No Limit Texas Holdem: How to Play Early Positions

Texas Holdem, Hand Selection
September 1 2008

If you’re playing from an early position in a game of No Limit Texas Holdem all you have to remember about starting hand selection is that you are very limited. The reason of course is because in every betting round you’re going to be the first player to act, meaning very little information will be available to you. Rushing into something with little information is practically a death sentence in poker, and that’s just what you’re doing by not limiting your starting hands in an early position.

Because of your early position handicap you only want to be playing premium starting hands. Most starting-hand charts you see online or in books will limit you to the following starters when in an early position:

High Pairs – This includes A-A, K-K, Q-Q and J-J

High Suited Card – Such as A-K, A-Q, K-Q, A-J, K-J, Q-J and J-10

High Unsuited Cards – A-K, A-Q, K-Q

Some charts may even go as far as telling you it’s all right to play pairs like 10-10, 9-9, 8-8 and 7-7. This often depends on what kind of table you’re playing. If there are a lot of raises constantly being made, you may end up costing yourself more chips in the long run by playing these medium pairs in an early position. Use all the information you have on the table’s tendencies and then decide if these hands are worth playing, or if by betting with them you’d just be giving up chips to an eventual pre-flop raise.

Rules and hand selection charts are not written in stone and are not meant to be followed to the letter all the time. Every table you’ll sit down at is different, and sometimes you may have to adjust the hands you play depending on how loose or tight your opponents are. However, in early position, always play with caution because no matter what players are following you, you’re still in an early position and will be throughout the entire hand.

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