As most beginner guides, the #RKHabc series is based on ABC poker theory and its fundamental postulate: you play only solid hands, betting and raising when you're strong and folding when you're weak. Sounds obvious and self-explanatory, as long as you know your poker hand rankings, so where's the catch?
As you must already know if you're reading this article at all, 'strength' in poker is not at all about the ranking order of poker hands. What is equally - if not more - important is your position at the table relative to the Button (the last player to act post-flop).
You may find slight differences among poker writers as to the 'allowed' starting hands in early position. Some may, for example, include pocket TTs in open-raise charts for UTG while others will recommend QQ+ only. But one thing they all agree on is that players in early position must be much more selective and should only play a tiny fraction of their starting hands. This, you will find, often requires total mobilization of your willpower and discipline :)
In early position - UTG, UTG+1 - in a full-ring game, you will be folding more than 95% of the time pre-flop! Play tight and open raise with premium hands only (high pairs AA, KK, QQ and AKs/AKo). Do not open limp!
Some poker writers loosen up the starting hand range to include JJ and TT, as well as high suited AQ, AJ, KQ, KJ and high unsuited AQ, AJ. Naturally, it all depends very much on stack sizes and on what you know about your opponents at the table.
Remember that with fewer than 9 occupied seats you are moving closer to the button and the early positions drop out. In a 6-max, the first to act pre-flop has a wider recommended starting hand range including, for example, pocket pairs down to 55s.
Related articles on #RKHabc:
Do you have a favorite video tutorial or article on starting hands? What would your own personalized chart of UTG starting hands look like?
Annie RKH 22 Apr 2015
It would be great to hear from the leaderboard heroes in our many freeroll competitions - perhaps @Jackofclubbs @Tedy Mihai @John Thomson @Chetakatatak @Andrew Brisland or the other high-ranking players would care to share their own strategy and tips about starting hands?
And here's a question for all of you and for our in-house pro experts @Pedro Canali and @Nicolas Levi:
The recommendations in the article concern open raises in UTG and UTG+1. How much should we extend the starting hand range for CALLS by UTG+1 in the same tight-playing ABC poker context?
Andrew Brisland 22 Apr 2015
I am not sure that calling in utg+1 is a very good idea , probably best to either raise your really strong hands to get Headsup in position, or fold your medium hands, calling just opens the door for more and more players to call getting "pot odds" then you are stuck in the middle
Annie RKH 22 Apr 2015
Yes, @Andrew Brisland, you're quite right of course; what I was really wondering was what kind of starting hands UTG+1 would need in order to act after an open raise by UTG and still be playing straightforward ABC poker?
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