Starting Hands

[gambledrum]

In Ed Miller's book...
Would T8s be a valid starting hand (for loose games)?
Or, would just T9s and 89s be valid?
Also, against a raise, is QTs not a starting hand any longer, as opposed to just QJs?

[Pokey]

You're talking about fractions of a penny, here. When you're splitting hairs this fine, general rules can't be the deciding factor. Whether the starting hand cutoff should be T9s v. 98s v. T8s should be determined by who you face at the table, not by an arbitrary ruling. The starting hands are guidelines to be adjusted by a high-quality player based on the table conditions. If you're good enough to make fine-tuning adjustments on the fly, then these questions have no meaning. If you're not, then pick an arbitrary cutoff and stick with it no matter what. Either way, your sacrifice will be negligible, and the simple rule system will give you more time to work on your postflop play, where effort, skill, experience, and attention pay far bigger dividends than nitpicking starting hands ever could.

[Brash620]

I think T,8s would be playable from late position in a loose game. As far as Q,Ts goes it would depend on the position and style of the raiser. A loose game doesn't mean that every player is bad just a high percentage of them. take that into consideration before you play marginal hands.

[sweetjazz]

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