The game of choice at the poker tables these days is no limit Texas holdem. Deciding which hands to put money into the pot before the flop is very important. I think everyone agrees that this is one of the most important decisions in being a winning player. You will waste too much money if you're playing any two cards a lot.



Many players follow precise rules of a starting hands chart. Although better than playing any two cards, many good opportunities might be missed. Many situations you encounter need you to consider altering from the norm. The players who accurately make these adjustments stand to make more money.

What things will make you adjust your pre flop play? Things like stack sizes and short tables can be factored into your guidelines. Things like playing style, overall ability of a player, or a player on tilt, are where the adjustments come from.

Let's take a look at a couple of situations where you could adjust from normal pre flop betting. We will look at no limit cash game situations. Many players use the gap concept for playing against a raise. The gap concept tells you that you need a hand at least equal to the minimum hand that the bettor would be raising with from his position at the table. Here's a hand where you might adjust this rule.

Th conditions are as follows. You are playing $1/$2 no limit. The under the gun player bets $6. This player has shown many weak hands that he played like this, raising from early position. He is a wild , aggressive player. He has $30 after his bet. You are on the button and have a $40 stack.

The action folds to you on the button. You have QJ suited. Normally this is a fold, but against this type of player, you can easily call. Against this guy, a call will be a good play.

The wild player is less likely have a big hand. He will be more likely to pay you off even if he misses the flop. A solid player won't pay you if he misses the flop and you hit. He is also more likely to have a big pair, and stack you if you hit. You have positon too. If the blinds call, QJ suited plays well in a multi player pot. If your wrong about the hand, the most you can lose is $40.

Here is another situation. Playing $1/$2 no limit, a player in mid position with $40 raises to $6. You are on the button with AA. You, and the blinds, all have $100.

The normal play here is to re-raise and isolate this one player. We have observed that the blinds have been very tight. This sets up a unique opportunity to just call here. I think you can make more money this way.

The most dangerous outcome will be both blinds call. If they do, you have to play more cautiously after the flop. If one of the blinds has a good hand he often will decide to re-raise. If you had re-raised, they might only call and play soft, or even fold, seeing a raise and re-raise in front of them. Calling, and allowing them to re-raise puts you in great position to cash in big.

If they (the blinds) both fold, the original bettor will likely make a continuation bet, and not be putting you on AA. Getting him all in, or more profit from his post flop bet, is almost a certainty.

These two examples show the adjustments you need to consider making based on how players at your table are playing. This is how the great players take advantage of what they see going on. It doesn't work out every hand, but good adjustments pay off in the long run, and make you more money.