Learning Hands for Holdem

Continued from: The Best Starting Hands in Holdem Now that we've gone over some of the most important concepts in holdem poker, I'd like to test your knowledge. Let's go into some example hands...

You are playing in a 5 player game, with players you know. There's Dutty the Wad, an aggressive poker player with a reputation for making fancy plays, a very "trappy" player. Also at the table is ReX-22, a solid player who bluffs very little; he's been playing against maniacs as long as he's been playing and has adjusted his game accordingly (if you were thinking about bluffing him off a pot, think again). You'll also be squaring off against "The Una-Momma" an erratic player who's not afraid to make moves at the pot; she knows how to change gears. And finally there is Jake Hansen, a natural born gambler whose aggressive style verges on maniacal; he likes to get in the hunt or get out and doesn't play for second place; expect him to be moving his chips into the middle with reckless abandon.

This is the first hand of a five player tournament. Only first place gets paid, the blinds are 25-50, and you each started with 2000 in chips. You are first to act after the big blind. You look down at AJc and decide to bring it in for 200. Dutty calls your raise one seat to your left, and Momma makes it 600 total from the button. Rex and Jake fold in the blinds. The action is to you. What do you do?

• a) Call the raise and take a flop.
• b) Fold your hand.
• c) Re-raise.

Well, AJc is a pretty strong starting hand with only five players, and your early position raise was warranted. Dutty likes to get involved in pots and knows he will have position on you for the rest of the hand, but the fact that he called an early position raise with four players yet to act should definitely get your attention. Mamma could just be making a move, but with two players already in the pot she has to suspect she'll be played with. If you were in Dutty's position and he were in yours, this would be a much easier decision. You could just wait and see if he folded (in which case you could call) or see if he called or raised (in which case you would fold).

The problem is, if you call, Dutty is still active and may raise you out of the pot. Even if he just calls, you will be playing a large pot out of position with three players, and AJc is just not a strong enough hand to do that with. This is a clear fold. If you happen to have a very good read on both opponents and think they are making moves, you have to re-raise, and all-in would probably be the bet. The all-in move negates the positional consideration entirely. Realistically though, it's just too likely that one of the two players has a monster hand like AA or KK. Your early position raise should have been interpreted as strength, and after an EP raise and a call from early position a player re-raised, so you have a lot of evidence that your hand is beaten. Just fold the hand and wait for a better spot.

A few hands later you are in the big blind. Dutty limps in under the gun, Mamma calls, Rex calls, and Jake puts in a solid raise, making it 300 total to call. You look down at J-10 suited. What's your move?

• a) Call
• b) Fold
• c) Raise

Even though we know Jake is a very aggressive player, and therefore we can discount his raises a little bit, we can't really call a big raise with a Jack high hand. This is a hand you might have elected to call the big blind with in another position, but it just isn't worth calling a raise with out of position. You should fold.

In the next round you pick up QTs (queen ten of spades). Jake is now first to act. He raises to 200. What is your action?

• a) Call
• b) Fold
• c) Raise

This is, again, a clear fold. When a super aggressive player raises the pot, you can somewhat discount the strength of his hand. You may want to take a stand with a marginal hand. QT doesn't qualify. If you had a slightly stronger hand, maybe KQs, a good play might be to re-raise exactly twice Jake's bet in order to isolate him. If he opened and you re-raised to 400, the most likely result would be playing the pot heads up, in position, against a maniac. That's a very profitable situation if you know how to adjust, which we'll discuss later in more detail.

♣ Continued at: Holdem Poker Practice Hands

♣ Back to the index of resources for playing free holdem poker.