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The Poker Professionals Association

Research Chapter

03

PRO POINT SYSTEM

"Analysis of first 2 cards"

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In Texas Hold'em, the decision to play or not to play the first two cards you receive is critical, even more so than in a game such as Seven Card Stud. The reason for this is since players share 5 cards in common, it is more difficult to radically improve poor starting cards, as any luck you may have with subsequent cards may also benefit the other players.

Example: you hold 88 and the flop comes AAA, in 7 Card Stud chances are your full house would hold up as the AAA are yours exclusively and not shared with the other players; however, in Texas Hold'em, the possibility of someone now having AAAA is good plus you also face your full house being beaten by any pair larger than your pair of 88.

Most of the money you will win or lose in Texas Hold'em will be the result of of the decision you make on the first two cards. Many times, when you end up chasing or with the second best hand, you can trace it back to the decision you made to play the first two cards, when you probably should have passed. Mistakes made on the first two cards tend to compound on subsequent betting rounds, and can therefor be more expensive than mistakes you make on later rounds.

One way to measure the value of your first two cards are to evaluate your feelings when called or raised after betting. Chances are that if you are not happy about being called or raised, you are less than pleased about the quality of your first two cards. We are assuming here that you are not just trying to steal the pot, but intend to actually play these cards to the river.

If, on the other hand, you are pleased to have players call or raise you, or at least neutral, you are probably playing the first two cards correctly.

As much as possible, we recommend that you take the emotion out of your first two card decision. With that in mind, we can recommend no better way to accomplish that than using the Poker-Pro Point System as illustrated in chapter one and two. Not only will it help you evaluate your starting hand correctly and adjust for the number of players in the game; but it will give you the confidence that you are making objective decisions not influenced by your emotional state or that big pot you just won or lost.

While on the subject of emotions, our research indicate that many of the biggest errors made by players occurs during the period they are on tilt (emotionally upset). This period of going on tilt is most often found to occur directly after they lose a large pot, and to a lesser degree right after winning a large pot. Make a point of noticing the difference in your opponents play at these times, as they are likely to make more mistakes than usual, mistakes that you can often capitalize on as they present very profitable playing opportunities. One note of caution, be careful not to alter your overall game strategy by going after one or two players. Just be aware that if you come heads up against a player on tilt, your chances are improved. If they are on a losing streak, they will often fold more readily and thus be more of a target for a good bluff or semi-bluff; however, and less common, is the player who goes on tilt after a loss or series of losses, and then plays wildly or erratically on an effort to recoup their losses quickly. Both events presents opportunities for you as the player on tilt will make more mistakes than usual, especially with their starting hand decision. By observing what their two starting cards are each time they turn them up, you can quicly evaluate whether they are playing way too loose or too tight. If they are too loose, counter by playing your quality hands strongly, as they are likely to call or raise you all the way to the river. If, on the other hand, they are playing too tight trying to prevent another loss or conserve their chips, counter by bluffing or semibluffing a little more often, to steal a few pots. Please do this sparingly as the other players not on tilt may notice your new strategy and call you on your bluffs.

We cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of your making the correct decision on the first two cards. You cannot be a consistant winner without this as no amount of later stage play can overcome poor starting card selection, in the long run.

For your convenience in relationship to the current topic, and as a continous reference, the poker point system is attached below.

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POKER PRO POINT SYSTEM

With the point system we assign each card a specific relative value or points. As expected, the Ace receives the highest value; however, you will note that cards rankings from 8 down receive no value, unless paired, connected or suited.

For learning purposes, we are using Texas Hold'em Poker game primarily because it is currently the leading money game both for tournaments and live play and it the easiest to use to demonstrate the point system, as only two cards are dealt each player initially. Naturally we will cover the use of the Point System in other primary poker games in later research chapters.

Individual Card Point Values:

• A= 6 points
• K= 5 points
• Q= 4 points
• J = 3 points
• 10=2 points
• 9 = 1 points
• 8 = 0 points
• 7 = 0 points
• 6 = 0 points
• 5 = 0 points
• 4 = 0 points
• 3 = 0 points
• 2 = 0 points

Pairs receive an extra value of 8 points.

Suited cards receive an extra value of 3 points.

Connected cards receive an extra value of 2 points.

Suited cards are written with a small "s" as: KJ's

Connected cards refers to directly adjacent cards such as: KQ or AK or KQ or QJ, not KJ or AQ.

Examples of values of first two cards dealt in Texas Hold'em:

• AA=20 points (6 points for each ace plus 8 points for a pair)
• KK=18 points (5 points for each king plus 8 points for a pair)
• QQ=16 points (4 points for each queen plus 8 points for a pair)
• AK's=16 points (6 points for the ace, 5 points for the king plus 3 points for being suited and 2 points for being connected)
• JJ=14 points (3 points for each jack plus 8 points for a pair)
• KQ's=14 points (5 points for the king, 4 points for the queen plus 3 points for being suited and 2 points for being connected)
• AK=13 points (6 points for the ace, 5 points for the king plus 2 points for being connected)
• AQ's=13 points (6 points for the ace, 4 points for the queen plus 3 points for being suited)
• T,T=12 points (2 points for each ten plus 8 points for a pair)
• AJ's=12 points (6 points for the ace, 3 points for the jack plus 3 points for being suited)
• AT's=11 points (6 points for the ace, 2 points for the ten plus 3 points for being suited)
• KJ's=11 points (5 points for the king, 3 points for the jack plus 3 points for being suited)
• KQ=11 points (5 points for the king, 4 points for the queen plus 2 points for being connected)
• 9,9=10 points (1 point for each 9 plus 8 points for a pair)
• AQ=10 points (6 points for the ace, 4 points for the queen)

It is interesting to note the value difference of 3 points between AQ's and AQ. This demonstrates the importance of suiting and is helpful in evaluating the correct value of a AQ starting hand. Suited it is definitely playable while unsuited it can be a marginal hand often played for more than it's worth.

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