Pre-flop directions

As you probably remember we made a classification of hands in Texas Hold'em Poker, but let us repeat it here because it is an essential tool:

Rank	Hand
1	A+A, K+K, Q+Q, J+J, A+Ks
2	10+10, A+Qs, A+Js, K+Qs, A+K
3	9+9, Q+Js, J+10s, K+Js, A+10s, A+Q, K+Q
4	8+8, K+10s, A+J, Q+10s, A+10, K+J, J+9s, 10+9s, Q+J
5	Q+9s, K+10, Q+10, J+10, 7+7, 6+6, 5+5, J+8s, 9+8s, 10+8s, 8+7s, 9+7s
6	10+9, 7+6s, J+9, 8+6s, 10+7s, 6+5s, 5+4s, A+Xs
7	4+4, 6+4s, 7+5s, 9+8, 7+8, 3+3, 4+3s, 6+5, 5+3s, 2+2, K+Xs, Q+8s
8	A+9, K+9, Q+9, J+7s, J+8, 7+6, 4+2s, 5+4, 3+2s, 9+6s, 8+5s, 7+4s, 10+8
s denotes suited and X is a card under 10

As a rule you could always play hands with rank 1 to 5 if no one has made a raise in front of you. If in early position you should only play hands with rank 1 to 3.

If you already have money on the table you can call with hands of rank 4. But you ought to search for a reason to fold rather than a reason to call when your opponents tells you that they have good hands by raising you. In the long run you can't beat a pair of jacks with a queen and a jack. In general you should strive to be in as few situations like those as possible when your hand isn't a top rank hand.

By using your newly gained knowledge of position and the demands to the strength of your hand we can list the following rules for a safe approach to the game pre-flop:

If in early position, only consider playing hands with rank 1 to 3
If in middle position, only consider playing hands with rank 1 to 4
If in late position, you could consider playing hands with rank 1 to 5 or perhaps 6.

Now you have been supplied with guidelines on how to play pre-flop in Texas Hold'em Poker. Of course it is only guidelines, and anyone can have another view upon this way to tackle the game.

Rank 1
You should always raise with A+A, K+K, Q+Q, J+J, A+Ks. You should also defend your hand with a re-raise in case someone makes a raise before you. By choosing to make a raise you are forcing your opponents to either lay down their cards because the have a bad hand. This makes the number of opponents to beat go down, and therefore making your hand stronger.

Rank 2
Here you should also raise with 10+10, A+Qs, A+Js, K+Qs and A+K. On the other hand you should consider it very carefully if someone made a raise before your turn or if someone re-raises you afterwards. If this is the case you can choose to call or choose to fold. The choice should be made on how you read your opponents.

Rank 3 and 4
In general you can choose to call from all positions, but be careful when calling with a rank 4 hand if you are in early position. If you want to play safe and do not have great experience perhaps you should lay down your rank 4 hand. You should under all circumstances lay down a rank 4 hand if someone makes a raise before your turn.

Rank 5 og 6
Again you could call, but do not do it unless you are in late position. You really need the information you can pick up from your opponents to determine if you should call or fold a rank 5 or 6 hand. If someone makes a raise before your turn you should fold without hesitation.

Rank 7 og 8
Fold! You should never play these hands because you would be destined to loose your money if you play them. You could get lucky, but from a mathematical point of view chances are slim or non-existent.

Summarized the following elements has influence on the game

The number of players

With ten players at the table it is more likely that another player also has a strong hand than if the number of opponents is lower. With more players it is also likely that your opponents will get better cards with the flop - more players means more competition

How aggressive are the players

When you have played a couple of games with the opponents at your table and you have noticed that an opponent always raises before the flop you might want to play calmly. Let your opponent win the blind bets and go after him by re-raising when you have struck a solid hand pre-flop.

Your account

You should play cautiously if you are running low on funds. On the other hand you cannot permit yourself to sit and wait too long because of the blinds. Your chance is to draw a good hand and hope that a lot of players want to play the hand. Ultimately it would be perfect if all opponents are still in the game when the flop comes - you desperately need their chips.

Your position:

Players at the late position has the biggest possibility to influence on the size of the pot because they have more information than the players in earlier positions.

Your willingness to take risks

Depending on the type of player you are, and whether you play aggressive or passive before the flop. Players who don't mind betting and taking chances will from time to time raise before the flop. Especially if they are in the later positions.

When should I raise?

Unfortunately there is no simple answer to that question. You could try to look at how your opponents would evaluate a bet from you. A bet would signal either:

a)	"I have the best hand and I am willing to bet you" or,
b)	"You have a bad hand, and if I put enough money on the table you will choose to fold".

Normally players will bet when they have a good hand. A player with a bad hand is expected to fold.

In these situations you can improve your game

Unfortunately it is not as simple as that. Most players will from time to time divert from this rule by trying to bluff their opponents. Try not to fall into their trap when you are learning to play Texas Hold'em Poker. If you fold too often - or never folds - you will be read easily by your opponents. Of course your strategy should take its basis in this guide - bet when you have a solid hand and fold if it is not so solid - but not always. You will become too easy to read for your opponents.

Below you will find a couple of situations that can help you improve your game.

Example 1: Steal the blind bets - known as "Blind stealing"

When you have the dealer button and you re-raise you are said to be "blind stealing". This is because the other players, who have put chips in the pot, might get scared and put down their cards. If you only chose to call chances are that your opponents would check to get more cards to make the best hand. This trick where you raise can be an easy way to win a dollar or two, but you will never get rich be practicing it. It is more a method to end a game quickly and get on with another with more players.

Example 2: Raise the stakes and steal the pot - also known as "The steal-raise"

If you are the last to determine what to do and all your opponents has chosen to check, you could choose to raise. This would most likely cause a lot of players to fold - and if you are lucky all your opponents might choose to fold and you have successfully stolen the pot. This trick is often called a "steal raise". Don't use it too often because better players will know your strategy and start checking or even raising you. Steal raise is best used if you have a decent hand. Try to determine if your opponents are aggressive or passive before you try to steal raise the pot!

Example 3: "The check-raise"

You could choose to check raise your opponents when you want to draw some money out of their pockets - once they have put their chips into the pot you re-raise them. Your intention is to lure your opponents into a false feeling of having the best hand. Remember that your opponents are more likely to follow if they already have chips in the pot.

Example 4: "The opener"

This bold move is often used by a player that bluffs. If you are in early position you make a good solid raise which forces your opponents to dig deeper in their pockets to try to win the hand. The intention of this move is to limit the number of opponents competing for the pot. In a way it is a reverse "steal-raise". The effect of making a raise will definitely make a lot of players put down their hand. The players left will be the most aggressive players or the players who really have a good hand.