How to play pre-flop at Holdem Poker

Pre-flop is perhaps one of the simplest stages to play in Holdem Poker. Each player has been dealt two cards and the person holding a pair of aces currently has the most powerful possible hand. So if you are that person, you can safely raise away because you know that no one has you beat.

Starting hands

While betting with a pair of aces is fairly automatic, the real skill in Holdem Poker comes from being able to decide what hands are worth entering the pot with, and which hands should be dropped faster than a hot coal.

Plenty of starting hands charts will guide you as to which hands are worth keeping and which are not. Those are fine to use as a guide until you get a good feel of the game. Think of them as great training wheels until you learn to ride the poker bike.

Whos in the hand?

However the two key aspects of pre-flop play are not so much the cards that you are holding, but the position you are in and the people who are sat at the table with you.

After playing a few hands, you should start to get a feel for your opponents. You will see who likes to throw their money around, who likes to talk a lot, who is nervous and timid and who is the predator just waiting to pounce.

Knowing whether to play your hand or fold depends on who is in the hand with you. Lets say you pick up a pair of twos. This is a weak hand, but if the only other player in the pot is the weak, timid player, then you should get involved in the action. He cannot see your cards. He doesnt know what you have. Use some aggression and you might get him to fold quickly and pick up the chips in the middle of the table. See, thats free money.

Position is all important

Position is also vital. If you are going to be first to act, then you should stick to playing very strong hands. You will have to act without having any information from your opponents, so holding a strong hand simplifies your decisions.

If you are acting late, then you can have a weaker hand to enter the pot with. You will have the advantage of having plenty of information before acting, so your decisions will be simplified and you can play more complex hands far more comfortably.

Stack size

When you are playing in a tournament, the size of your stack is also a determining factor as to whether or not you are going to play. As the blinds start getting big, you are forced to make a simple decision: what hand do I shove all my chips into the middle with?

You want to go all-in pre-flop to simplify your play. Lets say you have $500 remaining in a tournament where the blinds are $50/$100. You could make a standard raise to $300, leaving you with $200 left in your stack. Lets say two opponents call you. That means there is now $900 in the middle. After the flop you bet your last $200. What player wouldnt call that bet? Risk $200 to win $1,100 gives your opponents the fantastic odds of over five to one. They will call so fast you could blink and miss it.

However, if you shove $500 into the middle before the flop, then your opponents now have to call a raise of five times the big blind. In addition, if you win the hand you will double your chip stack. Many will fold if they dont have a great hand and you will pick up the $150 blinds, increasing your stack by 33%.

Its not all about the cards

Just because you have been dealt two hole cards, dont get married to them. There are more important considerations to make than the simple strength of your hand. Watch your opponents, learn their plays and strategies, keep an eye on your table position and use those to your advantage pre-flop.

Better to take the pot down here, because after the flop is dealt, things get a whole lot more complicated.