EXPLANATION FOR SOME OF THE CUTOFFS
For suited Aces, the minimum hand in the speculative group is A 
7 while the gambling group includes all suited Aces, a 2 on up.
Many poker players don’t think there is much difference between those hands, because with either an
A 7 or A 2 , you are probably out-kicked if there is an Ace on the board, and they reason,a A 2 has a chance at a straight, but there is a difference.
The second-pair potential of a 6 or 7 is much greater than the straight potential of a 2. An A 6 is a little marginal. An A 7 is a pretty good hand in a loose-aggressive game though.
If you’ve got an A 7 , it’s not always the 7 that’s the kicker, it’s often the A . In a loose game, a flop of Q 7 
3 
might very well involve you and a player with a J 7 .
Even if some third player has a Queen the fact that the J 7 is calling gives you good enough odds to draw, and if the Jack kicker hits, you don’t care.
You still win if you hit your Ace, and if you don’t hit, you were beaten anyway.
When the game gets loose, it’s often a mistake to think of the game in terms of hand domination. It’s better to think of the game in terms of hand domination.
With the A 7 you are more likely to benefit from other players with pair draw than you would with an
A 2 . That’s the reason for the difference.
ADJUSTING THE PLAY OF THE FIRST TWO CARDS
You will want to limit your play to only your best starting hands, those that are likely to give you an edge over the likely holdings of yours opponents.
The determination of the best starting hands, however, depends on the table conditions, on individual opponents at the table, and to a lesser degree on your table image.
The only constant is that you should play fewer hands from an early position than from a late position.
How many fewer hands, and which hands, depends on the table.
Let’s review the characteristics of a hand that give it value:
High-pair potential
Flush potential
Straight potential
Three-of-a-kind potential
Large pocket pair have both high-card value and the potential for three of a kind.
They will often win unimproved and have a small chance of improving to a very powerful hand.
Pick the Right Table / Picking a Seat / Theories of Poker / Betting Theory: The Odds
A Theory of Starting Hand Value
A Theory of Flop Play: Counting Outs and Evaluating Draws
The Dynamics of Game Conditions / Table Image / Player Stereotypes
Women and Poker / Spread-Limit Games / Double Bet on the End Games / Kill Games
Short-handed Games / Tournaments / No-limit and Pot-Limit Poker
