What Are The Best Starting Hands For Texas Holdem Poker?

When you are sitting at a Poker table getting ready to start a game of
Poker, there are many different factors and strategies that you need to
keep in mind and knowing what the best starting hands for Texas Holdem
Poker are is the place to start.

If you had to take a standard pack of a 52-card deck, which is the number
of cards used in a single game of Poker, you would be able to formulate
1,326 unique possible combinations using just the hole cards in Texas
Holdem. In Texas Holdem, suits are not really of optimal importance except
for certain situations, so many of the 1,362 possible hands are relatively
the same in value before the Flop is shown. To put it simply, if you had a
Queen of Hearts and a Jack of Hearts, it would have the same value as a
Queen of Spades and a Jack of Spades, because technically you are just
holding a Queen and a Jack in the same suit in both scenarios.

Here are some of the potential hands that you need to look out for in the
pre-Flop stage. Let’s start with some of the strongest hands to play for.
In a Poker pre-Flop, the favourites will always be your big pocket pairs:
double Ace, double King and double Queen. Then come a few suited bridges
such as AK, AQ and last but not least, the famous bridges that do not share
a suit such as Ace of Hearts and King of Spades.

The 10 Most Favourable Starting Hands In Texas Holdem Poker

So, you are dealt a pocket Ace-Ace which is considered to be the most
favourable starting hand for Texas Holdem, however, do not be too overwhelmed because there are a number of other
factors that you need to keep in mind. You first need to see how many
players have entered into the pot, because the more players in the pot
automatically means that there will be a higher chance of someone having a
better hand than you. Next step is carefully watching the Flop and
remembering that despite having the best pocket cards, losing is still an
option if any other player hits a three of a kind or just two random pairs
of low cards.

Ace-Ace

So, you are dealt a pocket Ace-Ace which is considered to be the most favourable starting hand for Texas Holdem, however, do not be too overwhelmed because there are a number of other factors that you need to keep in mind. You first need to see how many players have entered into the pot, because the more players in the pot automatically means that there will be a higher chance of someone having a better hand than you. Next step is carefully watching the Flop and remembering that despite having the best pocket cards, losing is still an option if any other player hits a three of a kind or just two random pairs of low cards.   

KK

The second of the most favorable starting hands in Texas Holdem Poker is deuce kings because the only pair of cards that is stronger than this one is the pair of Aces. With such a pair you are already a strong favourite, however, that is only if an Ace does not appear in the Flop because then you can consider yourself to be swimming in murky waters.

QQ

Once again although holding a pair of QQ in your hand, also referred to as ladies is considered to be in the third most favorable starting hand for Texas Holdem Poker, we have heard many players complaining about the outcome of such a hand and most likely it would be because they would not have studied the first three cards in the Flop well. It might be a strong hand once again but if and Ace and King appear in the Flop, your winning chances would have already dipped drastically.

AK Suited

Ace King suited comes in as the fourth most favorable starting hand however not everyone tends to agree because once again it all depends on the Flop. If you are holding Ace-King suited you technically have nothing in your hand until you have seen the Flop and you have started to form traits of a flush, a pair on the Flop, or potentially a straight. In saying this, with such a hand you are heading in the right direction to land a nut hand which is a flush that has the Ace as the high card. You may land a royal flush that is a 10, J, Q, K, A in suit, or possibly even a high pair of cards or a straight.  

AQ Suited

If you are holding an Ace Queen suited in your hand then you have landed yourself a pair of “big chicks” or a “little slick,” as they are also referred to in Poker terms. This is the fifth most favorable starting hand on the list of best Poker hands and with them you have a good chance of landing a nut hand flush also meaning the best possible hand in that given situation, a royal flush, straight, or high pair.

JJ

And in the sixth most favorable starting Poker hand to have in Poker comes the JJ’s which many Poker players refer to as the “hooks” since they actually look like hooks. No doubt this is a very good hand to possess but it can be easily beaten by any pair of Aces, Kings and also Queens. If any of these cards pop up in the Flop, chances are your hand is going to be a Flop.

KQ Suited

A King and a Queen would usually sit at the top of the royal hierarchy, but in Poker they sit seventh in the list of the most favourable Poker hands. This hand can land you a flush, but it won’t be the best possible hand unless the Flop reveals a suited Ace.

AJ Suited

When you are holding a suited Ace and Jack in your hand, you are holding the eight most favourable starting Poker hand for Texas Holdem Poker. This is also referred to as “Ajax,” or also “blackjack”. The hands you can win with such a combo are the straight, high pair, flush or royal flush.

AK Off suit

The “big slick” is the only off suit non-pair that actually makes it into the top 10 list of the most favourable starting Poker hands to have. The Ace-King suit, however, is not any near as strong as the suited “big slick” for the flush combination.   

10-10

A pair of tens in hand is the only starting hand in the list of the most favorable starting Poker hands that has no face card or an ace: Some players believe that a King-Jack suited is stronger than a pair of ‘Dimes’.

 

Win Percentage Based On Texas Holdem Starting Hands

Get to know the best starting hands for Texas Holdem Poker because as the
saying goes,‘the beautiful thing about Poker is that everybody thinks they can
play’, but they can’t. So before getting all comfy at the Poker table make
yourself aware about all the different rankings for hands in Poker. Further
up in the previous section we covered the most favourable starting hands
for Texas Holdem Poker, so it’s best to familiarise yourself with them
before getting into the winning percentage based on these hands.

We have prepared for you a win percentage table chart that will guide you
on which hands you want to Raise, those you want to call, and others you
want to Fold, always depending on your position. The range of hands all
have a worth but this all changes depending on how many players are seated
at your table. That is why we highlighted numerous times above on how
important it is to be able to breathe the different Poker rankings for each
hand before you even think of playing.

The table below will explain to you what percentage chance of winning you
have when you are in possession of certain cards. It can also help you in
situations where you are not so sure on whether you should stay in the hand
or just fold. The chart is very straight forward and it is easy for you to
understand which pairs are the strongest. For instance, let’s look at the
first combination at the top left of the chart. If you are in possession of
a pocket of Aces then you stand an 85% winning chance. If you are in
possession of a King-Ace then you stand a 68% winning chance, and if you
are in possession of a Queen-Jack then you stand a 59% winning chance, and
so on.

	Ace	King	Queen	Jack	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2
Ace	85%	68%	67%	66%	66%	64%	63%	63%	62%	62%	61%	60%	59%
King	66%	83%	64%	64%	63%	61%	60%	59%	58%	58%	57%	56%	55%
Queen	65%	62%	80%	61%	61%	59%	58%	56%	55%	55%	54%	53%	52%
Jack	65%	62%	59%	78%	59%	57%	56%	54%	53%	52%	51%	50%	50%
10	64%	61%	59%	57%	75%	56%	54%	53%	51%	49%	49%	48%	47%
9	62%	59%	57%	55%	53%	72%	53%	51%	50%	48%	46%	46%	45%
8	61%	58%	55%	53%	52%	50%	69%	50%	49%	47%	45%	43%	43%
7	60%	57%	54%	52%	50%	48%	47%	67%	48%	46%	45%	43%	41%
6	59%	56%	53%	50%	48%	47%	46%	45%	64%	46%	44%	42%	40%
5	60%	55%	52%	49%	47%	45%	44%	43%	43%	61%	44%	43%	41%
4	59%	54%	51%	48%	46%	43%	42%	41%	41%	41%	58%	42%	40%
3	58%	54%	50%	48%	45%	43%	40%	39%	39%	39%	38%	55%	39%
2	57%	53%	49%	47%	44%	42%	40%	37%	37%	37%	36%	35%	51%

 

There is also a known difference among the Poker community for when it comes to raising and calling, the outcomes of such actions will also differ if they are applied in cash games and tournaments, and also set up the dynamic of your table.

 

So, the game has started, and you have two hole cards in your hand, what do you do next?

Almost everyone’s first question would be, should I play these or not? We have already been through the fact that undoubtedly every hand can be a winner but it can also be a loser. There are only a few hands that are strong enough to be worth keeping in the race after the pre-Flop action and do not forget your position on the table too. If there are more players who are forced to take an action before you, this puts you into a better position to be more aggressive in your pre-Flop action. 

 

This only happens because in this position you can get a clear picture of what everyone else is doing before it is actually your Turn to play. Analyse carefully what each and every one of them is doing because you can retrieve some very useful insights by observing such actions. And by this we do not mean you should go ahead and play an off suited 2-8 every time action around you is Folded when you are currently sitting in the dealer’s position but you can afford to lay a stronger hand to make a move and it might very well be enough to take in the blinds for free.

How Round Position Affects The Win Likelihood Of Different Poker Hands

There is more to learn in Poker than just the best starting hands for Texas
Holdem Poker. A Poker table is not just any other table where players just
sit and no matter where they are seated nothing makes a difference. To the
contrary, every seat at a Poker table falls within a category and carries
some form of weight in some way or another. Below we have highlighted the
different positions as categorised. The location of the button (dealer) and
blinds determine each of these positions.

Early position

Players positioned in the early position are usually the two that have to
post both the Small Blind as well as the Big Blind. It also includes the
player that is sitting on the left of the Big Blind, who is referred to as
the UTG or under the gun. If you’re interested in
learning more about Blinds, then you’re going to want to click here.
It is the location of the Dealer button and the blinds that determines each
of these positions on the table.

If you are sitting at a table with maybe nine or 10 players you might also
want to consider another UTG player. This is usually the player sitting
next to the left of the first UTG, given that the rest of the players are
in later calling positions, technically speaking.

Another thing to factor in is that although the Small Blind and the Big
Blind are the last to act pre-Flop after the ‘under the gun’ player and all
the rest of the players, these are still considered to be early position
seats because after the Flop in every betting round, they will be the first
to act.

Middle position

The “Middle position” in poker on a full-blown poker table can be referred
to as the Hijack, Lojack or even sometimes the Mp1. If, however on the
other hand we are referring to a poker table with a maximum six players
then the middle position would be the Hijack. This “Middle position”
consists of the next two or three seats after the SB, BB and UTG on the
table leading up to the last remaining two or three seats to make it a
whole round right back to the button (dealer).On bigger tables it is
sometimes considered to add another UTG too. The name middle position
refers to players that need to act and play after the early positions on
the pre-flop betting round.

Late Position

A player who is seated in the Late position is considered to have a bit of
an advantage over the rest of the players seated in the early and middle
positions. The Late position seats would include the button (dealer) itself
(the latest position), the seat to the right of the button also referred to
as the cut-off, and the seat to the right of the cut-off also known as the
hijack seat. In smaller games with say, a maximum of six players, the
hijack seat would automatically become the middle position on the table.

Let’s take a look at a Late position scenario. So, the UTG (Under the Gun)
player makes a pre-flop raise with a pocket of sevens in hand.

Next to play is the cut off player who re-raises the Under The Gun player
but then the button calls but the small blind and big bind players fold.
Action now returns to the UTG player again but what will they do? Do they
really want to call and continue playing in a hand where they are holding
pocket sevens?

But let’s look at this scenario slightly different. Let’s say the cut off
player is holding a pocket sevens, this would put them in position because
everyone else before them has already played and they can gauge the
situation more effectively and play more aggressively.

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The Worst Possible Hands In Texas Holdem Poker – Handle With Care

By now we have learned that one of the best starting hands for Texas Holdem
Poker is a pair of Aces, but do you know what some of the worst and most
disadvantageous hands can be? If not, then maybe this is something you
ought to look into.

There are some cards that you’ll almost always have to Fold when you find
them in your hand. You’ll need to know what these are so that at the start
of the game you can better evaluate what you’re holding and where you are
heading. Knowing which cards to Fold is an important part of being better
at your Poker game, improving your strategy and faring better amongst the
more experienced player.

In saying that, when you draw a two and eight, or perhaps Queen and three,
you can never tell if you are going to win or lose until you have seen the
community cards, but it is always important that you know your odds inside
out. Master these tricks from Platincasino UK and they might save you from
making small mistakes that can cost you the game.

If when you are dealt your two hole cards they are not of the same suit
meaning you are holding two cards with different suits then you are playing
in a hand referred to as “unsuited,” or sometimes also referred to as
“offsuit.” In a game of Poker there are four different suits in a deck,
therefore the majority of hands that would be dealt to you will be off
suit. Only 23% or less of the hands dealt to you in a game will actually be
suited.

Here is a list of mediocre Poker hands that usually fair with the same
losing percentage rate.

2 – 7

This is by far considered to be one of the worst hands and least favourable
duo in the Poker hand ranking list, an off suit with a two and a seven. The
most mediocre cards you can have which to make things even worse, are
separated with five cards in the middle, therefore it is not possible to
form a straight with them. And what if they are suited? Well, then you
might be in for a chance of getting your hands on a very low flush. If by
chance any of these two cards make a pair, then you are sitting there with
not such a strong pair to fight off your enemy with. With this in mind, if
you find yourself being dealt two hole cards as 2 and 7, use them
cautiously.

2-8

When you land a 2 and an 8 you are basically facing the same issue as you
did on the previous example, but with an 8 instead of a 7. The 8 card is
not considered to be a good high card whether it is suited or not. These
are cards that we usually suggest for you to Fold, because even in the case
that you manage to hit as pair of 8, you are playing with a relatively low
pair and would be likely to lose the hand.

3-8, 3-7

The chance of getting a straight between the 3 and the 7 is extremely low
but it can happen. Other than this, the only other possible option is maybe
making two pairs of low cards with might not do you much justice, so just
as we advised about the 2-8 combination, with the 3-7 & 3-8
combinations, always play them cautiously.

2-6

If you get a 2 and a 6 in Holdem, simply Foldem. These are two cards that
can damage you from every angle. Let’s say by some big unexpected chance
you land a 3, 4 and 5 on the Flop, the straight could be a tricky one. If
any of the other players is holding a 6 and 7, they automatically have a
higher straight than yours. There is a possibility you can also get a
flush, but in such a situation, a higher flush is also very possible. If
you are playing on a table with around four players, a 2-6 hand will
probably lose around 90% of the time.

2-9, 3-9, 4-9

These are another three combinations where only one card might get you
something and that is the nine. If you manage to land a pair on nine’s,
then you have a mediocre pair in your hand that can easily be beaten if any
of the other players are holding a face card such as J, Q, K or A, or even
a pair of tens. As in the previous examples above there is no straight that
can fill the gap between these cards.

2-10

If you land a 2 and a 10 in your hand, then you are holding two cards that
come with a bit of history. This is a hand that actually won two World
Series of Poker tournaments for a Poker pro although the face value of
these cards is not good at all. In saying this, unless you are an
experienced Poker player with thousands of hours, games, and tournaments
under your belt, do not try anything adventurous with such a hand.

9-5

A lot of players like playing the 9 and 5 hand because it is known to be a
fun hand to play. In the long run this hand has been known to be a probable
loser so if you are looking to advance in your Poker career, then this is
not a hand that you want to keep your hands on.

4-7, 4-8, 5-8, 3-6

Here are a pack of three hands that we would highly advise you to throw
away when they are dealt to you. These are hands that are known to lose
most of the time, especially and even more so if they are not suited. In
saying this, if you are in a position at the table where you have to place
a blind bet which allows you to see the Flop and hopefully make something
out of these cards, it would be best to just Fold them.

An Unsuited Face Card Coupled with a Low Card

There are lots of Poker players that make the incorrect judgement of
assuming that every time they are dealt a hand containing a face card they
just go ahead and join the pot. Jack and 4, Queen and 6, King and 2, in any
if these examples, although it may come as a surprise to you, most of these
hands will lose. Obviously, you might occasionally pick up a lucky win but
you will tend to lose more hands than win with such cards. You will find
that on many occasions, other players on the table will be holding higher
cards than yours and since you would have entered the game thinking you
have a potentially good hand, you might end up losing huge amounts of cash
only to find the other player has a higher hand.

Unsuited Ace and Low Card

If you are handed an Ace and a low card, do not just assume that you are on
a winning streak, because more often than not, this assumption might
disappoint you. At times you might grasp a win with these cards, but
another common mistake for beginners is playing any Ace. It may win
occasionally, but when you are sitting on a table with three or more
players this hand should be ditched if someone else Raises before you. On
the other hand, in a heads-up situation, this may be a good hand.

A Game of Chance and Skill – Try Your Luck At Online Poker

 

Poker is a game of chance and it is important to remember that there is a chance of losing. However, if you are aware about which hands are good and which are bad, and which hands stand a better or worse chance given the table you are sitting at, this will always increase your chances of being more successful. Now that you have read through this online guide to the best starting hands in poker, you are ready to try your luck at the tables. Make sure to keep this guide handy just in case you run into any difficulties whilst playing. Try your luck at Platincasino UK and put your newly learned tactics into practice.

 

Best Starting Hands For Texas Holdem Poker – FAQs

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