Texas Holdém starting hand strategy
The most common mistake in Texas Holdém is playing too many hands. Everybody has been hearing this over and over but still most people are playing way to many hands.
The beginners don´t know any better. A lot of starting hands locks nice and it seems as any two cards can win in this game.
The gamblers knows that they are playing too loose but they don´t have the patience and discipline to wait for the premium hands.
But also a lot of relatively good players are too loose on the first two cards. Their excuse are often that good players can play more hands with profit and since they are better than the opponents it´s correct for them to play relatively loose pre flop. And it’s correct that the really good players can play more hands profitable, but most players who believe they are really good are not. It don´t have to be wrong to be loose and aggressive. The biggest winners in poker plays a lot more hands than the books says you should and it´s working fine for then. The problem is that the loose aggressive playing style requires much more skill. The loose aggressive player often finds him selves in very difficult situations after the flop where it takes a lot of experience and card reading skills to stay out of trouble. If you not are very experienced and / or talented you should use the conservative approach and play relatively tight on the first two.
In fixed limit Holdém David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth has set the standard for what´s correct play on the first two cards. They assigned each hand to a group, and proposed all hands in the group could normally be played similarly. 
The table shows the Sklansky Malmuth hand rankings. Unsuited on the bottom left, suited on the top right. In their excellent book Holdém Poker For Advanced Players they guide you how to play the different hand groups in different positions. I will give you a short summary of what they teach.
Early position:
If you are first in raise with group 1 and 2 hands call with 3-4. Fold everything else. If there is a raise before you play only group 1 and 2
Middle position:
In an unraised pot play groups 1-5. Raise with 1-2 and sometimes 3. In a raised pot reraise with AA, KK, QQ, AKs and AK. Call with other hands in group 1-3.
Late position:
If you are first in raise with group 1-7. Call or raise with 8. With callers before you, raise with 1-3 and sometimes 4. On the button with multiple callers before you you can call with hands as weak as group 8. A raise before you, call with 2-4, reraise with group 1.
In a loose game, as long as the players are not to aggressive, you can play a few more hands and in a tough game you should play even tighter than this guideline.
Shorthanded play 6-seaters
You can use this table for shorthanded play also. You just use the strategy for middle and late position. In early position at a six seated table you use the strategy for middle position at a full table and in middle position at a six seater you play like late position at the full table. At the button on a six seater you can play very loose agressive.
Starting hand strategy for No-Limit Holdém
In “ Harrington on Holdém “ vol 1 the solid top pro Dan Harrington gives us his conservative starting hand strategy for No-limit.
Strategy for full table when you are first to act:
Early position:
Raise with AA, KK ,QQ, JJ, 10-10, A-Ks, A-K, A-Qs. ( the s stands for suited cards )
Middle position:
Raise with the above hands + 9-9, 8-8, A-Q, A-J, K-Qs, K-Q.
Late position:
Raise with all the above hands + 7-7, A-x, and high suited connectors like Q-Js and J-10s.
If you are entering a pot that has already been opened, you need a better hand than you would require to open yourself from his position. If someone before you opens from middle position, you need one of your early position opening hands to make a rise.
In 6-seated No-limit, which is my best game, the most common mistake my opponents are doing is calling to many pre flop raises. There are not many situations there you should call a significant pre flop raise in that game. With unsuited high cards you should almost always fold or raise, and you need a very good hand to raise. With high suited cards like A-Js and K-Qs a call can be correct if you have position on the raiser. Medium and small pocket pairs are the best calling hands. Those are very easy to play correct after the flop. You know you need to hit trips on the flop to continue playing most of the times. And you will hit trips one time in eight flops, so to call with the pocket pair you need reasons to believe that the pot will give you more than eight times the amount you pay to see the flop, if you hit.
It’s very important to adjust your starting hand strategy to your opponents play. If your opponents are too tight you should raise much more often pre flop. And if your opponents are loose and aggressive you should tighten up and only play your premium hands.
