18September In Tips & Tricks by Tags: best poker hands, Poker starting hands, worst hands to play in poker

10 Best and Worst Starting Poker Hands

One of the most important thins to learn in texas hold em is which hands are worth playing and which ones you would be better off folding. When it comes to every hand its all about the worth of those two down cards you’re first dealt. I’ve come up with a simple ten and ten list of the best cards to play and the best cards to fold. Just following these alone should increase your odds at the table.
BEST
#1 Ace/Ace This is by far the best hand you can hope to be dealt and has more odds of winning than any other cards
#2 K/K This is a close second to the previous hand. Odds are still in your favor and you can definitely win some money with these “cowboys”.
#3 Q/Q “Ladies” are probably the 3rd best you can be dealt. The two above can take you out but you have everything below.
#4 A/K This is stronger when suited and can still be somewhat of a tricky hand. When it comes to drawing hands this is definitely the strongest. If the flop is on your side and gives you a pair this hand can definitely pay off
#5 J/J This hand still has about a twenty percent chance of winning. Be cautious of the flop. If it shows a K, Q or A your chances go down but other than that you have a strong hand.
#6 A/Q This drawing hand is right under A/K and also has about a 20% chance of a win
#7 K/Q When suited especiallly this is a great drawing hand. Just be careful of the Aces.
#8 A/J Suited really benefits you here but still a decent hand
#9 K/J This hand is decent hand to play with but pay attention. Everything on this list so far can beat you so if you see big raises you should probably fold.
#10 A/10 You can still make a straight with this hand if the odds are in your favor. I wouldnt play this hand very strong and once again suited is going to put you in a better position of course.
WORST
#1 2/7 “the hammer” is what it is otherwise known as. Even if these cards are suited you might have a chance of making a very low flush. This is considered to be the worst starting hand in texas hold em.
#2 2/8 The only difference between this hand and above is you got an 8 instead. You still cant do much with this hand even when suited.
#3 3/and either of the above…This hand can still beat the other two but is not a good hand at all.
#4 2/6 Even if you have a miracle flush or straight chances are someone else on the table will have one higher. This hand is around a 10% chance of winning which is not the best.
#5 2,3 or 4/9 The only thing that may have the chance to save you with this hand is the 9. If you pair it it’s still right down the middle as far as pairs go. You still have a high chance to get beat even tho it’s better than any other hands so far.
#6 2/10 This is not a good hand…unless you’re a professional poker player. Doyle Brunson captured two WSP bracelets with this hand but unless you’ve logged as many hours at the table as him then I suggest you steer clear of playing this one.
#7 5/9 Statistically this is losing hand. It can be somewhat fun to play if thats what you’re playing for but not one that is going to win you money more than likely.
#8 4/5, 4/8, 3/6, 5/….You get the idea….These hands are a maybe at best if suited…if not get rid of em. If you’re in the big blind and can see the flop free ok. Otherwise fold.
#9 Face/Low when unsuited. A lot of times players (especially new ones) want to play any hand with a face card. This does have the chance to win a few pots but most of the time are losing hands that are easy to beat. Don’t get so excited every time you see paint in your hand.
#10 Ace/little unsuited See above. Yes we want to play the ace. Honestly this isnt a bad hand but if you see a lot of raises and you’re sitting at a table with more than four players you’re probably about to be outkicked and out of money.

One of hold’em’s most crucial decisions is, do I see the flop or don’t I see the flop? In this lesson we’ll examine the importance starting hand selection and what factors you need to consider before deciding whether to hold’em or fold’em.

Best Starting Hands in Texas Hold’em. Following are some hands which are definitely worth getting excited about having been dealt. A nickname for a pair of aces is “pocket rockets”. It is without dispute the best starting hand you can receive. There is no higher ranking of cards, and you have two of them. Texas Hold’em Poker Hands Ranking. In Texas Hold’em Poker, a hand is made up of the best 5-card combination formed from two pocket cards, and 5 community table cards. The winning poker hand is the one with the highest combination.

There are 169 different two card starting hand combinations in hold’em poker. This number assumes, for the sake of argument, that is the same as , or any other suited combination. If you are not dealt a pair, then your starting hand will either be suited or unsuited, and either connected or unconnected (gapped). This means your starting hand will fall into one of the following five categories:

The Best Texas Holdem Poker Hands Rankings In Order. The first things that you need to learn when playing Texas Holdem are rules and poker hands rankings. Without knowing what beats what you will be struggling to move forward. Thus, spending a few minutes going over the list of poker hands in order will pay for itself in no time.

Pairs – e.g. , ,
Suited connectors – e.g. , ,
Connecting cards – e.g. , ,
Suited unconnected cards – e.g. , ,
Unconnected cards – e.g. , ,

Unconnected cards might be one, two, three-gapped, or more. The bigger the gap, the less chance you have of hitting a straight. For example, if you hold 73, then you’d need a flop of 456 for the straight. But holding T8, you could flop a straight with 9JQ or 679.

The Best Starting Hands in Hold’em

Let’s start by talking about the best starting hands, which are often referred to as ‘premium hands’. There is some disagreement amongst poker players as to which starting hands are the best, but few would dispute the value of the first of our three main groups, Aces and Kings.

Group 1: AA, KK

These two starting hands are the major players in hold’em. It’s not often you’ll get dealt Aces or Kings. In fact you get either Aces or Kings once in every 110 hands, so it’s not nearly as often as we’d like. Aces are by far the best possible starting hand in hold’em, closely followed by Kings. However, you should be aware that even Aces or Kings can get cracked, and they don’t play too well against multiple opponents. This means you should definitely be raising pre-flop to narrow the field. Extra caution is necessary when playing Kings, because if an Ace falls on the flop then you’re losing to anyone who has a single Ace in their starting hand. While they are very strong hands which most players love to get, they are certainly not unbeatable.

Group 2: QQ, JJ, AKs

Queens and Jacks are great starting hands, and with either of these, you can usually be confident you have the best starting hand. Of course they are dominated by Aces and Kings, but they’re a favourite against all other starting hands. While Queens and Jacks will occasionally run into a player holding either Aces or Kings, it doesn’t happen too often. Play these cards strongly, and always look to raise with them.

Ace-King is known throughout the poker world as Big Slick, and when suited it’s often called Super Slick. While it isn’t a ‘made hand’, unlike a pair, it offers great potential. It’s only a big underdog to Aces and Kings, and even pairs like Queens and Jacks are only slight favourites. The beauty of AK (suited or unsuited), is that it dominates so many other hands like AQ, AJ, AT, and so on. These types of hands are the ones that players usually end up pushing all-in with late in a tournament.

Group 3: TT, AK, AQs, AJs, KQs

This next group of starting hands is also a strong bunch. You should definitely be looking to raise pre-flop wi

List Of Best Texas Holdem Hands