A Beginner's Guide to Playing Your Hole Cards in Texas Hold 'em

As the song goes, when you play Texas Hold 'em poker, you've got to know when to hold them and when to fold them. No, we're not talking about origami; we're talking about the two hole cards that you have at the beginning of each hand. Your first decision in every new hand of poker is to fold or play. A lot rides on this decision as you will have to commit chips to the pot if you wish to play your hole cards. If you are a beginner poker player and you want a solid basic strategy for knowing which hole cards to play and fold, this article will show you the ropes.

High-Value Pairs are the Best Starting Hand

If you want to know the strongest possible starting hands in poker, look no further than a pair of aces or kings. These are the two most valuable pre-flop hands, giving you the confidence to play these cards in the knowledge that - barring a nightmare flop - your hand will still be the best on the table after the first three community cards are dealt. You should place a high value on pairs all the way down to sevens and eights pre-flop. Anything lower could see you in bad shape after the flop if any face cards (ace, king, queen or jack) appear.

How to Bet Your Strong Hole Cards

You've got two options when holding strong hole cards pre-flop. You can either place a strong bet pre-flop to try and take the blinds down there and then or place a small bet into the pot to entice other players to bet, too. It's known as limping. Regardless of whether you're playing tournament poker or No-Limit Texas Hold 'em cash games, limping can be quite risky as small bets give players with marginal hands more of a reason to take a cheap risk to see the flop. Nine times out of ten, the flop will still be in your favor, but there will be instances where it goes in favor of other limpers.

Try to See Flops Cheaply with Suited Connectors

On the flip side, if you hold cards known as suited connectors, e.g., J-10 or Q-J of the same suit, it's a good idea to try to limp into a pot pre-flop. Suited connectors can pay off in a big way, as three cards of the same suit as yours on the flop can turn your hole cards into an instant flush. Additionally, connected cards can also be involved in straights and royal flushes.

The Recommended Starting Hands to Fold

The worst hand in poker is 7-2 off-suit. That's because there are no opportunities to land flushes or straights on the flop, and sevens and twos are some of the lower-value cards for pairs, too. Furthermore, if you start playing aggressively with other marginal cards, such as a 10-8 or K-10, that's often the quickest way to the poorhouse. Steer clear of those coin-flip situations when you're starting out in Texas Hold 'em.

When you start to get experience with playing your hole cards in the game of Texas Hold 'em, you'll then need to consider how you bet based on your table position. Sitting furthest from the dealer button or even on the dealer button gives you a chance to see everyone else act first before betting. It gives you lots of free information as to who has a strong hand before you can place your bet. Being one of the first to act after the dealer button is the hardest positions, as you have no free information on the strength of your opponents' hands. It's often best to fold most hands in this position pre-flop - except high-value pairs such as aces or kings - and save yourself for a better opportunity.