NL Hold’em Starting Hand Strategy December 20, 2006
Posted by yorkshirepuddings in Cash game, Live Poker, Online Poker, Poker, Strategy.3 comments
Hello boys and girls. Here is post number two on NLHE starting hands for full ring cash games. Each of the scenarios is split between Early Position (EP), Middle Position (MP) and Late position (LP) and they’re will be a small section on playing from the Blinds. As mentioned before this guide is intended for Full ring games of 9 or 10 players and assumes the following:
- Early Position - The three seats to the left of Blinds
- Middle Position - The two seats to the left of Early Position (three seats if 10 handed)
- Late Position - The final two seats to the left of Middle Position
As you should always mix your play up in Hold’em I will categorise action as “Normally” meaning this is the action you should normally take, maybe on a 80/20 ratio. There will be Normally Raise (NR) and Normally Limp (NL) and Normally Call (NC), anything else is unlisted but is obviously Normally Fold! If you see AK this means both suited and offsuit where as AKs refers specifically to suited Big Slick.
Nobody has entered the pot
Early Position
- NR = AA -> QQ, AK
- NL = JJ -> 22, Axs, JTs -> 54s
Obviously you need to make some adjustments for the type of table you’re at as it would probably be a bad idea to limp UTG with say 54s or 33 in an aggressive game where you are likely to be met with a big raise from one of your opponents.
Middle Position
- NR = AA -> JJ, AK -> AQ
- NL = TT -> 22, Axs, JTs -> 54s, KJs+, J9s -> 53s
Promote JJ and AQ into the normally raise category once you’re the one opening the pot in MP. Limp with the rest of pocket pairs but you can now start to add 1 gapped suited connectors into the mix and also any 2 suited cards Jack or better.
Late Position
There is no set way to play late position in an unopened pot. If the blinds are weak and are folding to aggression you could raise with a whole bunch of hands. I’ve seen Green Plastic raise hands such as Q5o in certain games because of his image and his opponents. Even my own range for raising 1st in when in LP is huge!
There is one limper in the pot before you
Early Position
Normally raise and call with the hands you would raise and limp with if there were no limpers before you.
Middle Position
Normally raise and call with the hands you would raise and limp with if there were no limpers before you
Late Position
You can really start to loosen up now, maybe limp with such hands as T7s or start raising it up with hands like 88.
There are at least 2 limpers in front of you
In all positions play the same hands as you would if there were no limpers in front of you but instead of normally raising, limping, calling, change this to Always. Also, if you raise make sure you add 1xBB per limper to your raise.
Someone’s opened with a raise, no callers yet
- NR = AA -> KK
- NC = QQ -> 99, AK, AQ
Occasionally you can call with other A-listed hands and you should in fact reraise from time to time with hands such as 66, JTs etc. Of course it’s also often correct to reraise with AK etc depending on your opponent and I’ll often reraise with QQ too.
There is a raise in front of you and also 1 caller
Play the same hands as above but this time instead of calling with AK, put in a big reraise.
There is a raise and a reraise in front of you
Move all-in with AA and KK and fold everything else
Obviously these starting requirements are not gospel as every table and opponent is different but according to Sklansky and co these starting hands should stand you in good stead for preflop play. Now all you have to do is figure out the post flop and you’ll have cracked it! 
Thanks for reading ladies and gents and best of luck at the tables 
