I can't stress enough the fact that Hold'em is a positional game. When you are in early position you need a strong hand to enter the pot. You have no idea what the players who follow you will do. It is extremely costly to enter the pot with marginal cards only to be raised or reraised. This is where the category of big cards definitely comes into play but not all big cards can be played in early position. When you are in early position, you want to play a hand that can hopefully stand up to a raise. This is especially true if you are "under the gun," the first player to act.

When I am under the gun, I will limit my play to big pairs or an Ace with a Jack or higher. In a very passive game, I may loosen up just a bit, but it is usually better to play tight when you are under the gun. Here are some of the other hands playable from early or any position.

We often use the expression, "That's my Ace in the hole," when referring to a contingency plan or a good backup to help get us out of a jam if things don't go the way we anticipated. This is an expression derived from poker games such as five-card stud, where a single Ace in the hole could be a valuable card to possess.

In Texas Hold'em, however, a single Ace is not as powerful as some players would like to think. Many Hold'em players think they found the "Holy Grail" when they look at their starting hand and see a single Ace in the hole.

Everyone loves to see Aces in their starting hands. How often will you get one? You will be dealt at least one Ace about 15 percent of the time before the flop. Which means that 85 percent of the time you won't have an Ace. Maybe that is the reason that players get so excited when they see an Ace. The chances of one of your opponents holding an Ace at the same time you do is directly related to the number of players in the game with you. This chart shows the Absence of Aces before the flop based on the number of players. The figures in the chart are expressed in percent.

David Sklansky was the first to publish a table of the starting hands in his book Hold'em Poker in 1976. The table ranks the starting hands and an explanation is given as to the proper position from which to play them. This list of starting hands has become more or less the standard for knowledgeable players. There are some hands that will be played differently depending on the number of players, the type of the game and whether or not the pot was raised before your turn to act. A player will need to tighten up or loosen these guidelines accordingly.

As I studied the table of starting hands I thought a graphic representation would be easier to understand. I started to draw out some ideas on graph paper. I wanted a design that would help me understand the hands in relation to the dealer button.

I found I was not the only one who thought a chart was easier to help beginners understand the starting hands. In Hold'em Excellence, Lou Krieger had a "Start Chart" which consists of two vertical charts of the starting hands. One was for suited and the other was for unsuited hands. His charts were helpful but I still was looking for another way to relate to the hands.

I continued drawing out different configurations of the starting hands. I finally thought of a linear design. I drew a dealer button on the right side of the sheet. I then started drawing the pairs on the line next to the button. Since the player to the left of the dealer acts first, I put the pair of Aces to the immediate left with the rest of the Pairs in descending order with the deuces being the farthest hand on the dealer's left side. The hands closest to the dealer's left would be the early position hands. Since the poker table is circular, as you get closer to the right side of the dealer button you would be in later position. These would be the hands toward the left side of the sheet.

I proceeded to fill in the other starting hands. I placed the suited cards on the top of the line of pairs and placed the unsuited hands underneath. When I finished I noticed that the chart looked like an arrow. It also showed how the number of starting hands increased in the later positions. I found this chart helped me visualize the hands in the order I was looking for. I color-coded the hands for early middle, and late positions.

Visualizing the chart I could adjust the hands on the border of each position depending on the type of game. These positions are not written in stone and can be adjusted for the type of game I am playing in. For example, in a very loose, passive game I might consider playing the pair of 9s or 8s in early position instead of the middle position. In an aggressive game, the suited Queen-Ten may move to middle position.

Cards of higher value than ten are considered big cards. Suited cards are more valuable than unsuited cards. These hands still fall into the categories of connectors or gapped hands; however, because of their higher value they can sometimes stand on their own if you pair them up on the flop. You should tighten your starting requirements if your cards are not suited and there are a lot of players in the pot. Big cards play better against fewer players.

A pair of Aces is the strongest starting hand before the flop. With only two cards there is nothing higher. Aces do not always stand up as the winning hand after the flop. The weakest starting hand is an unsuited seven and deuce. There are five gaps between the two cards making a straight impossible. Because they are not suited you cannot make a flush either.
Many players in low-limit games will play any Ace regardless of the second card. These players have found themselves a loser when an Ace flops and they are beat out by a player with a bigger kicker.

A kicker is an unpaired card in your hand that will determine the winner in the event of a tie. Example: If the winning hand was a pair of Aces and you held A-K and your opponent held A-J, your King would beat his Jack. In this example the King and Jack are the kickers. Some players will just play any two cards. They are looking for miracle flops to improve their hands. Although it is possible to get a miracle flop, more often than not you won't get it. To be a consistent winner a player needs to learn the correct starting hands.

• Poker Pocket Pairs (0)

Big pairs are powerful starting hands. A pair of Aces is the best start-lng hand but a pair of deuces is a weak hand that can only be played in late position in an unraised pot. Some medium pairs can win the pot, but with the smaller pairs you will be looking to make a set or possibly a straight draw.

Connectors
Cards that are next to each other are called connectors. They can be suited or unsuited. These are hands like K-Q, J-T, or 9-8. Connectors are used in making straights. Suited connectors can make straight flushes, straights, or flushes.

Gapped Cards
Gappers are cards that have one or more gaps between them. These are hands such as Q-T, J-9, or T-8. The smaller the gap the easier it is to make a straight. With a hand that has a gap you are looking to fill the gap for a straight or a straight draw. As with the connectors, the suited cards have more potential of making a flush or straight flush.

• Big Poker Cards (0)

The most important decision a player will make in Texas Hold'em is which starting hands to play. Most players lose because they play too many hands. There are 169 possible two-card starting hands. Hands of equal rank but different suits are counted as one because they have the same value before the flop. For instance an Ace and King of hearts has the same value as the Ace and King of spades, clubs, or diamonds. Out of these 169 hands there are only about 75 that are playable. Which of these 75 you play will be determined by your position to the dealer button. Not all of these hands can be played from every position. Cards of the same suit are more powerful than unsuited cards because of their flush potential. Strong starting hands such as big pairs have a better chance of holding up to make the winning hand than smaller cards.

The combination of starting hands will fall into four categories. Actually you could further simplify this by noting that there are two categories. Big card hands that will win in a small field without improvement and drawing hands that need help.

1. Small Blind
2. Big Blind
3. Under the Gun
4. Early
5. Early/Middle
6. Middle
7. Middle
8. Middle/Late
9. Late
10. Dealer

Early Position. Under the Gun after the flop.
Early Position. Has the option of checking on
first round before the flop.
Early Position. Acts first before the flop.
Second person to act before the flop.
Third person to act before the flop. Middle after
the flop.

Can play a few more starting hands if no raises. Can play a few more starting hands if no raises. May be considered middle in aggressive game. Second to last after the flop. "On the Button" acts last after the flop.

The person "On the Button" gets to act last, except for the first betting round, which starts with the first player to the left of the big blind. A player acting first is referred to as being "under the gun." After the flop, the player posting the small blind is under the gun if they are still in the hand. The dealer button rotates after each hand so your position changes after each hand is completed.

As a player it is important to be conscious of your position for each hand. I have found it beneficial to mentally note my position before the cards are dealt. By repeating my position to myself, I am able to quickly determine whether or not to play a hand when I glance at my pocket cards.

There are only about 20 hands that are strong enough to play from an early position. Players are making a big mistake if they play weak or marginal hands without giving consideration to their position.