What you are about to read is what I consider the most important concept in this book. It is easy to understand but will be difficult for some to execute. It is the key to winning play and, if you follow this advice, you will build a strong foundation for making you a winning player. From this base you will add all the other principals you learn about the game of Hold’em and soon you will be playing better than many of your opponents. I’m sure you have a desire to win. That is the reason you’re reading this book. Are you willing to devote 50 hours of live play to improving your game? That is the amount of time most players will need to practice in order to develop good habits essential to winning play.

Fifty hours may seem like a long time to some. If you play only a few hours once a week you will be playing this style for about six months. But in the course of your poker lifetime, investing 50 hours of time is a small price to pay for the future dividends you will collect. The following advice is not merely about hand selection. It will help you develop a strong personal commitment to playing a solid winning game.

The starting hands in the chart may seem a little too tight to players who are used to playing any two cards in loose games. In reality, they are too loose for new players or players who have been playing indiscriminately and have been not been getting the desired results from their present play.

• Understanding Poker Pot Odds (0)
• Poker Probability And Odds (0)
• Poker Game Plan (0)