A quick post. I read a a recent blog entry from Ed Miller (notedpokerauthority.com), and wanted to post a portion of it really quick. This is blatantly quoted from his site. I’ll offer some comments afterwards:
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Don’t Play Trash
Fold your trash hands. Most hands are trash. It’s easier to define what’s not trash, so I’ll do that. The “Not Trash” list:
All Pocket Pairs
Two suited cards Jack or Higher (e.g., K J )
AK, AQ, AJ, and KQ offsuit
Ok, it’s not quite that simple. I have another list, the “Sometimes Trash” list:
Suited Connectors (e.g., 8 7 or J 9 )
AT and KJ offsuit
Suited Aces (particularly the big ones like A T )
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This should be totally obvious to experienced players, but to beginners, you may not realize it. Yes, any 2 cards can win, but more often than not, you need solid cards to play.
For those of you playing too tightly – AA, KK, QQ, JJ and AK only, you’re forgetting your implied odds on smaller pairs and suited connectors. You become too easy to read, and people will fold to your preflop raises, and you’ll never get any value out of your hands.
Everything depends on the situation, but it’s hard to go wrong using this as a guideline if you don’t know where you’re at, if you’re unfamiliar with your opponents, or you’re on a short bankroll.
Play hands that offer the opportunity for high implied odds situations – pocket pairs that make sets, big cards that flop top pair or better, suited aces that make nut flushes, and suited connectors that make straights and flushes.
There’s not much reason to play more hands than that in an internet cash game where you don’t see your opponents enough for them to pidgeonhole you. If you have an unusual situation that calls for it, like a multiday tournament where you need to make adjustments, fine, but at microstakes NL, you can stick to the basics and you’ll win.
