please Download “Starting Hands Overview” for Offline Reference!

Early Position	Unraised Pot	When Raised
AA - TT	Raise Mostly	Reraise QQ+ ; Call rest
99 - 88	Raise Sometimes	Call
77 - 22	Limp Mostly	Call
AQ, AK	Raise Mostly	Call
AJ, KQ	Raise Sometimes	Call or Fold

Middle Position	Unraised Pot	When Raised
AA - 22	Raise Mostly	Reraise QQ+ ; Call Others
AK, AQ, AJ	Raise Mostly	Reraise AK; Call Others
KQ, KJ	Raise Mostly	Call
QJ, JT	Raise Mostly	Call or Fold
Aks - T9s	Raise Mostly	Call or Fold

Late Position (Folded Around)	Unraised Pot	When Raised
AA - 22	Raise Mostly	Reraise QQ+ ; Call Others
Ax	Raise Mostly	Reraise AQ+; Call Others
Kx	Raise Mostly	Call or Fold
Any 2 b'ways	Raise Mostly	Call or Fold
Ako - 87o	Raise Mostly	Call or Fold

Late Position (Some Limpers)	Unraised Pot	When Raised
AA - TT	Raise Mostly	Reraise QQ+ ; Call Others
Axs	Raise Mostly	Call
AK, AQ, AJ	Raise Mostly	Reraise AQ+; Call Others
KQ, QJ	Raise Mostly	Call or Fold

Photo Credit: Guylaine2007

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8 Comments »

PokerPlasm said:

I love the map of the positions.

But, I would be careful with the When to Raise, When to Call, or When to Fold chart. Poker is about position, but also feel. I guess for a beginner looking to get a grasp of the game, it can work, but I would not rely on it.

# 22 September 2008 at 11:19 am

geoff (author) said:

Great point about “feel”. Position is one thing, but you also need to be aware of the other players. For instance if the table is playing super tight, then raising with KQ in early position will likely get you in trouble!

# 22 September 2008 at 11:53 am

dizzer said:

On the contrary in a super tight game KQ from EP is a move I’d happily play… those who don’t fold pre flop will be easily pushed off the flop. I fthey are not I know exactly where I am in the hand.

# 5 October 2008 at 12:42 pm

geoff (author) said:

@dizzer, great point. This strategy will be a work in progress from all the great input I receive. Your comment is great but is experience dependent. A less experienced player can get themselves into trouble after the flop by playing “marginal” hands in early position at a full table.

# 5 October 2008 at 12:55 pm

poker farce said:

I think you should add the hijack seat (2-off the button)

# 9 October 2008 at 8:06 am

Street 3 said:

I’m really new to this poker junk and was wondering, when you say to Raise and re-reraise, how much we talking? 3x BB? or what? Thanks, for the info though, i’ve printed off the chart and hope to use it in the #tpt to take down some punks (@pokerplasm, @pokervixen, @you)

# 18 November 2008 at 1:26 pm

geoff (author) said:

A good starting point for raising is typically 3x or 4x the BB in NL. Keep in mind there are no absolutes and if the whole table is calling 4xBB raises, you may need to adjust up. Once school of thought, and what I do, is keep bet sizes consistent. ie: Don’t bet AA 5xBB but 55 2xBB.

For re-raises you could go anywhere from 10xBB - 15xBB.

This chart can serve as a good rule of thumb but is mostly for cash games and for full ring. (There are lots of charts and opinions for different styles). In tournaments this chart goes out the window when the blinds increase in relation to your remaining stack, and if your opponent is short stacked, etc.

Hope this helps!

# 18 November 2008 at 1:40 pm

Jamie Lynn said:

Great and simple article. I used something similar when I first started to play online poker (and live) and it’s the best way to develop patience and discipline. Just waiting for the hands designated as making sense to play and playing them according to some basic rules.

This is actually better than the first article I used for this and I’m going to try getting back to basics using this. My patience isn’t what it used to be.

Nice post.

# 22 March 2009 at 1:35 am