GAMBLING TIPS
Don’t overplay weak aces and small pocket pairs
Jul 14, 2009
Poker is not just a game of luck it’s a game of strategy and skill as well. A new player who starts playing poker has easy access to poker anytime of the day from any place in the world as long as they have an internet connection and some free time. The low limits are fairly easy to beat even for a new player as long as they take some interest in learning some base strategy at the table. When a new player becomes more and more interested in the game and spends time studying the strategy guides the higher limits a player will be able to beat.
One of the first lessons in poker strategy is the starting hand. Many players, specially new players does not have a clear concept of what a good starting hand is. Many of the beginners value a single ace as a really high hand even if the Ace only has a low value on the second card (the so called kicker). Aces are good in company of a high card such as a king or queen and in some cases even a jack or ten. The reason for this is that even if the table shows an ace on the flop there are many cards that are in between the Ace and the second card and the player might end up just playing the pair of ace and the board which in many cases can end up as the loosing hand or a split pot between another low ace. In the case of a weak ace, throw It away and don’t play it unless the player sits in a great position at the table as either cut of or button and the pot is still low, it will save the player money in the long run.
Another hand that often is valued above its value is small pocket pairs. A player who plays the pair must be able to throw the hand away after the flop if it hasn’t hit a set (three of a kind) the reasons for that is that after the flop there are likely more than one card that is higher than the pair resulting in many hands that can have the player beat. A small pocket pair can be fun to play before the flop and can be raised if the player is in a good position at the table. But if the pair doesn’t hit the set and somebody takes control of the put and acts strong, make sure to throw it away and don’t overplay it.
