Top 10 Hands In Texas Holdem
The top 10 Common pre-flop mistakes to avoid when playing Texas Hold’em Poker
Hi there! Welcome to our Texas Hold’em Poker strategy for beginners. If you’re here you value mastering the basics of the game and wants to know the secrets of how to play poker. Good for you, you’ll have a set of new advantages next time you sit at a table after reading our poker tips.
It’s important to learn the statistics and possible outcomes of the flop, turn, and river. It is also important for any ambitious poker player to avoid poker mistakes and running bad in poker.
Today, we’ll be explaining to you 10 key mistakes people make right at the beginning of the hand. This is the pre-flop; it’s when every player at the table receives their cards. You have to make a decision on whether to play your cards or not. You don’t want to be playing a bad hand, that loses you chips.
- Now, let's talk about starting hands in Texas Hold'em. Ranking The Top 20 No Limit Texas Hold’em Starting Hands. I wanted to include something a bit more exciting in this article, so here's the top 20 No Limit Hold'em starting hands in terms of raw all-in equity (or percentages).
- Top 10 Best Starting Hands In Texas Hold'em Poker. 3 Pocket Queens. 4 Ace-King Suited. 7 Ace-Queen Suited. 8 Ace-King Offsuit.
- This list of the top 10 best starting hands for Texas Hold 'em is a good place to start learning. Do keep in mind, however, that there is some disagreement over which hands are the best, and it does depend in part on your skill level and style of play. Also, a great starting hand can turn bad quickly with the wrong community cards.
- A sizeable chunk of strategy in Texas Hold'em revolves around pre-flop hand selection and making your decisions before the flop. However, poker would be a far simpler game if it all ended pre-flop and hands were simply turned over and allowed to realize their full equity every single time.
So here are the Top 10 Best Starting Hands in Texas Hold'em Poker 1. Ace-Ace A pair of aces (also known as pocket rockets) is the best starting hand you can ever get for Texas Hold'em Poker. King-King 'King Kong' (or the two cowboys) is the second best starting hand for Texas Hold'em poker.
This is a critical moment. The decisions you make here will affect the outcome of the hand for you and the entire game. Early in the game the blinds are small and beginners are tempted to play every hand, even if it’s a bad starting hand, or the worst hand in poker. Don’t be one of them. Pay attention to what everyone does who acts before you and steer clear of making the following errors:
1.- Not betting with a strong hand hoping to lead other players into thinking that you have nothing of value;
It’s never a good strategy to let players with weak hands buy their way into the flop by paying the Big Blind (BB). If you’re in possession of a strong hand, bet on it. Don’t double the blind: make a statement. Bet 3 or 4 times the big blind, plus another BB for every player that has called. If someone has raised the bet before you, call it –or re-raise if you’ve a strong hand.
Imagine that you’re playing for fun with some friends. You’re dealt a very good-looking pair of K’s. You’re thinking of misleading others about your hand by only calling the big blind. Another player has 8/9 suited. Many player regard a hand like this as a great starting hand. It does have a lot of potential, and can play out better than say, Jack /King, because it has various flush and straight possibilities. If they call and they flop anything interesting, a flush or straight draw, two pair, or even one pair, they will call your C-bet. They could end up with the winning hand. So to avoid running bad in poker, force weak hands out pre-flop with serious betting. You might get lucky. An example would be in a tournament with blinds 2k /4k, you raise to 12k with pocket kings . A loose player with A/3o calls and the flop is 2,3,7, you C-bet 12k and they go all in. You call. They thought you had A/K and were bluffing. You clean up. Nice poker. Or you don’t raise, and the big bind checks his 7/2, hits two pair and takes your chips. And you think you are running bad in poker, but really you are playing badly. Look here for poker winning hands
Poker tip, Don’t let other players into the game with weak hands when you have a great starting hand. Raise the bet 3 or 4 times the BB, and one BB for each player sitting at the table.
2.- Calling from UTG or MP/LP** positions with a bad hand because “you know, it’s just one Big Blind.”
What’s wrong with that? A lot. And here is a poker tip; You don’t want to be giving away your chips for pure luck. We know it’s satisfying to call the BB with a bad hand sometimes. But why would you play the worst hand in poker? You are hoping for the wonder flop of two pair or a full house. Or you haven’t played hand for a while and are getting bored. Or you are in the middle of a period of bad beat poker and don’t think anything will make a difference. But try not to find yourself in a position where you’re hoping for a 2 or a 5 to save you at the flop.
Usually, players start a game with 50 to 200 times the BB’s value. That means that if you’re holding a poor hand, you’re going to be risking between 0.5% and 2% your money on nothing. You can do the math and you can work out if you keep doing that, you will soon be out of the game.
Poker tip; Don’t limp with poor cards for the sake of it.
3.- Not taking into account other players’ stacks of chips;
As the game advances, blinds go up and some players’ bankrolls go down. Most people who are short stacked tighten up and will tend to fold, or only call if they’re low on chips. They hope to see a hand cheaply, which at that stage for the game for them is a fine Texas Hold’em poker strategy.
However, and here is a great poker tip, if you see a player low on chips only calling the big blind, or in the big blind position, you raise on them. They will be shepherding their chips. They will not waste them unless they have a great hand. If they did have a great hand, in the majority of cases they would have raised or gone all in pre-flop. If they do call and the flop is not in your favour, and they go all in, it may be best to fold. Sure, there are players who will do that anyway, and bluff you. But you should know the character of the player by this stage of the game. Make the call if you think you are ahead, otherwise save your chips.
Even if you are stacked, and there are players with the same or more chips than you, be wary of raising against them without a great hand. To risk all your chips against a stacked player when you are comfortable is what leads to bad beat poker. You can raise for value with a decent hand, but still be prepared to get out if you are 3-bet.
Remember: it’s not about not about calling bets, it’s like a game of chess. You have to think a few moves ahead. For instance, what will I have to do on the turn if I don’t hit and they bet? How much do I pay to find out the next move? So think about what is happening and whether a low-stacked player is going to be shoving.
Poker tip; Assess your opponent’s chip stack and think ahead a few moves.
4.- Going all-in with an average hand because your stack of chips is low;
This is where your own poker philosophy comes into play. Any two cards can win right? Or do you think that one of them must at least be an ace, and preferably a high ace? It might be a nice strategy when you’re the small blind (SB) or BB to risk all your chips on J/8 or Q/9 when your stack is down to just 4 or 5 times the big blind. Remember that you’re dealt cards for free at every other position on the table. If it has been frustrating to receive bad hand after bad hand all night, have extra patience to wait for a good hand to go all-in. Why risk all you have been striving for with the worst hand in poker, or something that isn’t close to the best hand in poker.
Poker tip; Choose your all-in moment carefully.
5.- Trying to “steal the blinds” when no other players have raised the BB;
Surprise surprise, it’s a bad idea to bet hard with a bad hand against lots of players. If you do it from early position you are on dodgy ground, there are so many players to enter the pot after you. If you are going to shove, or over-bet, its best done from the big blind, small blind or button. But at the end of the day, is it worth it to get your pockets filled with dimes? Generally it’s not worth the risk even in late position. Someone may have limped with top value cards and is waiting for a raiser. It happens. Or an opponent may have recognized that’s the way you play and calls. You will lose way more than you win. Stick to a sound poker strategy, avoid wasting chips on that bad hand.
Poker tip; Shove with good hands, with at least a picture card or a pocket pair. At least if you lose you can complain about bad beat poker.
6.- Betting the same amount every time you pre-flop raise;
If you make the same value raise pre-flop with the same types of cards all the time, ie AA, AK ,KK, KQ, this is one of the common poker mistakes. Your opponents will get a read on your play. So they will know that if they play small cards to your raise and the flop is low, they could bet hard. When you get to a showdown, they’ll know what kind of cards you are likely to have been holding when you raised pre-flop. Make sure you are aware of how your betting pattern is being interpreted. Confuse other players every once in a while. Predictability is death! This is working out a players ‘range,’ what cards they are likely to have at any give time in any position. You should be working out theirs, and they will be working out yours.
Poker tip, Either vary the amount of your pre-flop betting when you have good cards, or raise the same every time you enter a pot. That’s
7.-Passive Pre-flop play;
Don’t be shy. Raise when you get great cards. Be aggressive. For that hand become noticeable and gain respect from other players at the table. Raising increases your chance of winning the pot straight away if everyone folds, but also if you C-bet. Because you raised pre-flop, if you C-bet even without hitting the board with your A/K or A/Q, people will believe you. If you don’t raise pre-flop, your opponents may stay in the hand when you bet on the flop. Also if you do raise pre-flop, you are building the pot. If you take it down, you have built a nice little stack. Although its possible, it would be unusual for a passive player end up winning a tournament. Aggressive play does better.
Poker tip; Raise with good cards.
8.- Failing to take table position into consideration;
Being on the Button, SB or BB presents with an incredible advantage. You’ll have more information available than any other person on the table. Make sure you evaluate everyone’s reaction to their bets before deciding on calling a raise, raising or folding.
Being on the button will also increase your chances to win by bluffing post-flop when all players have only checked or folded their hands. Even if it is the worst hand in poker you could do this. Sometimes a blind sized bet or a 2x blind bet is enough.
This position gives you a chance to raise pre-flop too. Experienced players will expect this so keep the raise reasonable and its more likely to be believed. Keep an eye on how the other players make their call though, and if you sense someone setting a trap, be extra careful.
Poker tip; Use position on the table to put other players under pressure.
9.-Not raising a tight or short stacked player;
Some players play super tight and that is their nature. They never ever play a bad hand. And some novice players only play the best hands. Try and spot these tight players because you need to know how to deal with them and get the advantage. Its great if you have a tight player on your left. If they are the big blind you can raise on them every time even if you have the worst hand in poker. Unless they have an ace or a pair, these players will fold, so you can pick up loads of chips. By the same token, if they enter a hand, even calling the big blind, and especially when they raise, be careful. They will only have good cards. In this situation, unless you have a very strong hand, it’s best to not call their raise. It doesn’t mean you should never call them. Be always aware of their hands and pay to see the flop only when you have something worth the shot.
Poker tip; Play the player. Figure out how someone plays and use the information.
10.- Folding at the SB position;
This is a tricky position to play well. As a beginner you are best off folding the vast majority of hands here. Why? Because after the flop you have the worst position on the table. It seems an easy decision to play this hand most of the time, after all you already have half the blind in the pot. And you might get lucky. But most of us most of the time don’t get lucky. If you continually put your chips in the pot in this position you are depleting your chip stack. Then you start to feel you are running bad in poker.
You could, for instance, play Ace /rag from here. However if you hit your rag card, ie a 2 through to 8, and there are higher cards on the flop, the chances are someone will have the higher card. And if you hit your Ace, you have a weak kicker and you are out of position.
This becomes more relevant later in the game when the blinds are going up, and the cost of calling even the half the blind becomes prohibitive. Be smart in this position, don’t enter the pot too often.
Poker tip; Be wary in the small blind, it’s a difficult spot post-flop.
Conclusion;
The beginning of every hand is crucial to the outcome. That decision you make on how to enter the game each time can make or break you It can lead to running bad in poker.
Poker is a mental game. Sitting at a poker table for hours will affect most players’ ability to calculate odds, remember betting patterns, and reason efficiently. Think about what you want to achieve with each hand you play, and if you are thinking of playing the cards with blind hope and luck, let the hand go
A lot of players play well at the beginning of a game and increase their chip count steadily, only to lose all their chips due to mental fatigue in the latter stages of the game. Make sure you’re at the top of your abilities when the game has been running for long hours, and try to take advantage from others’ weariness.
As players get tired and their mind wanders they are likely to make mistakes. If you’re the one who’s feeling tired, walk around the room or go outside for some fresh air. Look for the signs that someone is fatiguing, yawning, rubbing their eyes. If you are on your game, you can take advantage of them.
Players have holes in their game where they loose chips. Try to make sure you are not wasting your chips. Start with thinking about the points above, and figure out if they are affecting your game. Good luck!
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The first thing you learn in poker is the standard ranking of hands. For most people, the 2nd 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 2nd 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 3rd 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
10 Best Hands In Texas Holdem
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.
Hands In Texas Hold'em
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.
Top 10 Hands In Texas Holdem
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 2nd-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.
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.
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.
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