Starting hands: Article contrary to the "Book"

[CrackerZack]

Phil says play like a maniac. you did, you missed, you got killed. the pattern will repeat itself with some "you did, you hit, you made a killing" involved, but more of the former than the latter. losing $300 in a 1-2 game is ridiculous. I've only seen it once before in a home game, with the craziest player in the game. He raises constantly, and never folds.

[Luke]

My feeling is that like just about everything else in poker, starting hands are based strongly on the situation. Many factors affect starting hand decisions: your current position, the general style of the players at your table, the style of players already in the hand, the players to act after you, the type of hand you hold, the other players' perception of you, etc.

As others have said, starting hand decisions do not exist in a vaccum. It is best for a player to have an understanding of the various factors and how they affect your decision, as opposed to memorizing a specific strategy.

I think S&M clearly address this notion and do the best job in preparing the reader to correctly evaluate most situations.

Luke