Low Limit Holdem Starting Hands

The strategy for choosing starting hands in fixed limit Holdem depends primarily on the number of players at the table and your position at the table. To a lesser extent, the playing styles of your opponents also affects which hands you should and should not play. With so many variables to keep track of, there is no simple end-all solution to figuring out which starting hands should be played in fixed limit Holdem.

What we can do is give you a good starting point and let you go from there. In fixed limit Holdem, your starting hand strategy is very important because there is a limit to the amount of money you can win with any hand. The biggest mistake most fixed limit players make is playing too many hands. If you’re a beginner to fixed limit Holdem, remember that it is better to play too tight than it is to play too loose.

The key to playing well before the flop in fixed limit Holdem is to adopt a tight-aggressive strategy. This means you are selective in choosing your starting hands but when you do play them, you play them aggressively. In most situations, you should either come in with a raise or fold your hand. Players who limp in and call a lot of raises are called “passive” and they are invariably losing players.

Early Position Starting Hands

Early position is the most difficult position to play from because you have to act first each street. You have no idea of what your opponents are going to do so you are essentially acting blind. In order to counteract this disadvantage, you need to play extra tight from early position – you need all the help you can get with strong starting hands.

Hands such as AA, KK, QQ, AKs and AKo should be capped from early position and all positions at the table. In most cases, you are way ahead with these hands and you need to extract as much value as possible. The more money you can get in the pot early with such hands, the better off you’ll do in the long run. You won’t win the pot every time with these hands but you’ll win it more than anyone else will. Get that money in the middle and you’ll see a profit.

Other hands such as AQs, AQs and AJs can also be raised from early position. In shorthanded games, you can also add other big pairs such as JJ and TT. Everything else should be folded from early position. There’s simply too much uncertainty and difficulty in playing mediocre hands from out of position.

Middle Position Starting Hands

In middle position, you can open your hand range a little bit. There are still opponents to act behind you so you can’t get too crazy yet. The good news is that you now have position on the early position players and can see what they do before you have to act.

Your play with each hand will depend on what the early position players do. If they all fold, you can come in with a raise with all the hands that we mentioned in early position plus a few much such as 99, ATs, KQs, KQo, KJs and AJo. These hands aren’t monsters but they are likely to be the best ones at the table.

If an early position player raises before you, you need to be extremely cautious. Raises from early position players are usually made with exceptionally strong hands. Players don’t like to play from early position so it means there’s a good chance your opponent has one of the hands we listed in the “early position” section. If you have a hand such as AA, KK, QQ or AK you can put in a reraise. Otherwise I would just fold.

Late Position Starting Hands

Late position is the easiest position to play from so you can open up your hand range even more here. From here, you can raise with all the hands mentioned above and even more if you’re the first person in the pot. If other people have limped in front of you, you can limp behind them with drawing hands such as medium pairs, suited aces and any two suited face cards.

If there is a raise in front of you, you will want to play a tight-aggressive game. Don’t get into the habit of calling lots of raises just because you’re in late position. Make sure you have a strong hand or at least have the odds to try to hit a big hand.

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