Moving Beyond the Top 10 Hands
on Jan.27, 2009, under Poker
When you first begin playing poker it is best to stick to the top 10 hands, as this makes learning and winning the game easier for a novice. Once you have mastered the basics, though, you should consider moving onto the more advanced hands; otherwise your play will become too predictable. Anyone who wants to become a true poker player has to begin playing other hands besides the top 10 hands.
Beyond the top 10 hands there are many other hands that are still very good to play. In some circumstances these hands may actually give you better odds than if you were playing a top 10 hand.
For example, if you had two 7′s in your hand and the other four people at the table each has a King and an Ace, you wouldn’t have a top ten hand, yet you would have the lead over everyone else at the table. Yes, this would probably never happen, but it illustrates the point that not every top 10 hand is perfect.
There are times that the top 10 hands are best to have and times that other hands are best to have. If you are involved with a big pot and a lot of players you may be happy to have a hand like 67 suited. Those are the kind of hands that can win you the best pots against big starting hands like KK and AA. Of course, if the players with those hands are playing right you won’t have the chance to play with 67, but a lot of players do not play right.
Top 10 starting hands are the most advantageous when you are against one or two players and it is before the flop. This is the point where you need to decide if you are going all in or placing a large bet, as at this point you are ahead. For this situation to work you are best off to have a top 5 hand. Once the flop is down you will know if you have played your cards right.
Knowing the pot odds is something that every good poker player should learn, as this will help you play beyond the top 10 starting hands. This is of course more difficult to learn, which is why many players just stick to the top 10 hands and never become really good players.
If you do not know when to play particular hands then you shouldn’t be playing them. There is a time to play 67 suited and a time to fold it. Sure, it can be a great hand in some positions but it can be a terrible hand in other positions.
Pot odds, position, implied odds, and many more factors all play a big role in hand selection. Playing the top 10 starting hands makes it a lot less difficult to play without knowing any of that information. Once you learn more, then you are ready to take it up a level and start playing more hands.
You must start somewhere and there is no better place to start then with the best starting hands. Once you are ready to move beyond the top 10 hands, you will see a high increase in profits and pot sizes and it all comes in time.