How one should play a poker hand depends on very many factors and this is what makes poker a popular game. The nature of the opponent´s play and the pot odds are some factors that poker players consider. However the most important factor is the type of hand the player is dealt. It is usual to classify poker hands into four types, namely lock hands, strong hands, marginal hands and weak hands. Different strategies are suggested for each type of hand.
Lock hands are those hands that are almost certain of winning. In Texas Hold ‘em if after the flop is opened you hold three queens and two twos then it would be considered a lock hand. At that point your strategy should be to make the pot as large as possible. Hence you should avoid playing aggressively and ensure that a larger number of players stay in the betting as long as possible. Just keep your fingers crossed that no one has a better lock hand.
Strong hands are hands that have the potential of becoming winning hands as the game unfolds, but fall short of lock hands. A dealt ace and king is a strong hand before the flop is opened. With strong hands you need to play aggressively early on with immediate raises and force players out before the community cards are opened. If players with marginal hands want to remain in the fray and see the flop, then they must be made to pay a price and take undue risks. If allowed to play cheaply, then after the flop their marginal hands may become strong ones and push you out. If at any time you feel that your initial strong hand has become marginal then switch to the strategy for marginal hands.
Marginal hands are perhaps the most difficult to play. A starting pair of jacks is a marginal hand because there is a possibility of getting a full house or four of a kind but a remote one. You should enter with marginal hands only if the cost is low. For example if the betting has not been aggressive and you can enter with the minimum stake. Another occasion when you can enter with marginal hands is when all players have checked during a betting round. If you are among the later players and many players have folded is yet another opportunity for entering with a marginal hand.
Weak hands should not be played at all. Such hands hold little hope of winning even with reasonably possible community cards. Hence it is foolish to remain in the betting just to see the flop, a mistake that loose players often make. If you keep on betting on weak hands you will find yourself in a position where you have a strong hand but an insufficient bankroll. And then you will curse yourself for squandering away your bankroll.
In stud poker your hand will change its nature. A strong dealt hand with ace and king can become weak when the flop opens. Do not throw good money after bad. Fold as soon as your hand becomes weak.
