Beyond the Sklansky Groups

In much of theory, there are a lot of references to starting card hands and the grouping of hands according to David Sklansky. Often in the case of new players, there is a tendancy to see the Sklansky system as a magic table that will instantly make you a successful poker player. However, the problem is that no matter how useful the starting hand selection is, it will not in itself turn a new player into a profitable money making machine.

There are a number of issues that have to be addressed in order to successfully use the groups. Some of these are:

-If it looks too good to be true, it is!

If playing poker was as easy as memorizing a table of starting hands and following these guidelines, every player would make money. The Sklansky table is widely known on the poker circuit so there has to be more to it.

When playing anything but the lowest levels you must expect the opponents to have at least a reasonable knowledge in starting hand values. Understanding the Sklansky groups will at best place you on an even level with them.

On the other hand, the Sklansky Groups themselves do not call for any specific action. How to play the cards in the groups has to be devised by the player. One way is to read the book ‘Texas Hold’em for Advanced Players’ by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth, but to be really profitable, the strategy must be adapted to the game at hand.

Individual Opponents Deviations

The true key to winning in poker is to differentiate between players at the table. Using a table of starting hands will inevitably lead to generalization. For inferior players this might be ok, but to be able to play and win against better opposition, it is important to differentiate.

It is still useful to use the Sklansky groups as a reference, but the important issue here is to note how the other players use it. Each systematic deviation from optimal strategy is a potential for exploit.

Playing it all the way

Another issue to keep in mind when using the Sklansky groups as a base for playing decisions is that to be profitable, we will have to play the hand till the end - winning or not. This will also include our own strengths and weaknesses. To be profitable we must avoid situations which we don’t really master or learn to master them.

One example is when we move to steal, we will very often have to bet on flops that didn’t hit. If we fail to follow through on this strategy, we will still not be profitable however close to theory we play preflop.

To improve in this area, it would be useful to get an analysis of our actual game play, where our profitability in different situations can be analysed. A free analysis tool to perform such a task can be found at www.CardAnalyzer.com

Number of callers

Another aspect to calling decisions, not really covered by the strategy of the Sklansky groups is taking into account a different number of callers.

Hands, in the same group, may be good dependant upon the number of players involved in the hand. A typical example is a comparision between the two group six hands AT and 54s. The first would be well played against few opponents, maybe winning directly on the flop, while the second is a more speculative hand winning a big pot more seldom.