This document provides a summary of an interactive discussion on starting hands and position in poker led by Al Spath, a poker instructor. The discussion covered selecting quality starting hands based on position, common preflop mistakes, tight versus loose game styles, and analyzing specific hand examples from different positions. Participants engaged in the discussion and came to group consensus on whether certain hands should be played from different positions in tight versus loose games. The instructor thanked participants for their contributions and announced the next speaker would discuss no-limit games.

1. “PokerPages.Com” Presents...

2. An Inter-Active Discussion
With PSO Instructor
Al Spath
Where the Quality of the Cards and Your Position
Matter Most!
Li m i t
Hold
’em
ands” (Midd
“Sta rting H l e S ta
kes)

3. Acknowledgment Page
Special Thanks to “Tina and Mark”
For all they do, “year round” to keep the site and school house
moving in a positive direction and on the leading edge of
instruction and information.
Also, thanks to the many staff who assist Mark and Tina as well
as us instructors: New Jane, Sharla, Megan, Kathy and Kevin
but to name a few on the front lines, and more technicians and
staff behind the web cast that aide us from day to day.

4. “ Starting Hands”
Hand Selection is the foundation for playing
“Winning Poker”
Starting with wrong hands is a prescription for a
losing session.
Your choice to raise, call or fold (how and when),
are always critical elements.
Of course, your post-flop play will determine
consistent results, but if you enter pots with
marginal holdings, your post-flop play may not
be able to salvage much.

5. “ Types of Starting Hands”
(Solid (tight) / A ggressive Style
Big Pairs (AA, KK, QQ)
Big connectors and Gappers (AKs, AQs, AK,
AQ, AJs, AJ, KQs, KQ)
Risk/Reward Hands (Mid and small pocket pairs,
suited and unsuited connectors and gappers
(88, QJs, QTs, QJ, QT, JTs, JT, J9s, even 87s)
I’ll have more on what cards to play from what position later in this
presentation

6. What A re Some Of The C ostly
Mistakes Made Preflop?
Cold calling raises with hands that are mediocre
or even marginal.
Playing weak hands out of position.
Choosing to play dominated drawing hands
against one or two opponents.
In a short-handed pot, you don’t want to be the
caller.
In a tight game, playing too many hands.

7. How Should You Play Preflop?
Raise with powerful hands, they play well in both short-handed
games and in multi-way pots (big pairs will not always have to
improve to win)
Against fewer opponents (2-3 or less), play far more aggressively.
Against more opponents, revert back to solid poker, no tricks, play
premium cards.
Be aware of position and play tighter in early position (slightly looser
in late position)
You must have a bigger hand to call a raise, than to make an initial
raise (first in), or to reraise if the pot has already been raised.
Stick to playing the more credible off suit holdings.
Play hands where you can dominate, and not be dominated.
Take advantage of mistakes by others, be aware of sloppy play and
capitalize on it.
Remember that speculative hands play better against lots of
opponents.

8. Following Your C hoice of Starting Hands, the
Next Most Important Factor is…
“POSITION”
With late position you have the opportunity to see what
your opponents have done before you act.
Likewise, they do not know what you are going to do
from your position.
With the exception of bluffing (when you would want to
bet first), having position will garner you the most money
following the flop.

9. Defining Position at a
10 Seat Table
Early Position (EP) – the first 3 seats following the
blinds.
Middle Position (MP) – the 3 seats following the last
EP seat.
Late Position (LP) – the cutoff seat and the button
Know your opponents, know your position, have
quality cards to better assess your chances of
entering any pots.
Pre-flop raisers can effectively change position so
be aware of your relative position following a pre-
flop raise (most opponents check to the raiser)

10. L ets C ompare Types of Hands to Play From
Several Positions
(in an unraised & raised pot)
Tight Game Scenario – You will still find loose players,
but overall the game at higher levels will generally
be tight and are characterized by:
Smaller Pots.
Tight players susceptible to more bluffs.
Quality of hands against tight players giving you action
must be better.
Tougher players will be the ones playing more
aggressively at the table.
A premium will be on playing very high cards with top
kickers.

11. E arly Position
Unraised Pots
Open with a raise (or raise limpers) holding: AA, KK, QQ,
JJ, AKs, AQs. (AJs, AKos, AQos may not be raising
hands in early position).
If the game is extremely tight, a raise with TT or 99, you
may take down the blinds. These cards play better
against on or two opponents.
Caution: AJos and KQos seem to be trouble hands in
EP, and you might want to limp in behind other limpers
with these hands, if you decide to play them at all.

12. Raised Pots
Cold calling two bets requires you to have a big hand
(AA, KK, QQ, AKs) to reraise, or call (I prefer the reraise)
Consider either calling or folding with hands like JJ, TT,
AQs, AJs, AQos. When a solid player has made a raise,
these hands will get you into trouble (know your
opponent). In a particularly tight game, give more
consideration to folding.
There is an old axiom: When you hold a pair and
someone raises, you should reraise or fold. Make sure if
you reraise and get the pot Heads-Up, your pair is strong
enough to hold up, otherwise, let the raise go
uncontested.

13. Middle Position
Unraised Pots
All the hands mentioned for early position are raiseable from
middle position as well, even with limpers in front of you.
If there were no limpers, you can widen your range of raising
hands and include hands like: 99-88 and ATs, however, know
your opponents yet to act.
Raised Pots
When faced with an early position raise, consider the player
and their position and that in most cases they are very strong.
You will need a big hand to call or reraise here, be very
selective as there are still many players to act following your
decision.

14. L ate Position
Unraised Pots
If no one has entered the pot, of course make a strong play to pick up the blinds.
Your raise will also provide you an opportunity to play heads-up for a pot.
If there was a limper or two ahead of you, your raise will not be enough to win the
blind money and pot, so only raise with superior hands in this position.
In addition, if you have more than 4 or 5 limpers, you can limp with smaller pocket
pairs, but with less than 3 limpers, fold them and save a few chips. Laying down a
small pair here is a sign of experience, not weak play.
Suited connectors above 76 and moderately high suited one-gappers (J-9) can be
played in this position (again, with a good number of limpers committed to the pot).
Hands that also play here are: Axs, K9s, KTos, QTos, JTos, and even Q9s, IF there
have been no raises, and lots of callers.

15. L ate Position
Raised Pots
Follow the standards as if you were in middle position.
Only exception is when the first bettor is the cut-off seat,
then consider re-raising (a possible steal bet), with
hands like: AK, AQ, AJ or any medium pocket pair.
This will force the blinds to face a double bet and should
isolate you on the original raiser.

16. Small Blind Play
You should raise with those premium hands against any amount of limpers (top of
Group 1 hands).
Against a lot of players, limp with hands like QQ and JJ, unless your raise can
eliminate the big blind, as they are more susceptible to overcards on the flop.
Unraised Pots
Most pairs, suited connectors and higher one-gappers J-9 T-8 can be played for ½ a
bet with enough callers.
The biggest mistake is to think you should play ANY hand, just because there are
enough callers. Eliminate throwing in a ½ bet with bad cards.
Raised Pots
Be more selective, calling 1 ½ bets requires your hand to be much stronger, you
should play multi-way pots with top cards, and heads-up only when your cards can
dominate your opponent.

17. Big Blind Play
When raised, it is essential you consider the position from which the raise came from
and if you have a read on that player. Respect UTG raises from a solid player,
especially in a tight game.
Conversely, if the raise comes late from the cutoff seat or the button, consider
devaluing the strength of the potential holding (blind stealing is prevalent).
Some quick tips:
– Reraise any raise from the big blind while holding AA, KK, or AKs.
– Do not reraise the raiser with hands like big slick AK, QQ and JJ. However; if you
want to vary your play, you can occasionally raise with these hands, the key being
seldom
– Against what you imagine a steal raise, reraise with mid pocket pairs on up and
hands like AJ and even AT
– Against a sole raiser (not a steal raise), call heads up with any pair and generally
any two overcards, some would call with any suited ace as well (I’m not inclined to
do that unless I know the opponent very well)

18. What About Loose Games?
Do the starting
requirements really change?
Discussion

19. Lets take a quick look at various combos
of hands and you can shout out whether
you play these hands (The slide will
indicate your position and type of game)
If we hear a fairly good disagreement in
the audience we’ll stop and discuss it
further to see why the differing opinion.

20. Tight Game, E P

21. L oose Game, E P

22. Tight Game, MP
One limper

23. Tight Game L P
F irst In

24. L oose Game E P

25. Tight Game,
in the Small Blind
Two Limpers

26. Tight Game,
in the Small Blind
Six Callers

27. Tight Game,
in the Big Blind
One player in EP who raised

28. Tight Game,
in the Big Blind
One player raise, one re-raise, no other callers

29. Are you kidding, the hour is up and no one
has lost a dollar during this session!
Great audience.
Let’s give everyone in here this evening a
round of applause for their contributions and
a well deserved boo to a few that didn’t see
it YOUR way! (lol)

30. Quickly looking over the past 60 minutes,
we covered:
Starting Hand Requirements
Mistakes Made Preflop
How to Play Preflop
Position
Position Betting
Hand by Hand Analysis (group consensus)

31. I want to thank you all for coming to Tunica,
for affording me the opportunity to present
this subject matter, and for the interactive
exchange that took place.
In the next hour, Barry Tanenbaum
(professional poker player and PSO
instructor) will share his valued insight and
perspective as he discusses hands in a
no-limit game