profitable no limit starting hands

I'm a beginner and just started playing no limit on Pokerstars. Which are the most profitable hands? Also, should I buy in with small/medium or large stacks?

Give me AA/KK everytime. Now in these low limit NL games I like any pair & suited connectors. Flop a set/straight and you can win a nice pot.


I would recommend a large stack. I assume that is $25 for the .10-.25 but I have only played UB. I see people buying in for 5 or 10 and when they raise they have no ability to scare off the callers.


Ken Poklitar

ohKanada@hotmail.com

Thanks Ken,


Also, how AA/KK pre-flop should be played pre-flop? By what amount should I raise?

There are many different raising styles in NL. In these .10-.25 games you will see all those and more. You will see some raise to .50, others to 1.00, others to 2.00 and others make larger bets.


I don't like the mini-raise. I tend to raise to 1.50 - 2.00 based on # of limpers. I do this for all hands that I raise with. So if I raise with AA or 66 or 98s I would make the same raise.


Find something that works for yourself. Just remember that opponents are watching your raises and the cards you showdown.


Ken Poklitar

ohKanada@hotmail.com

A raise to $2 is fairly normal, but if more people are in then a larger raise is in order. And a reraise should always be a significant reraise. If someone makes it $2 you make it $8, not $4. If anyone calls in the middle then a bigger bet is in order.


You want to build hands that can double you up. So pairs should be played aiming for a set so you get in cheap if possible, or raise substantially with AA KK and QQ. JJ is pretty much a small pair, but is nice heads up. Other than that suited connectors, and suited aces are the best hands to play. Cards like QJ KQ AQ that can be good in limit are more likely to be trouble in no limit, as you rarely get played with if unless

you are beat.

gergely,


I kind of disagree with some of the posts concerning AA, KK, or other premium hands. If you sit around and wait for these hands you will get no action or get beat by good players. I'm not saying that they are bad, but I don't usually make much money with those hands.


The best hand to have is a hand that can make a straight. Straights are pretty easy to make and are very deceptive. The best people to play straights against are players that like to slow play. You'll win a big pot when someone makes two-pair or a set and you make a straight. The main advantage of the straight is they are not obvious like a flush. Straights are harder for players to read when they are not obvious.


Good Luck


Mark

Focusing on starting hands is not the way to go with no limit. In limit hold'em, it's a good way to start on the road to success. In no limit, waiting for a good starting hand is going to give everyone all the information they need to beat you.


I'm not suggesting you play hands like J3o, but if you can get in cheap, and play well after the flop, you can play all kinds of hands with potential, from any position.


With a hand like 57o, I probably wouldn't play it early, especially if the game has anyone behind me who likes to buy it preflop. But I'd definitely play it on the button after some limpers. And maybe raise.


With a hand like any two suited face cards, I'm in from any position. If you can flop two pair vs. a straight draw or even flop a straight vs. a set or two pair, you are loving it. If you get in cheap with this hand, you can bust somebody with the right flop. Don't be afraid to limp cheap with a hand that you have to throw away to a raise behind.


But with a hand like QJs, you need an advanced degree from kicker school, and kicker school graduates are often reluctant to put ANY money in the pot with a top pair like Q with a jack kicker. Maybe if you are last to act. You won't commit many chips with it unless you have something else like a gutshot or a flush draw.


So you want to limp in with big suited cards but only if you can avoid getting trapped with kicker problems. Understand this: the proper thing to do with Q4o in the blinds when you flop QT6 is to check-fold. Extend that principle to when you limp early with QJs and you'll see it's not a whole lot different.


You also want to see the flop with ANY pair. If you can get in cheap up front, good. You should be willing to go for a decent raise preflop with a pair if you are deep and your opponent is deep. If you are out of position, go up to about 5% of your stack. If I have position, I will go 10 to 12% of my stack, IF the player can gamble and IF they have seen me make big moves on a draw. I need to be able to flop my set and get paid. If they are tight post-flop, I won't come in heads up, unless I have position and they play the flop so weak that they will check almost every time they miss.


The only TRULY garbage hands in no limit are hands like Q6o, J2s, 94 and the like. These hands you can only play on the button and then only when you're in a situation where you don't need to look at your cards to play the button. Which basically means vs. weak, tight, passive post flop players. An ideal lineup if you can find it.


Hope this helps. It takes a while to learn, but experience is the ONLY thing that works. You could read a million books but the illiterate guy who has played a mere 100 hours will cream you. Playing cheap at first is the smart way to go. Good luck.


natedogg

Mix it up- raise with a lot of different hands, but don't get too cute. Once you get players used to calling your raises, you can't really try and push them out when you have absolutely nothing- I see players constantly waste chips trying to represent a hand again and again after their 5th pre-flop raise in the past 7 hands. Of course, no one can have it that often, and doing this you will eventually run into someone with a hand who will take the gains from your previous aggression. Thus, raising a lot pre-flop is fine, but don't feel the need to always try and push it. Your goal is not to win a lot of small pots, it is to win a couple of big ones. If players in your game are very aggressive instead of the ususal passive opponents, then you want to let them do the pot-building for you- you can set them up with raises of your own, or just limp. Let them try and steal blinds and think that they are "bullying" you- most of the players who play this way don't have the discipline to lay off when they are beat. They win more pots than anyone else, but they usually get busted in one or two hands. Your opponents won't be that good- so you can get away with playing tight as long as you mix it up with suited connectors and ALL pairs. Raise with these hands for effect and to put yourself into a position to double up. Vary your raises but don't increase bets based on value. A basic strategy: if the game is too tight you should raise more, and if its too loose, you should tighten up and let them hang themselves. Look to trap the over-aggressive opponents.

Good luck. All hands can be profitable- just try and recognize the situations in which they are.

Players CAN have 5 great hands in 7 hands -- it happened to me the other night. Luckily for my opponents they were smart, and folded most of the time, not saying, "well, he can't have it THIS time", because quite frankly, I did. I had AA, QQ, AK, AQs, 109s from the button 5 hands in a row. I won all five pots, and didn't have to show my cards at all, despite the fact that the 3 hands that saw the flop were favorable. Be careful saying, "he can't have it this time..." and then making a call you wouldn't otherwise make. One of my opponents had AA, KK, and AA in 3 consecutive hands last week -- he had to show all of them, as he raked in the chips. It happens. Play poker on odds, but don't get caught up making a bad play simply because "you can't believe it."


Max

My contention is not that players cannot possibly have great hands repeatedly. My contention is that a player who does this the entire game is wasting his chips going after blinds. Eventually, even if his hands are relatively strong, he is going to run into a stronger hand, and all of the minor gains of blind stealing and pushing at ragged flops will be lost. If he feels the need to constantly keep the pressure on, he will get himself trapped and will lose his stack. Of course we've all had little streaks of great starting hands- and I am not advocating trying to pick these players off with nothing, but being patient and waiting for an opportunity to let them hang themselves with their over-agression. I am not saying "try and catch bluffs"- I am saying do not be one of these players that thinks the way to win in PL and NL is to win the most pots. There are a lot of players who play this way- and I welcome them in my game anytime- they almost always lose huge hands by taking it too far.