Dissecting a poker hand

A friend of mine, a complete rank amateur, recently asked me for some advice on a hand he played where he lost a large pot with a pair of kings. When I asked him to describe the hand to me, he explained it in such little detail that it was apparent he was not aware of the elements that make up a hand, and the details required to give sound advice.

When discussing hands you have played the most obvious detail you should begin with is the type of game you were playing as there are distinct differences between what the optimal play would be in a cash game or in a tournament scenario. The second piece of information required would be the stakes that the hand took place it. This is because as you move up in stakes players are generally more skilled and therefore require a different approach to a player at lower stakes. Would you play a hand at the World Series of Poker the same was as you would in a $1 rebuy tournament online? I sincerely hope that you would not! Whilst the example here is very polarised, even a slight change in stakes can alter people’s views on how a hand should have been played.

Once the game type and stakes have been outlined you should start by mentioning the position, in relation to the dealer button, each of the active players, including yourself, were seated. This is because it is standard to play tighter in early position and looser when near the button, a raise from under the gun should be given more credit than an open-raise in late position.

Stack sizes are also important, especially so in a poker tournament. Again this is to do with a player’s range of possible hands as a short-stacked player moving all-in should be given less credit for a strong hand then someone with a more substantial amount of chips. Stack sizes are also needed to see if you or your opponents had the implied odds to call a bet.

Before you even mention any hole cards you need to describe the table images of both yourself and the active players in the hand. As with all the previous elements, knowing if a player is loose, tight, passive or aggressive helps to make a more accurate picture of their possible holdings. Knowing how the table perceive you is also extremely important as if you have been caught bluffing your bets and raises will get less credit, whilst if you have been tight then your opponents will probably adjust and play a narrower range of hands against you.

Finally, now you can mention your hole cards! You should see here that although important in the game itself, your cards and those of your opponents are just a small part of what actually makes up a typical poker hand.

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