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February 26, 2008
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Fold More Pre-Flop

by Poker Penguin

Play less hands, win more money

Becoming great at poker is tough, but you just have to be a little bit better than the idiots at your table. The number one leak in almost every player’s game is playing too many hands pre-flop. Seriously, winning is that simple. Stick to playing the hands I recommend, and you’ll see your results improve.

If someone has raised before you, pretend you are one position earlier than you really are (early or middle look under early, late look under middle, in the blinds look under late). Always raise / re-raise with early position hands!


These recommendations might seem very tight, especially at first, but you’ll soon notice that your results are improving. These aren’t a permanent, or even an ideal starting hands list, but they will make you into a somewhat solid hold’em player:


Early
PairsQQ
Suited CardsAJ, KQ
Offsuit CardsAQ
Suited Connectors---
Middle
Pairs_77
Suited CardsA8, KT, Q9, J8
Offsuit CardsAT, KQ
Suited Connectors_98
Late
Pairs_22
Suited CardsA2, K8, Q9, J8
Offsuit CardsAT, KT, QT, J9
Suited Connectors_54
Small Blind
Pairs_22
Suited CardsA2, K2, Q8, J8, T8
Offsuit CardsA2, K7, Q9, J8, T9
Suited Connectors_54


- You can play the hands listed and all better hands (eg if a column says AJ, KQ then you can play AK AQ, AJ and KQ).

- Suited connectors are the same suit and are next to each other in value (so if the chart says 76, you can also play 87, 98, etc.)

Comments on Fold More Pre-Flop

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