Good Starting Hands In Texas Holdem
- Strongest Starting Hands In Texas Holdem
- Top 10 Best Starting Hands In Texas Holdem
- Best Odds Starting Hands Texas Holdem
- Ranking Of Best Starting Hands In Texas Holdem
One of the first books I ever read about Texas holdem strategy was Phil Hellmuth’s Play Poker Like the Pros. And one of the first lessons I learned from that book was the importance of tight play before the flop. Hellmuth presents a list of the top 10 starting hands in Texas holdem, and he suggests that you ONLY play hands from that list.
His list is a little different from the one I present below, though. His list consists of any pocket pair of 7s or better, plus ace king suited and ace queen suited.
- Omaha starting hands are ranked in order of strength with AAKK double-suited being considered the best in Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) games. Determining the strength of starting hands in Omaha will help you make better decisions when selecting which ones to play.
- Luckily, these strategies will set you on the path to Texas Hold’em glory. Let’s get started! #1 – Opening Hands. Remember, poker is a battle royale. When you prepare to don your battle armor, be sure that you’ve got a premium opening hand to protect you. Starting hands are 1 component of your overall poker game.
- At the bottom of this page is a comprehensive listing of Texas Hold'em starting hands based on their EV (expected value). Expected value is the average number of big blinds this hand will make or lose. For example: AA from the Small Blind in a $3/$6 game will make, on average, 2.71 times the big blind, or $16.20 per hand (2.71. $6).
- A 2-7 offsuit hand is the worst hand to start with in Texas Hold 'Em poker because there are so few good options available to you: you have no straight draw, no flush draw, and even if you wind up with a pair of 7s or a pair of 2s, you're unlikely to have the best hand. Of course, you'll see some crazy flops every now and then, but just because.
My list is less bull-ish on pocket pairs, though. I also include some more high hands that have suited and connected value.
Of course, you should consider any guide to Texas holdem starting hands to be like training wheels on a bicycle. They’re great at first—maybe even necessary—but eventually, you shouldn’t need a starting hands chart at all. You’re just able to make good decisions based on the situations you’re in.
The two cards that you are dealt at the start of a hand in Texas Hold'em are your weapons. If you want to play a hand, your cards need to be strong enough to fight against your opponents' cards to win the pot. At the core of every winning poker player is good starting hand strategy. Texas Hold'em starting hands table.
1- Pocket Aces
Unless you’re completely unfamiliar with poker or you’ve been living under a rock, you already know that pocket aces are the strongest starting hand in Texas holdem. It’s also one of the easiest hands to play correctly. Just bet and raise with it.
Since it’s impossible for any of the other players in the hand to have a better starting hand, betting and raising with pocket aces is always correct.
I have read that some players like to check with pocket aces if they’re in first position at a full table. The idea is that someone behind you will bet and maybe someone will even raise, giving you the opportunity to re-raise and maybe even put them all-in. (This applies mostly to no limit games.)
My friend Wes insists that checking with pocket aces is always a mistake, even in this limited set of circumstances. Sometimes I check with pocket aces just to get on his nerves.
Anyway, pocket aces pretty much play themselves. They often win even if the hand doesn’t improve over the course of the flop, turn, and river.
2- Pocket Kings
Playing pocket kings preflop is also dead simple. You just bet and raise with this hand repeatedly. Your goal should be to get all your chips into the pot before the flop. The only way you can possibly be dominated when you have pocket kings is if one of your opponents has pocket aces. And your opponents usually DON’T have pocket aces.
You’ll get calls from players with pocket jacks, pocket queens, or ace king or ace queen suited. In all those situations, you’re the favorite, so getting your money in the pot in that situation is the right thing to do.
Pocket kings get tricky when an ace shows up on the flop. Now you have to start thinking about what you’re going to do next.
You want to avoid making the mistake of overplaying your hand in this situation. Pocket kings aren’t the nuts, and once the flop has hit, the strength of your hand has likely changed. It’s okay to fold.
Position is important when that ace hits, because if you’re in late position, you can get a feel for what your opponent might be holding.
Don’t be afraid to fold pocket kings when an ace shows up on the flop, though. You shouldn’t automatically give up on the hand, either, but don’t play it like it’s the nuts.
Lots of players, especially newcomers or beginners, are really bullish on aces preflop—even if their other card is low in value and not of the same suit. Be willing to give your opponent credit for having that ace I the hole.
3- Pocket Queens
It’s even more important to avoid getting married to pocket queens than it is to avoid marrying pocket kings. You should bet and raise with pocket queens before the flop, although maybe less aggressively than you would aces or kings. You then need to be cautious if you see a king or an ace on the flop.
I almost never fold pocket queens before the flop, because the odds of my opponent having pocket kings or pocket aces are so low.
But the odds that someone still in the hand on the flop has one king or one ace preflop are good, so if I see one of those cards on the flop, I start getting more cautious. If I’m first to act, I’m usually good for a continuation bet, but if I get raised or re-raised, I’m willing to get away from the hand.
If I’m in late position with pocket queens, I’m often good for a bet if no one has acted, but I’m probably not going to raise or re-raise aggressive players in early position.
Pocket queens are a great hand, but they’re not the same as pocket kings or aces and shouldn’t be played as if they were.
4- Ace King Suited
Ace king is often called “big slick,” and if the 2 cards are suited, some players call the hand “super slick.” Players fall in love with this hand, as well they should, but it’s important to remember that ace king suited is a speculative hand. If you don’t catch something that helps on the flop, ace king is one you need to be willing to get away from on the flop.
In David Sklansky’s hand groupings, the best possible hands are in “Group 1.” These hands include pocket jacks, queens, kings, or aces. They also include ace king suited.
But there’s a big difference between ace king suited and any of these pocket pairs. In fact, even pocket jacks has a huge difference in strength from pocket aces.
The trick to playing ace king is to avoid overvaluing the hand. Yes, you should bet and probably even raise with this hand preflop. You just need to be ready to get away from the hand on the flop.
It’s also important to pay attention to your opponents’ tendencies. Ace king suited is easily dominated by pocket queens, kings, or aces.
But you also have lots of possibilities with this hand, including the possible nut flush. My favorite move in Texas holdem is to hit 4 to a flush with ace king suited and then play it really aggressively.
This is a classic semi-bluff. You probably don’t have the best hand on the flop, but you still have a roughly 1/3 chance of hitting the nut flush. Combine that with the possibility that your opponents might fold in the face of your aggression, and you have a situation with a lot of expected value.
5- Pocket Jacks
This is the lowest pair in David Sklansky’s top tier hand grouping. This might also be the biggest trouble hand in Texas holdem. It’s easy to overvalue pocket jacks, especially if you haven’t had a lot of playable hand in your time at the table. (I don’t know anyone who enjoys folding for an hour straight.)
The most important factor to consider when playing pocket jacks is position. If you’re in early position, betting or raising with pocket jacks is a good idea, but be cautious when someone plays back against you. From late position, raising is okay against a single opponent, but against multiple bettors and raisers, you might be in trouble.
When the flop hits, it’s time to pay attention. You’ll see overcards on the flop 2/3 of the time, and chances are good that someone has at least a queen in the hole if they’re still in the pot with you. What you’re really hoping for with pocket jacks is to pick up a small pot uncontested preflop, or to hit the flop hard enough that you can play back at someone with big cards.
Pocket jacks are almost always playable, but they’re small pot hands that you need to be willing to get away from.
6- Pocket 10s
I still raise preflop with pocket 10s, especially if I’m in late position, but I’m more cautious with them in late position. I’m almost always in trouble when a high card hits on the flop, and if 2 high cards hit on the flop, I gotta get out of there.
The best case scenario with pocket 10s is the same as with any smaller pair. You’re really hoping to hit a set, which happens rarely, but when it does… you’re going to win a big pot.
Don’t be afraid of making a continuation bet on the flop, though. Just be ready to get away from the hand if one of your opponents starts playing back at you.
Don’t forget, though, that your opponent doesn’t know what you’re holding. Even if an overcard hits, it might not be the overcard that your opponent needs. By making a continuation bet, you can sometimes get your opponent to fold and take down a small pot right away on the flop.
The number of players makes a difference, too—especially preflop. If you’re playing at a full table, your pocket 10s might or might not be the best hand. But if you’re playing at a table with 5 or 6 players, it’s often going to be the best preflop hand out there. This means you should play it aggressively before the flop.
7- Ace King (Not Suited)
Ace king offsuit doesn’t play much differently than ace skin suited, but the difference is big. If you can run the guys holding smaller pairs off before the flop, you’ll be doing well. If you miss the flop, you really have no choice but to slow down. Since you don’t have the flush potential or the semi-bluff potential with the unsuited ace king, it’s a trickier hand to play.
Still, ace king is a premium hand, because you have 6 cards that will improve your hand on the flop. If you see an ace on the flop, you have the best possible pair with the best possible kicker. If you see a king on the flop, you have the top visible pair with the best possible kicker. Someone with pocket aces has you beat, but that’s unlikely.
A lot of players have trouble with big slick, but you needn’t have trouble with it. Play it strong preflop, then slow down on the flop if you miss the flop. If you hit the flop, hit the gas. Most of the time, especially at the lower stakes, all you need to do to play profitable poker is to fold your bad cards and bet and raise with your good cards.
Some advanced players will call this “ABC poker.”
But ABC poker is the beginning of poker wisdom. If you can’t play good ABC poker, you’ll have no chance of doing well with more complicated, multi-level strategies.
8- Ace Queen Suited
I’ve seen poker writers call ace queen suited the worst possible best hand. I’m not sure that’s the case, but ace queen suited is much weaker than ace king suited, even though a lot of players don’t make a distinction.
At a full table, you’re probably going to do just as well by folding ace queen suited from early position as anywhere else. If you’re in middle or late position, ace queen suited is a betting and raising hand, but it’s a hard hand to play from early position.
If there’s a lot of betting and raising preflop, the only sensible move is to fold the ace queen suited and wait for a better hand. Chances are that if a lot of people are betting and raising, someone has a reasonably high pair or at least ace king. In either of those cases, your ace queen suited is thoroughly dominated. Don’t put money in the pot if you’re sure you’re dominated.
The best time and way to play ace queen suited is when you have position and everyone else has demonstrated weakness. You’re hoping to hit an ace or a queen on the flop. You also have a shot at the nut flush, but that gap between ace and queen represents a king which can be a lot of trouble.
It’s easy to miss the flop entirely with ace queen suited, too. If that’s the case with you, it might be your best bet to not bet at all, but just check and fold.
Strongest Starting Hands In Texas Holdem
Ace queen suited is considered a trouble hand, but it doesn’t have to be. You just need to be willing to fold it in the face of aggression or in the face of a flop that doesn’t fit your cards.
9- Ace Jack Suited
I don’t play ace jack unsuited at all, and ace jack suited is only barely playable. I’d really rather have a pair of 8s or 9s than ace jack suited. In fact, ace jack suited has all the same problems as ace queen suited, only more so.
Ace jack suited is really best suited for play from late position when you see weakness from your opponents. It might also be more playable at a short-handed table.
You need to hit the flop hard with this hand if you’re going to get into a confrontation with another player. Even if the highest card on the flop is a jack, you’re still very vulnerable to other higher cards on the turn and the river.
Of course, your best case scenario is to hit a big flush, but that’s unusual. But that possibility warrants mentioning, because without the flush possibility, ace jack isn’t even playable most of the time.
I’ve seen ace queen suited called the worst best starting hand, but I think that’s because more people realize just how weak ace jack suited really is. If they weren’t sure about that, ace jack suited would certainly be at least as bad.
10- King Queen Suited
I like king queen suited. I think it’s an easy hand to play.
If you’re in early position, limp in with king queen suited, but only if you’re at a passive table. If you’re at an aggressive table, you’re probably better off folding king queen suited from early position.
You can also limp with king queen suited from middle or later position, and if everyone seems weak, you can even raise with king queen suited from late position.
One of the beauties of king queen suited is that it’s pretty easy to tell where you’re at after the flop. You either have a flush or a strong flush draw, or you don’t. You either have a straight or a strong straight draw, or you don’t. You’ve either hit a high pair or not. Either way, you have an okay kicker.
You should never play king queen suited as aggressively as pocket aces or pocket kings, but this shouldn’t be a trouble hand, either. Pay attention to your position, and pay attention to how well the flop fits your hand. Then play accordingly.
Conclusion
Top 10 Best Starting Hands In Texas Holdem
You can safely ignore any of this advice about the top 10 Texas holdem starting hands and still win at poker. This is a card game, not chess. So many factors, including random chance, affect your outcome that even if you make mistakes, you can come out ahead.
In fact, with only a little bit of searching, you’ll find other lists of the top 10 starting hands in Texas holdem that include different hands from what I’ve included here. I think most people will agree that between this list and 1 or 2 of those other lists, almost all the playable opening hands will be covered.
If you’re playing for lower stakes, ABC poker should be enough to make you profitable. Bet and raise when you think you have the best hand, and fold or check when you think someone else does.
Which hands would you include on your list of the top 10 Texas holdem starting hands and why?
NL Hold’em Starting Hand Charts
One aspect of the game of No-Limit Hold’em that causes beginning players much grief is deciding which hands to play and which hands to dump. NL Hold’em is much more difficult than Limit Hold’em because the value of a hand depends on so many factors other than just the cards in your hand. Despite this difficulty, our coaches believe that following some general guidelines and adjusting from these is a better solution than having no guidelines at all. Given that well over half of your profitability in NL Hold’em is based on hand selection alone, we have developed these charts to help you better determine whether to play or fold.
There are no perfect No-Limit starting hand charts. That is because there are many factors that affect your decision, and charts cannot account for all of them. Some of these include:
- The size of your opponent's stacks.
- How loose or tight, passive or aggressive, your opponents are.
- Where these opponents are located at the table – for example, does an aggressive player still have to act after you?
- Your image at the table – for example, how tight or tricky you are perceived.
That being said, these charts will serve you well in most typical low-stakes No-Limit cash games, such as games with blinds of $1/$2, and home games. These games typically have several loose players at the table, and good opportunities for winning big pots with suited connectors and pocket pairs. With practice, you will be able to be a consistently winning player with these charts as a starting point. As you improve, you'll find yourself making adjustments to these charts based on the factors listed above, and more.
AGAIN: These charts are a good starting point for beginners. Specifically, Chart #1 recommends a significant amount of limping. This is great in loose, passive games but less often seen in tougher games. You’ll find other training material on Advanced Poker Training that may recommend a more aggressive approach for more experienced players.
Note: It would be a serious mistake to apply these hand charts before reading the Frequent Asked Questions first.
CHART #1 ‐ LOOSE, PASSIVE GAME (OFTEN 4-5 LIMPERS PER HAND)
NO ONE HAS RAISED YET
- Raise Always
- Call from Early Position, otherwise raise
- Call always
- Call from Middle or Late Position if the conditions are right (see Frequently Asked Questions)
CHART #2 ‐ TIGHTER GAME (FEWER LIMPERS) OR MORE AGGRESSIVE GAME
NO ONE HAS RAISED YET
- Raise Always
- Call from Early Position, otherwise raise
- Call (or Raise) from Middle or Late Position if the conditions are right (see Frequently Asked Questions)
CHART #3 ‐ THERE HAS BEEN A SINGLE RAISE
(3‐5 TIMES THE BIG BLIND) BEFORE YOU
- Re‐Raise Always
- Call from Early Position, otherwise re‐raise
- Call always
- Call from Middle or Late Position if the conditions are right (see Frequently Asked Questions)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
For the hands in yellow, what do you mean when you say to play these hands if the conditions are right? The hands in yellow are speculative hands. They should always be folded from Early Position. From other positions, they can be profitable given the right conditions. Some of the questions to ask yourself:
- Are there other players who have called so far (the more, the better)?
- Are the players who have called playing poorly after the flop? Will they pay me off if I hit something?
- Is there an aggressive player still to act behind me (you might get raised and have to fold)?
- If there has been a raise and no other callers, what chance do I have of using my position after the flop to win the hand even if I don't improve (Chart #3 only)?
Why does Chart #2 say to sometimes raise with the hands in yellow, but Chart #1 does not? We have different goals in mind. Using Chart #1, we want to call to encourage additional players to enter the pot. These hands will be immensely profitable when our loose, passive opponents enter the hand, and get trapped when we flop a set, or make a well-disguised straight. When using Chart #2, however, we want to size up the opponents still to act. If they are tight, we can raise. Sometimes, we'll pick up the blinds. Other times, our pre-flop aggression will allow us to take down the pot on the flop.
What's the difference between AKs and AKo? AKs means an Ace and King of the same suit. AKo means an Ace and King of different suits.
What are early, middle, and late position? Early Position is generally the first 2 (in a nine player game) or 3 (in a ten player game) positions after the blinds. Late Position is the “cutoff” position (to the right of the dealer), and dealer button positions. Middle Position is everything in between.
How much should I raise? As a general rule, raise 3 to 4 times the big blind, plus 1 extra big blind for every player who has called before you. So if there are 2 callers already, raise between 5 and 6 times the big blind.
What if someone raises after I call? Whether you call the raise depends on how much money the raiser has for you to win, how many other players are involved, and what type of hand you have. As a general rule, if you have a pocket pair, lean towards calling. If there are a lot of other players (and therefore a big pot), lean towards calling. In general, fold suited connectors from early position. Fold hands like KQ that don't play well against a raiser.
How do I play from the blinds? From the small blind, play the same hands you would play from late position, plus a few more. But don't call with junk hands like T5o, just because it is “cheap”. From the big blind, if there is a raise to you, play like you would if you had already called from early position.
The chart says to fold KQo to a raise. Really? Yes, this hand performs very poorly against typical raising hands. Against AK, AQ, AA, KK, QQ, you are a big underdog. Other typical raising hands like JJ, TT, 99, AJs, are slightly ahead of you as well. The only time you might call or re-raise is from late position, if the opener was in middle or late position, indicating they might have a wider range of hands.
I was told to fold AJo from Early Position, why do you say to call with it? Folding AJo is not a bad idea in many games. We included it because, at low stakes tables (even tight or aggressive ones), the players are often playing badly enough after the flop that it can be profitable. We used data from millions of hands of low-limit poker to analyze this. The same could be said for KQo, ATs, and KJs – you can make a small profit in the long run at most low-stakes games, but folding would be perfectly acceptable from early position.
Best Odds Starting Hands Texas Holdem
Can I use these charts in a NL Hold'em tournament? The charts would be best applicable to the early stages of a NL tournament, when everyone has a deep stack. In the middle and later stages, they should not be used.