starting hands

[groo]

I'm trying to figure out what to use for starting hand criteria. I'm playing PP .5/1 games and using PT. From reading here I understand my VPIP should be below 20% in these loose games. I under stand that my PFR should be 5-10%. I believe I got these numbers from a post by MSSunshine. The question is, how do I know which hands to play and which hands to raise?

What I've done is use a HE hand calculator to determine which are the 31 highest percentage hands (18.3% of all starting hands), and I play these hands and fold anything else.

As far as PFR goes, I picked the top 16 (9.5%) and I raise these.

How far off path am I here? Did I happen to blindly stumble on the right path (or close to it)? What books can I read that cover this?

[NoChance]

The path is decent but it's not correct.

You are ignoring many things. For example, in early position you need to play tighter than you do in late position. In last position you will raise a higher percentage of hands than in earlier position. If a tight person has raised before you, you need to fold most of your "normal" playing hands. On the other hand, if a weak person has called before you, you sometimes want to raise so you can try and get heads up against them.

You seem to be blindly playing and raising a set number of hands and ignoring all other things. There are many more things to consider than the few things I posted above.

I would suggest getting "Winning Low Limit Hold Em" by Lee Jones. He does a good job of explaining the thought process most low limit players have. It is a very good book for someone just learning the basic concepts of Hold Em.

[BAK]

I am a new player who has recently gotten PT and am using the SSHE starting hand recommendations. With 3700 hands played using the SSHE guidelines my VP$IP is a little over 27. From what I have read on these boards, most here would consider that too high.

[htc1278]

I think that SSHE is a fantastic book for everything you are looking for. It provides a starting hand guide based on the type of game you're in and your position in each hand.

[NoChance]

It might be high but then again it might not. 3700 hands is a very small sample size. It's possible you have had a run of good starting hands. It also depends on the tables you've been sitting at. If the tables have been extremely loose, then it's okay that you loosen up as well.

I think most have been saying that 23-27% is not all that bad for the lower limits under the conditions above.

[Stupendous_Man]

[ QUOTE ]
I think that SSHE is a fantastic book for everything you are looking for. It provides a starting hand guide based on the type of game you're in and your position in each hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

SSH is a great book. Having said that, I agree with Ed, David, and Mason though that it's not a beginner's book. There's a chapter that deals with preflop decisions, but most of the book deals with post flop decisions, which as the authors point out is where the money is really made. Your preflop decision learning curve should be relatively short.

While SSH doesn't give a detailed, spelled out chart, someone (actually a couple of posters) created one and posted it in the zoo (I believe that's where I saw it). Do a search for SSH starting hands and see what you find.

Depending on your current skill set, ITH might be a better starting point than SSH. ITH gives a starting hand chart. It also discusses many other topics (bankroll management, post flop, etc.). Everyone has their own opinions on which books to read and what order. If truly just starting out, I recommend ITH before SSH. As SSH is not intended for beginners, some will get lost on the concepts.

Check out the books/software forum as well, but generally speaking these are the books you should have in your poker library.

Internet Texas Hold'em (ITH)
Small Stakes Hold'em (SSH or SSHE)
Theory of Poker (TOP)
Hold'em Poker of Advanced Players (HEPAP)
I believe there's also a Hold'em Poker by Sklansky.

You'll also have people mention WLLH (Winning Low-Limit Hold'em by Jones). I've never read it, so can't comment. This is not a comprehensive list, but a starter. Again, check out the books/software forum.

[John Paul]

27% is high, and on a percentage statistic like that 3700 is a great sample size. Which set of starting hands are you using? Most of the .5/1 tables I sit at have 3-5 players on the flop, so I use the "Tight" chart. If you find your self on tables with 5-7 players on the flop that you should use the "Loose" chart and you VP$IP will be much higher - which is fine. Personally, I don't know if I have every found a loose table on Party .5/1, but other sites and other folks may have a different experience than me.