Poker Strategy – Playing King In Early Position

When you look at your freshly dealt hole cards and find a king high in the mix, it is often mistaken as a good thing. The fact is, without pocket kings or suited K-Q, many players over-value a king high in the hole.

Playing king from early position is even worse. Actually, any early position decreases the value of a hand, but king is the worst because of its deceptive nature.

It’s not that playing king from early position is a bad hand, it just has no value. One of two things will happen.

1. You win a very small pot.
2. You lose.

If you bet on an early position king pre-flop, no one with less than a king is actually going to Call. Anyone who doe Call has at least the same hand, if not an ace or pair. If no one has a king or ace, they will simply fold, leaving you with a very small pot to collect. If you’re going to follow a poker strategy, there’s no reason to risk your chips for a chance at very little return.

The idea behind a poker strategy is simple – “Maximize Profits” and “Decreases Losses”. By this poker strategy, playing king in early position does not effectively accomplish either of these goals. Your best option is to Fold and save yourself a few chips.

Poker Strategy – Playing K-Q in Early Position

The only time you would move on to see the flop is if that king is backed up by a Q kicker. In this case, do not raise, but call to see the flop. If another player raises in middle or late position, you have to consider whether it’s worth it to you to see the flop. On a high raise, get out while you can. If you have plenty of chips to cover a small Raise, go ahead.

Once the flop comes down, you’ll have to decide whether to move on. Without a solid Straight or flush draw, save your chips and fold. If an Ace falls, save your chips and fold. If another K falls, you at least have the Q kicker to back it up - proceed with caution.