As the amount of players gets smaller at the table , you can begin playing more starting hands. Should you be lucky enough to make it to the final two at a table you need to know what starting hands you have the best chance of winning with.

According to Dan Harrington these are the top 20% of the best starting hands for heads up play:

Any pair AA-55

Suited AK, AQ,AJ,A-10,A-9,A-8 , A-7, A-6,A-5, A-4, A-3, KQ, KJ, K-10,K-9,K-8, Q-j, Q-10

Non Suited AK,AQ, AJ,AT,A-9,A-9,A-7, KQ,KJ,QJ

Beginners seem to think Queen - 4 of Diamonds look pretty but stay away. You only have a 1 in 188 chance of flopping a flush. Suited cards that are not connnected are not a good hand .

Check Raising can be a very profitable strategy but you need to use it against the right player. Typically it works best against an aggressive loose player that likes action and who you know will bet with almost any hand if you check. However, if you are up against a tight player that is mostly a calling station, you cannot count on them to bet. You are better off putting in a small bet and trying to get a little more in the pot rather than checking and hoping for some action from a tight player.

If you are the chip leader at the table you need to use it to your advantage. People are going to be afraid to get involved in a hand with you unless they have some good cards so if you sense weakness be aggressive and bet big to scare people off a hand. We see a lot of the time the person with the big stack plays too conservatively and dwindles away their chips never really taking advantage of the power of the big stack.

If you are lucky and smart enough to get into heads up play, remember that the small blind is the button.

In a low limit game if there have been no raises in front of you and there are several players who have called the Big Blind, it is usually wise to call the bet if you are in the small blind. Since you already have something invested and you can probably get in cheap, pot odds usually make it worthwhile to call the bet. You may get lucky on the flop. However, if there has been a raise put in you need to be more careful before calling.

It is great to win by playing against players who are not as good as you. However, if you are a beginner and want to up your game, you need to invest a little time and money playing with people who are better players so you can learn something new. Weak players have bad habits and you pick up bad habits playing with them. The same holds true when you play online for no cash. If you do, have fun and get some practice but remember if you chase every hand in a real game with good players , you are going to wind up a loser.

When you are in a hand against another player and you make it too the river, it is best to turn over your hand if you have called the bet so you can be sure you are beat. Just the other night a beginning player went to muck her cards because she thought the other person had a higher pair when SHE had a flush! She did not notice it . Had she just thrown in her hand she would not have known because cards speak. Even if you do not see a winning hand , others will if the cards are turned up.

There is no such thing as three pairs in Texas Hold’em. You are playing a five card hand so don’t get too excited when you see a third pair come on the river. You play your hands 2 best pair and your best kicker.

1. It is customary at a cash table to tip the dealer when you win a hand.  If you get flustered and forget to do it when you win a big hand, do it when you remember or when they are relieved from your table by another dealer.  In a tournment you tip the dealer at the end if you are a winner.