In the poker game of Texas hold 'em, a starting hand consists of two hole cards, which belong solely to the player and remain hidden from the other players. Five community cards are also dealt into play. Betting begins before any of the community cards are exposed, and continues throughout the hand. The player's 'playing hand', which will be compared against that of each competing player, is the best 5-card poker hand available from his two hole cards and the five community cards. Unless otherwise specified, here the term hand applies to the player's two hole cards, or starting hand.

Essentials[edit]

There are 1326 distinct possible combinations of two hole cards from a standard 52-card deck in hold 'em, but since suits have no relative value in this poker variant, many of these hands are identical in value before the flop. For example, A♥J♥ and A♠J♠ are identical in value, because each is a hand consisting of an ace and a jack of the same suit.

Therefore, there are 169 non-equivalent starting hands in hold 'em, which is the sum total of : 13 pocket pairs, 13 × 12 / 2 = 78 suited hands and 78 unsuited hands (13 + 78 + 78 = 169).

These 169 hands are not equally likely. Hold 'em hands are sometimes classified as having one of three 'shapes':

Probability of being dealt a certain starting hand. There are a total of exactly 1,326 different starting hand combinations in Texas Hold’em poker. However, many of them are practically identical, e.g. A ♥ K ♣ is exactly the same hand as A ♦ K ♠ before the flop. If you group these identical hands together, you get 169 different. From bad starting hole cards to playing too many hands to unusual bet sizing, a fish can make the night for a poker professional. Fish can easily be identified by making an incorrect play with respect to the hole cards and table position. The best way to check out of the fish zone is to know the top-20 hole cards for a No Limit Texas Hold’em. All Texas Hold’em starting hands can be separated into two categories: “suited” and “offsuit”. Suited hands contain two cards of the same suit, like J♣9♣, A ♥ K ♥, K♠Q♠ and 9 ♦ 3 ♦. All other starting hands are in the offsuit category, like A♠8 ♦, 7♣5 ♥ and K ♥ 9 ♦. 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.

• Pairs, (or 'pocket pairs'), which consist of two cards of the same rank (e.g. 9♠9♣). One hand in 17 will be a pair, each occurring with individual probability 1/221 (P(pair) = 3/51 = 1/17).

Alternative means of making this calculation

First Step

As confirmed above.

There are 1326 possible combination of opening hand.

Second Step

There are 6 different combos of each pair. 9h9c, 9h9s, 9h9d, 9c9s, 9c9d, 9d9s. Therefore, there are 78 possible combinations of pocket pairs (6 multiplied by 13 i.e. 22-AA)

To calculate the odds of being dealt a pair

78 (the number of any particular pair being dealt. As above) divided by 1326 (possible opening hands)

78/1326 = 0.058 or 5.8%

• Suited hands, which contain two cards of the same suit (e.g. A♣6♣). 23.5% of all starting hands are suited.

Probability of first card is 1.0 (any of the 52 cards)Probability of second hand suit matching the first:There are 13 cards per suit, and one is in your hand leaving 12 remaining of the 51 cards remaining in the deck. 12/51=.2353 or 23.5%

• Offsuit hands, which contain two cards of a different suit and rank (e.g. K♠J♥). 70.6% of all hands are offsuit hands

Offsuit pairs = 78Other offsuit hands = 936

It is typical to abbreviate suited hands in hold 'em by affixing an 's' to the hand, as well as to abbreviate non-suited hands with an 'o' (for offsuit). That is,

QQ represents any pair of queens,

KQ represents any king and queen,

AKo represents any ace and king of different suits, and

JTs represents any jack and ten of the same suit.

Limit hand rankings[edit]

Some notable theorists and players have created systems to rank the value of starting hands in limit Texas hold'em. These rankings do not apply to no limit play.

Sklansky hand groups[edit]

David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth^[1] assigned in 1999 each hand to a group, and proposed all hands in the group could normally be played similarly. Stronger starting hands are identified by a lower number. Hands without a number are the weakest starting hands. As a general rule, books on Texas hold'em present hand strengths starting with the assumption of a nine or ten person table. The table below illustrates the concept:

Chen formula[edit]

The 'Chen Formula' is a way to compute the 'power ratings' of starting hands that was originally developed by Bill Chen.^[2]

Highest Card

Based on the highest card, assign points as follows:

Ace = 10 points, K = 8 points, Q = 7 points, J = 6 points.

10 through 2, half of face value (10 = 5 points, 9 = 4.5 points, etc.)

Pairs

For pairs, multiply the points by 2 (AA=20, KK=16, etc.), with a minimum of 5 points for any pair. 55 is given an extra point (i.e., 6).

Suited

Add 2 points for suited cards.

Closeness

Subtract 1 point for 1 gappers (AQ, J9)

2 points for 2 gappers (J8, AJ).

4 points for 3 gappers (J7, 73).

5 points for larger gappers, including A2 A3 A4

Add an extra point if connected or 1-gap and your highest card is lower than Q (since you then can make all higher straights)

Phil Hellmuth's: 'Play Poker Like the Pros'[edit]

Phil Hellmuth's 'Play Poker Like the Pros' book published in 2003.

Statistics based on real online play[edit]

Statistics based on real play with their associated actual value in real bets.^[3]

Nicknames for starting hands[edit]

In poker communities, it is common for hole cards to be given nicknames. While most combinations have a nickname, stronger handed nicknames are generally more recognized, the most notable probably being the 'Big Slick' - Ace and King of the same suit, although an Ace-King of any suit combination is less occasionally referred to as an Anna Kournikova, derived from the initials AK and because it 'looks really good but rarely wins.'^[4][5] Hands can be named according to their shapes (e.g., paired aces look like 'rockets', paired jacks look like 'fish hooks'); a historic event (e.g., A's and 8's - dead man's hand, representing the hand held by Wild Bill Hickok when he was fatally shot in the back by Jack McCall in 1876); many other reasons like animal names, alliteration and rhyming are also used in nicknames.

Notes[edit]

1. ^David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth (1999). Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players. Two Plus Two Publications. ISBN1-880685-22-1
2. ^Hold'em Excellence: From Beginner to Winner by Lou Krieger, Chapter 5, pages 39 - 43, Second Edition
3. ^http://www.pokerroom.com/poker/poker-school/ev-stats/total-stats-by-card/^{[dead link]}
4. ^Aspden, Peter (2007-05-19). 'FT Weekend Magazine - Non-fiction: Stakes and chips Las Vegas and the internet have helped poker become the biggest game in town'. Financial Times. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
5. ^Martain, Tim (2007-07-15). 'A little luck helps out'. Sunday Tasmanian. Retrieved 2010-01-10.

The first thing you learn in poker is the standard ranking of hands. For most people, the 2^nd thing you learn is how to play 5 card draw.

But Texas holdem isn’t far behind.

Once you’ve mastered the basics of playing—how the deal works, how the bets are handled, and so on—you start learning about the strategic concepts behind winning the game on a consistent basis.

And the first of these concepts is tight preflop play.

I’ve read that at most Texas holdem games, you can break even just by having strong play preflop. Even if your play after the flop is only mediocre, if you’re playing right before the flop, you won’t lose any money in the long run.

But some players take being tight preflop to the extreme.

And they often confuse being tight with being passive.

Yes, you’re only going to play good hands preflop. But most of the time, you’re not going to try to play them cheaply.

You’re going to gamble with them. You’re going to bet and raise with them.

Don’t forget that even though poker is a game of skill, it’s still gambling. You can’t win at gambling without, well… gambling…

Here are the top 10 starting hands in Texas holdem along with some suggestions for how to best play them. You can (and should) play other hands preflop, but these might be the most important hands to play preflop.

1. Pocket Aces

It’s hard to go wrong when playing “rockets,” or “bullets,” as a pair of aces if often called. After all, a pair of aces is easily the most powerful starting hand in the game. Even if you mis-play this hand, it’s so strong that you’ll often win lots of money anyway.

But how do you get the most money out of this hand?

If you’re playing in a no-limit game, if you’re in early position, it might make sense to limp with pocket aces. Your hope is that someone following you will put in a raise with a pair of kings or queens. When the action gets back to you, you can re-raise and make your opponent play for his entire stack.

If you’re in middle or late position, you should raise with aces. There’s no reason to be tricky here. You don’t want to give a substandard hand a cheap way to draw out on you.

If you’re playing limit, you should raise regardless of your position. You don’t have the ability to make someone play for all her chips, so you have to thin the field as soon as you can.

Your goal with pocket aces is to get heads-up with someone as soon as possible.

Some players get irritated when they get their aces cracked. They also get irritated when they get no action. You can’t have it both ways, though—if you get action, sometimes you’ll lose.

Most of the time, you’ll want to play the aces strong after the flop, too—regardless of what cards are there. You need to be sure you have a good read on your opponent and she has a monster before folding aces after the flop.

2. Pocket Kings

Before the flop, you should play “cowboys” just like you’d play pocket aces. The only difference is that you might not limp hoping for a re-raise opportunity in a no-limit game, like you would do with aces. (And even that move is one you should only use occasionally.)

Playing pocket kings after the flop isn’t much different, either.

But you do have one thing to worry about:

What if an ace hits the flop?

The first thing to think about is not giving away your hand. It’s natural to be bummed when the 2^nd best starting hand in the game suddenly looks inferior.

But you don’t have to look downcast and give away your hand to your opponent. Keep a poker face.

Everyone loves high cards in Texas holdem. If an ace hits on the flop, it’s possible that your opponent just got a bigger pair than you have.

Does this mean you should automatically fold those cowboys?

Obviously, I don’t think so, or I wouldn’t warn you about maintaining your poker face.

The number of players still in the hand on the flop is a big deal. If you’re heads-up with an opponent, you should stay in the game, but maybe slow down with your betting. He might be trying to represent that ace, or he might not. I think you should gamble here unless you have a good read on your opponent.

On the other hand, if you’re in the pot with 3 or 4 other players, your kings are no good. There’s almost no chance at all that with 3 or 4 opponents none of them has an ace. You have no choice here but to fold.

This illustrates how important it is to play kings aggressively preflop. If you get as much money into the pot as you can while you’re still the favorite, you’ll likely do well in the long run.

3. Pocket Queens

If you’re dealt “ladies,” you have the 3^rd strongest possible starting hand. And since this is a big pair, you’d prefer to play with fewer opponents after the flop. This means that betting, raising, and re-raising is the right strategy preflop with pocket queens.

Your goal is to get heads-up with one of your opponents before the flop ever hits.

You can only do that by playing aggressively.

Now you have to worry about whether you’re going to see an ace or a king on the flop. Playing pocket queens isn’t too different from playing pocket kings after the flop; you’re just more likely to have to slow down a little bit.

If you’re acting first, and if you’re only facing a single opponent, you must bet here. You want to try to win the pot without a showdown if you can.

But if you get re-raised, you’ll probably have to give up and fold.

Sometimes, you’ll wind up in a hand with pocket queens and 3 or 4 other players. Remember what I said about pocket kings in this situation. If you’re dealing with that many other players, someone is bound to have an ace or a king.

You’re going to have to fold in that case.

4. Pocket Jacks

The problem with pocket jacks is that it’s a trouble hand. It’s stronger than most hands, but there are still a lot of things that can go wrong. Some players hate playing pocket jacks.

You don’t have to hate this hand, though. It’s still a great preflop hand. You just need to learn how to NOT overplay it.

This means you’re going to pay attention to your position and to how the other players play their hands. After all, they like big cards, and the queens, kings, and aces have to be somewhere. If they’re not in your opponents’ hands, they’re in the deck, which means they’re liable to come up on the flop and scare you.

If no one in front of you has bet or raised, you should bet with the jacks. In a limit game, you don’t have to decide how much to bet, but in no limit, you do. Some players always make the same preflop bets in terms of size to disguise the strength of their hands. That’s a valid approach, and if that’s you, great.

But if that’s not you, bet a little less with pocket jacks than you would otherwise. Almost any flop is going to be scary if you go into it with a pair of jacks. Any queen, king, or ace could kill your hand.

Heck, even if you have an overpair in this situation, you can’t be confident you’ll win.

In some respects, pocket jacks are the same as smaller pairs. You really have to hit 3 of a kind to win a big pot with them.

Take into account how your opponents play, too. Just because an opponent bets or raises doesn’t mean he has a big hand. This is especially true in some of the lower stakes limit games that I specialize in.

5. Ace-King Suited

“Big slick” is one of my favorite hands to play. I’ve seen it rated higher than pocket queen or pocket jacks by some poker writers, in fact.

I’ve seen some players and writers complain that ace-king suited is hard to play. I don’t agree. I think it’s easier to play than pocket jacks, for sure. (In fact, I’m not sure why I didn’t reverse their order on this list.)

You should bet or raise with ace-king suited preflop. If you’re raised or re-raised, you need to think about how that player has been playing. Against a savvy, tight player, your ace-king suited is probably going to lose to pocket queens, kings, or aces. Against a maniac, though, or a novice, you might still be ahead.

The size of the raises and re-raises matters, too. If you’re playing limit, calling here makes more sense than risking your whole stack in a no limit game.

The good news is that when you see a flop, you have a 1/3 probability of getting an ace or a king. This gives you top pair or top pair with the best possible kicker. If you get one or 2 suited cards on the flop, you also have flush possibilities.

In this case, it’s time to play strong. Bet and raise.

If you have a lot of opponents and a flush draw, it might be worth it to continue if you can play cheap. With multiple opponents, you stand a chance of winning a big pot with the flush when you hit.

On the other hand, if you miss the flop entirely, you have to give this hand up.

6. Ace-Queen Suited

I’ve seen ace-queen suited called the biggest trouble hand in poker. I know that I overplay it often.

Yes, this is one of the best possible starting hands, but it’s hard to know where you’re at with it. As a result, maybe the smartest thing to do is pay close attention to your opponents’ play when you have this hand.

If you’re in early position, you can play it really aggressively, understanding that if you get raises and re-raises from the other players, you’re almost certainly dominated.

On the other hand, if you’re playing with lousy players who are too loose and aggressive, you might still have a shot.

If you’re in late position and there’s a lot of action before you, it might be best to fold AQ suited preflop.

And don’t make the mistake of thinking that ace-queen offsuit is just as good as ace-queen suited. It’s not even close. That hand didn’t even make the top 10.

7. Pocket 10s

Pocket 10s are pretty speculative. Even though they’re a top 10 hand, you still need to hit the perfect flop for this hand to hold up.

My goal with pocket 10s is to get in cheap and see how the flop develops. If I don’t hit another 10 on the flop, it’s easy to get away from this hand.

Even if the flop comes up with all undercards, I’m still afraid someone has a bigger pair in the hole. Those jacks, queens, kings, and aces are somewhere.

Unless the pocket 10s improve on the flop, or unless the other players are demonstrating a lot of weakness, I’m getting away from the hand on the turn if it hasn’t improved. The higher bets at that point make the hand almost worthless.

But don’t forget to get a read on the other players at the table. Your equity in a hand is always a combination of how likely it is that you have the best hand and how likely it is you can get your opponent to fold.

8. Ace-King

Ace-king is a strong hand even when it’s not suited. Most of what I said about how to play this hand still applies, but not being suited is a bigger drawback than you think. Sure, you’re only going to hit you flush 6% of the time with suited hole cards, but 6% is huge.

That being said, this is an easy hand to get away from if you miss the flop.

But a lot of the time, you will hit a big pair on the flop. When you do, you prefer fewer opponents.

So betting and raising with ace-king preflop makes sense.

Getting out of the hand after the flop is also an easy decision.

9. Ace-Jack Suited

You’re getting into some speculative hands here. Ace-jack suited is better than Ace-X suited, but not by much. The bigger the cards, the better, but a jack is almost a medium card.

Keep in mind that ace-jack offsuit, while playable, is not a premium hand. In fact, many writers don’t even consider ace-jack suited to be a “premium” hand.

It’s playable, though, because of the possibilities after the flop:

• You could flop a flush or a flush draw.
• You have straight possibilities (and straight flush possibilities).
• You have the potential to get a pair of aces with a reasonably good kicker.

The problem with ace-jack suited is that it’s easier to get a 2^nd-best hand with it than with most of the other hands on this list. A pair of jacks with an ace kicker is all right, but what do you do when your opponent has queens?

I think you have to play this cautiously preflop, try to get into a pot with a lot of opponents, then hope you hit a monster flop that fits perfectly so you can get paid off.

Top 20 Starting Hands In Texas Holdem

If you have position on everyone, and if your opponents are tight enough, you might try bluffing with this one preflop. If someone plays back at you, get really cautious, though.

10. King-Queen Suited

Some writers put a pair of 9s in this spot, but others put king-queen suited. I prefer king-queen suited, so that’s what I went with.

Playing king-queen suited isn’t much different from playing ace-jack suited, though. They’re both speculative hands, and you’re going to want to hit a reasonable flop with it.

This means trying to get in cheap before the flop and hitting your hand on the flop.

Top 20 Starting Hands In Texas Hold'em

Conclusion

Starting hands in Texas holdem are half the battle. Everyone knows that you’re supposed to limit yourself to the top 20 or so starting hands. This post only covers half those.

The other half of the possible starting hands, though, are easy enough to play. They’re just like the lower ranked hands on this list—only more so. They’re all speculative, so you want to try to get into pots cheap with lots of other players and clean up when you hit your hand.

It’s easy to overplay a reasonable starting hand in Texas holdem, but you really should only be playing about 3 hands preflop per hour. If you’re playing more than that, you’re in trouble.

And even with those 3 hands, you need to be cautious with most of them.