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Before the flop
Playing before the flop - Limit Texas Holdem
Strict starting hands standards are extremely important in Limit Texas Holdem games. There are many things you have to take under consideration before you decide what hands you play and how you should play them:
- Is the game tight or loose?
- The number of players at the table.
- How many players have entered the pot when it is your turn?
- Is the pot raised? Who made the raise and from what position?
- Your position at the table.
Tight or Loose game
Really tight games should generally be avoided. A table where only two or three players see the flop on average and the hands are over before the river card is seen most of the time is not worth wile to play at. If you decide to enter a game like this you should have a really tight approach and only play 15 to 20% of your starting hands. However, the best advice, for beginners as well as experts, is to seek out another, more favorable game.
Loose games on the other hand offer great possibilities to make a healthy profit. In this kind of game a lot of players see the flop and in addition they have a tendency to play their hands too far. If you're in a loose game you will be able to lower your starting hand standard but remember not to get careless. You should generally not play more than 30% of your starting hands.
The number of players in the pot
The number of players that have entered the pot before it's your turn to act is an important factor. In multi-way pots, the value of drawing hands, like 87s or small pocket-pairs increase. More players in the hand generally mean a bigger pot. That in turn will give you higher pot odds and the ability to play your draws.
When there are few players in the hand big cards, like aces and kings, are worth more. At a short-handed table, with six players or less, hands like an ace with a low kicker might be playable.
Raised pots
If one of your opponents makes a raise before the flop you need either a really strong hand or very good pot odds. Beware of hands that might be second best (AJo and KQo for example) in these situations. However, if several players call the raise before it's your turn you might have correct odds to play a strong drawing hand like JTs.
Position
The earlier your position, the stricter your starting hand standards have to be. When you're sitting in an early position you will not have as much information as the players in late positions. For example, a hand like ATo should generally be folded from early position, but if you're in late position a no one has entered the pot this type of hand might actually be worth a raise. The ideal position is "on the button". You will have access to a lot of information and in addition to this you will be acting last in the upcoming betting rounds.
