PF starting hands

[RustyCJ]

Very new to poker and been playing online for a couple weeks now, did poor at first and forced myself to tighten up my starting hands PF, after tightening up I won about $75 in 400 hands and the past few days I feel like I have gone on tilt and am doing more "gambling" and "hoping" to catch the card I need.

Would like a little input on my starting hand requirements, thanks.

Thought I'd post my starting hands that I try to stick to, been playing at Paradise .5/1 (might change to UB or Party though)

PF Early
Raise with AA, KK, AKs
Call with QQ-JJ, AKs-JTs,AQs,AJs,AK,AQ,KQ

PF Middle
3 or fewer callers - Raise with AA,KK,AKs
Call with QQ-TT,KQs-JTs,AQs-AJs,AK,AQ,KQ

4 or more callers - Raise with AA,KK,AKs
Call with QQ-66,KQs-76s,AK-98,AQs,AJs,KJs,KQ,AQ,AXs

with a raise in front Reraise with AA,KK and AKs and call with QQ-JJ,KQs,AQs,AJs

PF Late position
4 or fewer callers - Raise with AA,KK,AKs
Call with QQ,TT,KQs-76s,AQs-QTs,AJs,AK-T9,AQ

5 or more callers - Raise with AA,KK,AKs
Call with QQ-22,KQs-54s,AQs-75s,AJs,AK-76,AQ-T8,AXs,KXs

with a raise in front reraise with AA,KK,AKs and
Call with QQ-TT,KQs-T9s,AQs-J9s,AJs,AK-JT,AQ,AXS

I have tried to stay away from 2 gaps, thought about including them in late position if they are suited with 5 or more callers

Do I need to trim out some of the unsuited big cards, like KJ and QT in middle? i've found they are easy to get into trouble with

Also, should I be raising with more hands, especially in LP? maybe with hands like QQ, JJ, AQs? or should I consider raising with these all the time? to try to limit the field? my experience at paradise has shown me that a raise in front will cut out at least half of the opposition behind me.

If I need to trim out some fat, please let me know, thanks

[MrBlini]

[ QUOTE ]
Also, should I be raising with more hands, especially in LP? maybe with hands like QQ, JJ, AQs?

[/ QUOTE ]Yes. You don't want it to be too obvious that you have AA, KK, or AK. After limpers, I'd personally raise with AKo, KQs, TT, AQo, AJs, and QJs as well, and probably some other sundry hands. QJs may be marginal, but it likes position when it the flop hits it and a free card when the flop misses.

You mentioned in another thread that you are trimming back the starting requirements in WLLHE to limit the marginal hands you are playing. Trimming out some of the hands you'll play is not going to cost you much, but limiting the hands you raise with with will cost you a great deal. If anything, raise with more hands. I think Lee Jones is a bit passive preflop. If I play QQ, I usually raise with it regardless of position. Ditto JJ. TT is often worth a raise, and almost surely after limpers. Raising with hands that are much stronger than the average hand your opponents play is rarely a big mistake.

You can open-raise more than AA, KK, and AKs, too. If you're opening the pot, it's often a good idea to raise.

As a beginner, you strive to be tight and aggressive. That means not playing too many hands, but betting and raising them when it's a good idea to do so. Raise more!

[MrBlini]

[ QUOTE ]
Do I need to trim out some of the unsuited big cards, like KJ and QT in middle? i've found they are easy to get into trouble with

[/ QUOTE ]Even experienced players will muck these much of the time unless the circumstances are just right. These are probably costing you money. They look like good hands, but they aren't.

[RustyCJ]

I agree that Jones seems to be much more passive than Sklansky is.

If I raise with something like TT, JJ, QQ and run into a flop like K93, or A75 these flops scare the crap out of me. Once I see someone bet I just want to fold my hand. the A75 flop is much scarier as so many people at .5/1 will play AXs at any position and the straight possibilities here are many. If I raise with 1 of those hands and 1 overcard lands, I have a hard time knowing how to play it. If 2 overcards come I feel I am really best to fold, especially if someone called my raise cold.

So many times I see that a pair just does not hold up. Raising in EP almost seems like its a better idea just because it will cut out so many opponents usually, raising in LP just gets more money in the pot and most people will call the raise once they have the first bet in the pot. with QQ-TT at LP it almost seems better to see the flop cheaply and hope to hit a set, then the hidden value of that set can really bring in the $$.

I've also been inclined to raise in LP with hands like QJs-T9s with 5+ callers as these seem to really be huge money makers when they hit.

Jones says that with a pocket pair its 7.5:1 to hit a flop on the set, is it right then to need 7.5:1 pot odds in order to bet the lower pairs (77-22)? Or because of the implied odds that a set can usually win that it will drop odds necessary to call?

[MrBlini]

The implied odds for a set are quite big. For a single bet preflop, pot odds of between 4:1 and 5:1 are sufficient. At a loose passive table, these can even be played without the requisite number of limpers if you can count on others to limp behind you.

Playing big pairs when there are overcards on the board is one of the most difficult bits of flop and turn play in hold'em. As you progress, I think you'll find yourself playing these more confidently, but for the present I don't think you're giving up too much if you let QQ, JJ, and TT go when there's a K or A on the flop, action to deal with, and no draw (ie. gutshot) for you. People do love to play aces and kings in low limit games. Other than a set, the ideal flop for QQ down to TT is three relatively uncoordinated undercards, which obviously you'll hit more with QQ than with TT. Any flop that's Q-high or lower and not terribly coordinated looks pretty good when you're holding one of these.