One of the basics of Texas Hold’em is understanding card strength

One of the key aspects of winning a game of poker is to be able to make the most correct decisions as often as possible; therefore, selecting the hands you will go to war with is among the first steps. Making the decision whether to move forward with the hand you got is one of the most frequent ones to make during a game of Texas Hold’em. To succeed at this is not only important to know what hands to play or to fold, but also to know why it is done so, when you face a complex situation, you have a solid base to make the best decision. The first step would be to know the best and worst hands you could get.

The best hands typically include the highest possible pairs like A-A, K-K, Q-Q, or J-J, which are already good so the pressure of improving their value down the road is not that much. These are made hands already and there is less chance of one of your opponents holding a higher pocket pair. Besides pairs, the next best thing will be to have suited A-K or A-Q, which have a good chance to become pairs once the community cards are there. They also have the potential to become high straights and the fact that they are suited gives you the possibility of getting the best possible flushes.

1. The best hands typically include the highest possible pairs like A-A, K-K, Q-Q, or J-J, which are already good so the pressure of improving their value down the road is not that much. These are made hands already and there is less chance of one of your opponents holding a higher pocket pair.
2. Texas Hold’em Starting Hands Cheat Sheet and Best Starting Hands in Poker. After pocket aces, pocket kings are the second-best starting poker hand. Some very passive and tight players might fold the popular “cowboys” if they’re in a late position and conclude that it’s the best thing to do. However, it doesn’t happen much,.
3. The 20 Best Starting Poker Hands. The best starting hands in Texas Holdem are big pairs and big cards. Of course, we all know the power of AA, KK and QQ, but JJ-TT are also premium hands. Some have a hate relationship with JJ and TT, but I love being dealt these.

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. 5 Best Texas Hold’em Starting Hands. Texas Hold’em poker has 169 different two-card opening hand combinations. The notion is that if your starting hand is not a pair, then you will be dealt either connected or unconnected cards or a hand that’s either suited or offsuit.

On the other hand, there are some hands to stay away from. These are hands that are worthless unless something else happens on the board – they’re not even worth showdown value on the river.
Hands like 7-2, 8-2, 7-3 and 8-3 off-suit won’t really lead you to something great easily. It can, for instance, become a low pair. Having a low card with a high card also puts you at a disadvantage. When competing for the pot when both you and your opponent have pairs, a low pair won’t give any added value.

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Top 10 starting hands in Texas Hold ‘Em

Some people might disagree with me but hey this is my blog.

1. Ace-Ace

A pair of aces, also known as “pocket rockets” (and sometimes “American Airlines”) is the best starting hand for Texas Hold ‘Em.

2. King-King

Second on the list is a pair of kings, also known as “cowboys” or “King Kong.”

3. Queen-Queen

A pair of queens, also known as “ladies,” rounds out the top three best starting hands for Texas Holdem Poker.

Holdem Starting Hands By Position

4. Ace-King (suited)

This is where people start to disagree. A suited ace-king, also known as “big slick,” is my pick as the fourth best starting hand for Texas Hold ‘Em.

5. Ace-Queen (suited)

The suited “big chick,” or “little slick,” the nicknames given to a pocket ace-queen, is fifth on the list.

6. Jack-Jack

A pair of jacks — also known as “hooks” or “fishhooks” — checks in at number six on my list.

7. King-Queen (suited)

A suited royal couple, king-queen, is next in the list of Texas Hold ‘Em Poker’s most powerful starting hands.

Best Starting Hands In Poker

8. Ace-Jack (suited)

Nicknamed “blackjack” for obvious reasons, and sometimes called “ajax,” the ace-jack combo rates eighth.

Texas Holdem Best Starting Hands

9. Ace-King (offsuit)

Only one offsuit non-pair makes it into my list of the top 10 best starting hands for Texas Holdem Poker — the “big slick,” an ace-king.

10. 10-10

This is the only starting hand in the top 10 without a face card: a pair of tens (aka “dimes”). Some players believe that a suited king-jack is a stronger starting hand.

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