Joined: 30 Jun 2008 Posts: 456 Location: Donk Betting the Flop
Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 10:22 pm Post subject: Starting Hands
Is there any kind of starting hand chart out there for tournaments? I mean, I'm primarily a limit player where starting hand charts can be constructed pretty stright forward, but I know its much more complicated when it comes to NL tournaments. You have to condider your M and the amount of the bet before you, and the amount that you are going to bet on top of all the fundamentals like position, number of players who have VP$IP. I only have a very vague understanding of what i should be doing. For instance, I know that suited connectors are valued higher in NL tournaments than they are in FR limit games. But I'm kinda lost. I've cashed in a couple MTTs through sheer luck and I really enjoy playing them, but I'm afraid I'm a bit of a donkey at this point. I've got 2 books coming: Snyders first PTF and the Lynch, Rizen, et al book. I'm sure these will help me with my post-flop play, but I'm wondering about basic preflop strategy. Maybe that will be in there as well? I sometimes foolishly try to use Matthew's starting hand chart for Limit Holdem in NL tournaments -- doesn't work so good
Joined: 05 Feb 2006 Posts: 2533 Location: Edinburgh
Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2008 6:06 am Post subject:
I'd actually reccomend Harrington on holdem 1+2 as a good start for tournament play. Some say that Harrington is a bit out of date now but it is a good foundation before reading the other two books and they are popular too which means it willbe much easier to guess what others are doing as they might be basing it on these books.
HOH1 also has a good guide for starting hands. I would recommend reading HOH before the other books you are getting.
However, If you can't wait to get HOH first I would recommend reading Rizens book before the other one. It doesn't really have a starting hand guide but you may be able to work one out through the hand examples given.
The reason that No limit can't provide a consisent starting hand guide is that situations change so much. For example: playing 22 with starting stacks might be good if you aim to hit a set and win big. You can't really do this with smaller stacks and you then throw away 22. But when the stacks get really short 22 can be played again as an all-in pre-flop hand. roughly speaking that is.
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