poker online experts often advise casino players to adhere to established starting hand guidelines, and rank possible starters from best down to medium strength and speculative. For beginners, this is excellent advice since there are so many subtle nuances to learn in poker, so sticking to strong cards eases some of the pressure. It also helps to develop poker discipline and patience, which are essential to winning poker consistently. Once a player has picked up on all the protocols, and through experience has learned the importance of position, observation and deceit, then one can get a little more creative in choosing which starting cards to play. In fact, it is advantageous to mix this up sometimes so that you don’t become reliably predictable. A player who only bets with strong cards will not rake in many big pots. It makes you easy to read so your bets will get lots of folding and win skimpy pots. When you are in later betting position, you can play the more speculative hands, like connectors and small suited cards. A player who is always single-mindedly stuck on the same starting cards is one-dimensional. By occasionally choosing to play odd cards, you can confuse your opponents. Look for inexpensive opportunities - when there is lots of checking or just one value bet — to take those cards to a showdown and reveal them. You add an element of erratic play to your game that will make you a more intimidating player to bet against.