All beginners make the same mistake, they play way too many starting hands. If there are eight to ten players at the table, you are definitely doing something wrong if you are involved in more than every fifth round. In 제주홀덤, professionals often only play every tenth hand.
As a rule of thumb, the weaker your game, the better your starting hand must be. As a beginner, you should only play with first-class starting cards.
All playable starting hands can be divided into five groups:
- High couples
A couple of Jacks, Queens, Kings, or Aces make an excellent starting hand. You definitely shouldn’t give up a pair like this before the flop. If necessary, you should call all-in with a pair of kings or two aces in particular.
- Medium and small pairs
If you have “only” two tens or less, you should be careful because this pair – unless they are followed by cheap community cards – is unlikely to win in the end. If several players pay the stake, you should stick to it as long as no astronomical sums are wagered. The fewer depositors at the table and the higher their stakes, the sooner you should give up your pair.
- Two high cards of different suits
If you have two high cards of different suits in hand, you can try your hand at these. But you don’t have to. Only ace and king or ace and queen should almost always be played. Otherwise, adapt to your current situation in the game – and do not pay too high stakes.
- Consecutive cards of the same suit
This group includes all hands where two cards follow each other and are of the same suit, e.g. eight of hearts and nine of hearts. Whoever enters the ring with these cards is hoping for a flush or a straight. Such a stroke of luck is rare, but it has a great advantage: Either the opponents do not expect it or they know their risk, but accept it. Do not attempt this hand unless you can see the flop cheaply.
- One high and one low card of the same suit
You are also in a bind with an ace and for example a three. This starting hand is too good to throw away and too bad to hold. It gets worse when you hit the ace on the flop. Then you have a great couple, but a very bad kicker. Also, any other player with an ace will most likely be there too. So for the fifth group, the same applies to all other starting cards that have not been discussed: put them aside in style.
