Common Errors in Playing the Starting Hand in Poker

Seasoned poker players and beginners alike all should understand the crucial moment in deciding whether or not to play a starting hand in the game of poker.  Patience is a key factor when recognizing whether or not to put your cards into play.  Many poker players neglect to exercise the patience needed to wait for a premium hand to play.  It is important to recognize and accept that patience is a key factor in the decision to play a starting hand.

The best strategy you can have in determining whether or not to play your hand is patience, by only playing the best hands you are dealt you can generally increase your winnings.  The idea is if your fellow players are playing their starting hands 30% of the time you can increase your odds just by playing 15% of the best hands you receive.  By waiting to play you increase the size of the pots you are playing and decrease the amount of money and time given to those hands that are not great hands and in turn are playing only the best cards possible. 

While there are no formal guidelines to how many starting hands you should play, the odds change with every game, it is important to be patient.  The amount of great hands you will be dealt in each game will vary, it is paramount to be patient and play a tight game.  Always challenge your thinking as to whether a hand is a great hand or not.

The first thing you should do after being seated at a table is to try to conclude how tight or loose that table is playing.  A tight table will not enable you to play insignificant cards where a loose table will allow you to play hands that may be considered less extraordinary.  When you are sitting at a loose table the odds of winning a pot with a questionable hand are in your favor.  Placement at each table is also a good thing to take into consideration when determining whether or not to put your cards into play.  If you are seated early in play your odds of winning are less than if you are seated late in play.  The late player can play less exceptional hand and the early player should wait to play only the very best cards dealt.  As you obtain more practice time in each game you will also come to realize that when players limp in before you they often are not playing with great hands and you have a good chance of a victory.  On the other hand when a player jumps hard at a raised pot you should be cautious as they most often have a winning hand.  It is also very important to always be cautious of playing any raised pots; these are harder to win as most players in them have already received premium cards.

When playing poker it is paramount to always be assessing your own skill level as well as the skill level of your opponents.  Inexperienced poker players should always fall back on patience as a key to their game, where more experienced players can exercise better decision making based on the amount of practice they have had.  An advanced player will have acquired better post-flop skills than the inexperienced player; they will also have more experience in making decisions when it comes to the turn and river cards and whether or not to fold their starting hand.  It is important to know when to fold a hand before becoming too financially committed to that particular hand, and this is knowledge that is gained through experience.