A Theory of Starting Hand Value
A CRITICAL DECISION
In most Holdem games, the most critical decision you will make in the play of the hand is whether you will play the hand.
Some hands, if played at every opportunity, will be long-term winners such a hand is A 
A 
. Other will be long-term losers if you play them.
Examples of such hands are 7 2 or 8 3 .
Some hands, such as T 
9 , are speculative hands, which will be profitable if played in the right situations.
You want to pick hands that are either powerful in their own right or have multiple ways to improve and win.
Hands such as A A or K K 
are powerful in their own, often winning without any further improvement. An example of a powerful multiway hand is A K .
It can win by pairing either card or by making a flush; it has straight potential, and, if you get really lucky, it can even win just on high-card value.
Other hands, such as 7 7 , have speculative poker hands value, although they generally have only one way to win.
If a third 7 falls on the flop, you’ll have a very powerful holding, but that seldom happens so you’ll usually have to give up such a hand on the flop.
Not always though-even small pocket pairs can sometimes win unimproved.
Pick the Right Table / Picking a Seat / Theories of Poker / Betting Theory: The Odds
A Theory of Flop Play: Counting Outs and Evaluating Draws
The Dynamics of Game Conditions / Table Image / Player Stereotypes
Women and Poker / Spread-Limit Games / Double Bet on the End Games / Kill Games
Short-handed Games / Tournaments / No-limit and Pot-Limit Poker
