Texas Holdem Poker Preflop Strategy
Preflop refers to the phase in a Texas Holdem Poker game before the first three community cards (the "flop") are dealt. Preflop strategy is what you do with your hand at this time. This is the time when a player must choose to make a bet and play with their starting hand, or to fold and withdraw from the game. If you choose to keep playing, you must call the bet. Thus it is that you have to pay to "see" the Flop. (Of course, even if you fold, you do get to see the Flop literally, but this is just the term used.) So what you need to ask yourself is this: Is it worth my money to see the Flop or not?
To have the right Preflop strategy, you must know the value of your hand in relation to the Preflop stage and to your table position in Texas Holdem Poker. Also, there are special considerations for certain positions. For example, if you are the Big Blind, you do not have to fold when you can check.
Play only the best hands in early position. Sometimes you might get lucky with a 2-4 hand - who knows, there might be a Full House waiting to happen! But as a rule, low-ranking hands like that should not be played when you're in early position. Even experienced Texas Holdem Poker players will fold with a hand like that. After all, you don't want to call a bet and then get trapped in a raising exchange with confident opponents when you don't even have a hand.
You may argue that you've seen some Texas Holdem Poker players make big winnings with poor starting hands. Sure, it happens. Any hand is capable of winning. But the odds just don't favor it. So unless you have enough money to burn London, don't bother. Make folding a big part of your Preflop strategy.
Instead, fold and use the time to watch the other players and learn from them. When you are dealt a high starting hand in the next game, say two Queens or a King and an Ace, you can call or raise the bet.
When you raise a bet Preflop, they are going to wonder if it's a bluff or if you really have a monster hand. Sometimes the bluff will work and you'll get to steal the pot with no sweat at all. There's no fun like gathering stacks of chips to your part of the table when all you didn't even have a One Pair.
Of course, this could go the other way: They can call your bet and you may get stuck with a no-hand after the Flop if it reveals two Fives and a Three off-suit. But hey… that's why Texas Holdem Poker is a gambling sport.
One warning with Preflop strategy though: You'll need to change your game plan once in a while. If not, the other players will notice the pattern and fold every time you stay in a hand. You can bluff and later on, if you really have a good hand and raise the bet, they won't know if it's a bluff or not. Or you can play a decent hand once in a while. Always in Texas Holdem Poker, you've got to keep them guessing.