Pre-Flop Poker Strategy

This often-neglected part of poker is important because the way you play a hand preflop will affect the course of the rest of the hand. Poor preflop play leads to difficult decisions and potentially expensive mistakes after the flop.

The costs involved with poor preflop play extend beyond the initial cost of just seeing a flop. If you play junky hands preflop, it's going to be really hard to play profitably after the flop. The decisions you have to make with weak cards are much harder than the decisions you have to make with strong cards.

Trashy hands are going to hit hands like top pair, weak kicker and middle pair all the time and you're going to have no idea where you stand. Trashy suited cards hit weaker flushes which can cost you good money when they run into higher flushes.

It is because of these factors that the majority of your preflop actions are going to be folds. It's not fun to fold, but it's a part of playing solid poker if you are playing to make money. On average, you will be folding about 80% of your starting hands.

Play Only The Best Starting Hands

The 20% of the starting hands you do play will include pocket pairs, high card hands and the occasional suited connector. A big part of preflop play is based on your position. You want to play extra tight when in early position and less tight when in late position.

The high card hands like AK, AQ and the big pairs AA-TT can all be played from early position. When you play these hands, come in with a raise to charge people to stick around with weaker hands and to thin the field. If you limp in with a hand like AA and four other people limp in behind you, you're most likely going to have to improve to win the pot.

If you AK, AQ or AA-TT and someone raises, then you should 3-bet to get more money in the pot and get it heads up. If you don't have AA or KK and the opponent 4-bets you all-in, then it's going to be a player-dependent decision whether you call or fold. If you have absolutely no idea what to do, then folding is usually the best move.

In late position, you can play many more hand like KQ, AJ, ATs, small pocket pairs and suited connectors if several people have already limped in. If you get a couple of decent big cards like KQ or AJ in late position, then raise the limpers since it's likely they have weak hands and it will give you more chance to win the pot. The suited connectors and small pocket pairs are good to just limp in with so that they can hopefully hit a strong hand in a multiway pot.

If you are the first person to enter the pot, come in with a raise. Open limping hands is a very weak play and it can get you into trouble. If a hand is strong enough to play, it should be strong enough to raise. Your opponents will be playing lots of weak hands and your preflop raises serve to charge them for the chance to get lucky and out flop you. Over time, their loose calls will result in profits for you.  Test this theory by playing real money poker.