Texas Holdem has 1326 potential starting hands. Obviously, every player wants the “premium” hand of aces and kings. However, there are only 12 such combinations, which theoretically implies that you will only acquire them once every 110 hands, necessitating that you play with lesser cards.
The choice of hand impacts how straightforward your post-flop choices will be. To facilitate novices’ comprehension of the game, specific charts were developed.
Starting hand charts are unique tables or diagrams that display the preflop hands that should be played. These charts prevent novices from playing with “unwanted” hands and losing a large number of postflop draws.
Charts of beginning hands combine all conceivable starting hands. They are divided into two classes:
S – suited, indicating that all cards in the hand are of the same suit; O – off suited, indicating that the cards are of various suits.
Typically, in these charts, white cells indicate hands that should not be played. In contrast, colored hands are “allowed” to be played. The benefit of charts is that they give guidelines for how to play certain hands.
The following are well-known charts:
9-MAX is a high-stack chart appropriate for cash games with nine players and early tournament stages.
6-MAX – In cash games, the maximum number of players permitted at a table is often six. This makes the game more brisk and necessitates a separate beginning hand chart.
There is now a single chart for tournament games, although there are other charts with suggestions.
