English - France - Germany - Brazil - Czech - Romania - Spain - Netherlands - Russia - Italy

The cards will speak for themselves

The initial placement of your first five cards will be the whole foundation of your OFC poker hand. Therefore, this first setting will be one of the most important decisions you’ll make in any given OFC hand.

Sometimes the cards will speak for themselves, but often you’ll have more than one option when it comes to positioning those first five cards. This is where your knowledge of your opponent will come into play. As you play hands with a given player, methodically observe how he decides to place his first five cards. Ask yourself each time if you would have done the same, and remember his basic tendencies of play.

For instance, what does he do when he receives a pair of queens to start? Does he systematically place them on top, risking fouling, or does he play more conservatively and prudently? Your opponents’ tendencies, as far as you can observe them, should influence your own decisions when setting hands. Against certain players, you’ll rarely have to take some big risks, but against others it will be the opposite.