Starting Hands

What you will learn:

• What cards to play and when to play them
  

When you first start off playing poker you may well be tempted to play every hand you're dealt just to see some action or, worse still, because you think you might get lucky. If you have any ideas about becoming a good player and making money, stop this strategy immediately.

As well as your cards, poker is just as much about where you're sitting in relation to the dealer. This is known as 'position'. You must always analyse your hole cards in relation to your position before you even consider playing a hand.

Click on our in-depth Starting Hands guide (PDF - 1.6MB) and discover what cards you should be playing and what cards you shouldn't even dream of getting involved with. You may be surprised at what you're being told to fold but you'll soon understand why.