The Theory Of Twenty One
The theory of twenty one is a basic rule of thumb to help amateur poker players figure out which starting hands to play in no limit hold ‘em. The theory of twenty one assigns a numerical value to all of the cards, and gives you a general idea of what hands you can play in certain positions.
The card values are as follows:
An Ace is worth 14 points, a King is worth 13 points, a Queen is worth 12, a Jack is worth 11, and the rest of the cards are worth their face value, so a Ten is worth 10 points and a Nine is worth 9 points.
To get the value of your hand, you simply add the values of your two cards together. So if you’re holding a King and a Queen, your hand value would be 25.
The theory states that in order to play in early position, then you should have a hand value of 25 or better. In middle positions, you should play for 23 or better, and on the button you can pretty much play any two cards.
This can be an alright system if you’re fairly new to the game. The theory of twenty one should just be used as a rough estimate though. The players at the table, your position, and the value of your cards are much more important than the numerical value this system provides.
For example, if you hold JJ under the gun, you’re not only going to play the hand pre-flop even in first position, most of the time you should be raising it. According to the theory of twenty one, you should fold this hand in early position, which is a weak play under normal circumstances.
At the other end of the spectrum, assume you’re playing on the button, and you get the same hand dealt to you, JJ. A tight player raises from early position, and a player you don’t have a read on re-raises in middle position. At most tables, the action before you should lead you to fold. There’s a good chance that one of these players has a pair of Jacks beat, and throwing the hand away is the most profitable move.
The main thing that you should take away from this is that the theory of twenty one can provide a basic guideline to keep a new player from playing too many hands during the game.
Ultimately, other factors are much more important. Stack sizes, blinds, position, the tendencies of other players, the action at the table, and many other factors are more important to the decision making process than the theory of twenty one.
If you are a new player using this theory as a guideline, the most important thing it should teach you about is the power of position. If you’re first to act, you’re in the weakest position at the table and need a strong hand to justify playing. If you’re in later position, then the action before you and the tendencies of your opponents should dictate your play more so than the cards in your hand.
If you play correctly, you’ll make much more money over the long run from late position plays. Being last to act gives you an advantage that can make up for playing weaker hands on the button.
Position is so powerful that if a novice player and a pro where playing heads up, and the novice got to act last on every hand, he’d be a huge favorite to win against the pro. And that’s what the theory of twenty one is all about, a basic introduction into the power of playing position in no limit hold ‘em.