NL Starting Hands - Abdul Jalib

[monkey_love]

How well does Abdul Jalib's starting hand chart (Abdul Jalib's Hold'em Preflop Strategy) hold up for NL? Are pocket pairs still undervalued?

[BlueBear]

In NL play, by playing for a set, all pocket pairs have very high implied odds if you can get in cheaply. Limit hand requirements are not the same as in NL. It's hard to put any hard and fast rule for starting hand requirements but, I tend to play most pocket pairs and suited connectors and suited aces from all positions if the opposition is weak, loose and passive. I tighten up preflop if the opposition is stronger and aggressive.

[RPatterson]

I think for NL you should just throw out the limit starting hand ideas and start from scratch.

In my mind position is also much more important in NL and the gap between the amount of hands you can play from a front seat vs. a back seat is larger than in limit.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

Applying Abdul's strategy to no limit is highly inadvisable as it wasn't written for that purpose.

al

[monkey_love]

I wasn't suggesting using Abdul's strategy for by the numbers play. What I was trying to do was to question the relative values of starting hands that he provides in his chart (e.g., how does 33 compare with A2s?). While how you play with each hand is, of course, dependent upon a lot of situational information, each starting hand does have relative value based on probability. Also, while there are 169 unique starting hands, as a practical matter most players will treat groups of hands the same. I have to admit that I really don't understand the reluctance to discuss starting hand groups as long as people understand that their usage is situationally dependent.

[Lunamondo]

One needs to play all slicks a seat or two tighter than at limit games in spite of the smaller blinds because the implied factors worry more, with the more or less exception of late position as position is more value at big bet poker and it doesn't cost as much to limp from late position.

In games where many opponents are loose or/and there is a bigger multiway pot one wants and perhaps needs hammers; pocket pairs and about AK (suited or not; dominating slicks). Again, late (even middle if this is a really good game for that) position being more or less an exception, when one has a reasonable long shot big hand in this case.

Because of the big difference on size of the bets and stacks at different games, and the type and number of players on the pot, big bet holdem preflop strategy is more dependent of the type of action from preflop to the river.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

I suggest you start here...

http://www.decf.berkeley.edu/~chubukov/rankings.html

[Baulucky]

Hands with high implied odds go up in value (but you want to see flop cheap), and hands with reverse implied odds go down in value (and should make it expensive to see the flop).