As a beginner at the game of poker, it is often suggested to stick to the top 10 hands. It is not however suggested to do so for an advanced or even intermediate strategy. Playing only the top 10 hands will make you a very predictable player and nobody will play with you. It is a good way to get started as a beginner but no way to be a winning poker player. If you are going to be a winning poker player then you better get ready to play more then just 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.
If you had pocket 7's and you were up against 4 other players with Ace King then I am pretty sure you would be very happy to be the one with 77. Of course, that is a very unreal example, but you get the point. You just cannot rely on only the top 10 starting hands to be successful.
There are occasions when a top 10 hand is best, yet there are other occasions where they need to be folded. You could be playing a big pot and have a 6-7 suited, while the other players have a KK or AA. In this case the two players with the pairs have lower odds than you do of winning. If you can stick with it, and the other players don't handle their bets appropriately, you could be in for a big win.
The best times to have the top 10 starting hands is when you are going at it with a player or two ahead of the flop. If you are going to go all in or put a lot of your money into the pot you want to be ahead when you do it. You cannot be ahead if you do not have at least a top 5 starting hand before the flop. After the flop it doesn't matter; from there the starting hand means nothing unless it hit.
Poker is a game of chance, but of course the chances can be calculated with reasonable accuracy. If you are interested in progressing as a player beyond the top 10 hands then you need to figure out the odds of each hand. Once you have done this you will know which hands are good to play against the others, and which ones aren't.
Anytime you have a hand and you are not sure what to do, you should leave that hand. While a 6-7 suited seems like a good hand, there are still times where it needs to be let go in order to save you from a loss.
Great poker players spend a lot of time studying pot odds, position and implied odds as factors that have a huge impact on hand selection. This is why most novice players stick to the top 10 hands, it doesn't require a lot of thought.
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.
About the Author:
For alot detailed information about the author or any other Titan Poker information visit Code Titan Poker
and also reviews in German Code TitanPoker
.
