As you advance into late position (7^th - 9^th or 10^th), you can be a little bit more liberal with your starting hand selection. You can play any pocket pair to try to make a set on the flop, and you can start to add lower suited connectors into your repertoire like 4-5 and 6-7. Especially in no-limit games, suited connectors can be a great value when you can get in cheap on the flop. The implied odds of no-limit are just so much greater. We"ll get into implied odds in our intermediate strategy section, but just know that suited connectors are best played cheaply from late position with lots of opponents.

The last position that you can have in hold'em is referred to as the 'button'. Some online poker rooms spread 9-handed tables while others spread 10-handed tables. There isn"t a big difference between the two in terms of how you should play, but since 10-handed tables have one extra player, you"ll need to have a slightly stronger hand to play against a slightly larger field. Online poker rooms also have begun offering more and more shorthanded tables (6-seated or less). You need to play a looser, more aggressive style at these tables and we recommend that you stay away from these tables as a beginner. Many enjoy these tables and play them exclusively, but you shouldn"t learn how to play at shorthanded tables. There are more players and more money to be had at full tables, so just stick to those for now.

Late position is the best spot you can be in at the poker table. You have the most power, as you get to see the actions of your opponents before you have to act. If you have a hand like 6-7 suited that you know works well when played cheaply against lots of opponents, you can easily lay it down when another player throws in a big raise. You don"t have that luxury in early position, which is why shouldn"t play any hand that you"re not willing to call a raise with in the first few seats. In late position, you"re also in a great spot to raise with, as you can dictate the action on future betting rounds. When you raise a hand preflop after everyone else has just called, they"re most likely going to check to you after the flop because you"ve represented a strong hand. If you raised the hand preflop, you can try to win the pot with a good-sized on the flop even if you don"t improve. However, you shouldn"t try this against more than two opponents if you don"t have anything. At least one of them probably hit the flop and may be setting you up.

As a beginner, you will see the most success by strictly following your starting hand standards and just playing good basic poker. By good basic poker, we mean that you should follow the fundamentals laid out in this guide, have discipline, and play a straightforward game. When you have a good hand, bet. When you"re just on a draw, you should probably fold. If you missed your hand entirely on the flop, you should definitely fold! Don"t try anything to fancy, because the players online aren"t going to pay much attention anyway. Start with the basics, and you"ll already be ahead of your counterparts who haven"t taken the time to learn to play poker the right way.

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