One of the most common mistakes made by beginners and recreational players when playing online poker tournaments is playing weak hands out of position. Hands...
Hands like AQ, AJ, KQ, and KJ are at the top of the list of cards that cause the most disaster when played poorly by entry-level players. To take your game to the next level, you should rethink before playing these hands.
Understand the problem of marginal hands
At a full ring (9 players), when a tight player (a player who plays few hands – usually with strong cards) raises from early position, you should fold those hands without hesitation. The range of hands that this player raises from this position will destroy the hands we mentioned earlier (like AJ and KJ), and you will almost always be in trouble. In this situation, as you may have heard, “you will either win a small pot, or you will lose a big pot”, so there is not much of an advantage, right?
In another scenario, some players who have already gotten used to this idea have started to practice open limping, just calling the bet with these types of hands, hoping to play a small pot when they hit a good flop, such as two pair or top pair with top kicker (TPTK). The problem is that when you limp in, you won't be able to gauge the strength of your opponent's hand, and you'll often come face to face with a set (well-disguised set of three).
But don't be discouraged, these hands can and should certainly be played, but they will only be profitable if played correctly. These hands are designed to win small and medium pots, or, if the game is shortstack, then it is worth putting all your chips in play. You need to think about a range of hands that your opponent may have. If this player plays with stronger cards than you, when you find a raise you will probably be losing to a pair with a higher kicker or even two pair. Be careful.
When you’re a beginner, it can seem difficult to give up a “strong” hand like top pair with top kicker. But if you want to improve your game, you should at least imagine what cards your opponent is playing, so you know the exact strength of your hand at the right time. If you’re playing against a weak or bad player, your top pair with top kicker will usually be the best hand and you can bet all your chips without much worry.
When you find yourself in a situation against a good player, and they are calling your bets, your best option is to stop for a moment and think, think calmly. If they are calling with better cards than you, then don't make it easy for them, not with all your chips. Average hands are made for average pots.
Article translated and adapted from: Why You Shouldn't Play Marginal Hands
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Enlightening article. It helped me a lot!
“Average hands are made for average pots.” Excellent quote!!
The article opened my mind. Thank you