In chapter 5 of Harrington on Hold ’em, Dan Harrington explains how pre-flop betting sets the tone for the entire hand, because it is the one street where players still have maximum freedom to shape the pot, choose their opponents, and define how risky or profitable the hand will become.
The chapter builds a full framework for how to think about starting hands, position, and betting, rather than just memorizing charts.
1. Why Pre-Flop Play Matters So Much
Before the flop, no community cards exist, so decisions are not “forced” by board texture. Players can:
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Take cheap shots at pots
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Build big pots with strong hands
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Avoid tough post-flop situations
Harrington stresses that most mistakes in no-limit tournaments come from playing too many hands before the flop, which leads to hard and expensive decisions later.
2. Three Player Styles
Harrington frames pre-flop strategy around three styles:
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Conservative – plays few hands, avoids marginal spots
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Aggressive – plays more hands and relies on post-flop skill
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Super-aggressive – plays many hands, steals often, and wins big pots when things hit
The strategy in this chapter sits between conservative and aggressive: tight enough to avoid disasters, but active enough to build chips.
3. The “Standard” Tournament Assumptions
All recommendations assume:
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A full table (9 players)
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Early or middle stages of a tournament
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Average stack sizes
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Mostly solid, unknown opponents
This is the baseline. As tables get shorter or players get looser or tighter, adjustments are needed.
4. Position and Who Has Entered the Pot
Your starting hand requirements depend heavily on:
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Your position
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Whether the pot is unopened
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Whether there has been a raise or just a call
Harrington organizes all situations into five common cases, ranging from no one entering the pot to multi-raise situations.
5. When No One Has Entered the Pot
This is the best situation. No one has shown strength, so you can steal or build a pot.
Big pairs (AA–QQ)
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Usually raise
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Occasionally limp for deception
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Raise sizes vary to avoid being predictable
Medium pairs (JJ–99)
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Raise more often than limp
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Goal: win the pot now or get only one caller
Small and low pairs
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More limping early
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More raising late
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Best when you can see a cheap flop in position
Big unpaired hands (AK, AQ)
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Usually raise
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Happy to win the blinds without a fight
Weaker aces
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Strong suited aces can be played later
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Weak unsuited aces are dangerous and often folded
Face-card hands (KQ, KJ, QJ)
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Tricky and overplayed by beginners
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Fold early, raise late
Suited connectors
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Play mostly in late position
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Occasionally used as bluffs from early position for balance
6. Small Blind vs Big Blind
Heads-up from the small blind:
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Play all pairs
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Play all aces and kings
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Mix raises and limps
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Raise larger than usual because you will be out of position
7. The Gap Concept
You need a stronger hand to call a raise than to make the first raise yourself.
Why:
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You lose the chance to win the pot uncontested
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The raiser opened from earlier position and could have a much stronger hand
This “gap” explains why many hands that are good enough to open are not good enough to call.
8. The Sandwich Effect
If there are players left to act behind you, you risk being:
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Called
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Reraised
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Or both
This uncertainty means you need a stronger hand than if you were last to act.
9. Playing Against a Raise
Against a solid early raiser:
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Big pairs and AK are strong
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Medium pairs usually call
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Small pairs are folded
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Weak aces and suited connectors are usually folded
Against a loose or aggressive raiser, you can widen your range and sometimes reraise to isolate.
10. Playing Against a Limp
One limper is weak. You can often play the same hands you would use to open:
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Big hands should raise
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Medium pairs raise or call
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Small pairs can call for set value
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Big aces are strong
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Weak aces are still dangerous
11. Multiple Raises = Monster Territory
When there is a raise and a big reraise before you act:
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Only AA, KK, and sometimes QQ belong in the pot
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Everything else should be folded
12. Button vs Multiple Limpers
This is one of the best spots in no-limit hold’em:
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Raise big pairs and big aces
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Call with small pairs, suited connectors, and even some unsuited connectors
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You have position and implied odds
13. All-In Before the Flop
Early in tournaments, all-ins are usually bad unless stacks are short.
Even with a hand like queens, going all-in too early loses value because:
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You usually win only blinds
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Occasionally you run into aces or kings and lose everything
The chapter shows mathematically why this is a losing play when stacks are deep.
14. When Someone Reraises You
Before deciding what to do, weigh:
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Your hand strength
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How many players are involved
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Who will have position
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Pot odds
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The opponent’s style
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Tournament stage
Strong hands, position, and good odds justify continuing; weak hands in bad position do not.
15. Why Limping Too Much Is Dangerous
Weak players limp too often because:
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It is cheap
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Any hand might flop big
But this leads to:
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Getting raised out
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Facing tough decisions
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Slowly bleeding chips
Tight pre-flop play makes post-flop decisions easier and more profitable.
16. The Squeeze Play
When there is a raiser and a caller, a strong raise from late position can force both to fold because:
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The raiser fears the caller
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The caller fears the raiser
This move works best when opponents are capable of folding.
17. Core Lesson of the Chapter
Harrington’s main point is simple but powerful:
Most tournament disasters are caused before the flop.
Good players:
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Choose their starting hands carefully
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Use position aggressively
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Build pots with strong hands
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Avoid marginal hands that lead to expensive mistakes
If you fix your pre-flop decisions, your post-flop game becomes much easier—and far more profitable.