If you’re fairly new to Texas Hold‘Em poker, then you should take this article with a grain of salt. The truth is that any starting hand (or hole cards) can be a winner or a loser depending on what shows up on the table and what your opponents hold. Some hands are simply stronger due to the statistics of the game. However, a betting strategy can turn the worst starting hand into a winner.
Before you get good at bluffing, you should choose a set of starting hands that you are willing to get in the pot on. Then, unless you have one of these starting hands, or you’re in the big blind with no raise behind you, you should simply fold and wait for the next hand. The hands listed below can be used as a guideline for hole cards you may be willing to play.
Strongest starting hands
This is a list of the absolute strongest hole cards. As long as the pot is not overly inflated when it’s your turn to call, you should most likely get in with any one of these hands.
- Pair of high cards. This includes AA, KK, QQ, JJ, 1010. In many cases, the top pair is a winner in poker. If you’ve already got it in your hole cards, then you’re a step ahead of the game. One of the best parts of these hands is there ability to provide you with 3 of a kind or even a full house. Chances are your opponent will not put you on a pair of Kings to match the one on the board. Situations like that (if played properly) can quickly build your chip stack.
- Ace and a suited high card. This would be an Ace and a King, Queen, Jack or Ten. They should both be of the same suit. The benefits here provide good chances of picking up any of the following hands:
- A paired Ace with a nice high kicker.
- A paired high card with an Ace kicker.
- The highest flush on the table (if one were to fall).
- A nice high straight.
- Suited face cards. The benefits here are basically the same as those of the Ace and suited high card. The only difference being that you’re not holding the highest card. This is a nice starting hand, because it can be fairly easy to read your position relative to the other players in the hand. If an Ace falls on the board, you can generally make a good guess if another player is holding its match. You can get into trouble with this hand when you do pick up the flush, but it is also picked up by your opponent, holding the suited Ace.
- Ace and a King. Known to many as “Big Slick,” this is generally a very good starting hand. It has many advantages. Statistically speaking, it is very unlikely that any of your opponents is holding a pair of Kings or a pair of Aces. That means if you pair either one, you will have the highest kicker as well. There is also a straight shot with this hand, but it is generally played for the matching hands (pair, two pair, 3 of a kind).
Medium strength starting hands
The following hands can also be played by the mildly seasoned poker player. These hands offer a solid “jumping off point” for the player. Most of these hands depend on the outcome of the flop to be played properly. Get in with these hands if the stakes aren’t too high.
- Suited Face card and Ten. This includes K10, Q10 and J10 (suited). This hand is fairly close in strength compared to the suited face cards. The logic here is all the same, but your cards just aren’t quite as high. The 10 can still be a fairly strong kicker, and it opens up the possibility of trumping a smaller straight. Play this had with caution. Even if the flop works in your favor, you should tread lightly until you are certain your opponent(s) are not catching all the right cards to put you in trouble.
- Medium-level pairs. These include 77, 88 and 99. There are generally two ways to play these hands. The first would be to bet it fairly hard pre-flop in hopes of simply grabbing some blinds. If you get called, you should wait to bet until you make either three of a kind, or you can tell that your opponent’s hand is nothing more than a couple face cards that he has not paired on the board. The second useful situation to play this hand is when your chip stack is low and you are looking at either a minor raise before you, or multiple players that have called the big blind. This can be a good opportunity to gamble on your pair and push all your chips in. The best scenario is that everyone else will fold and you’ll have simply built up your stack a bit. But that doesn’t happen too often to the low stacked player. Most other players will recognize that you are simply taking on this gamble and may be willing to gamble right along with you. If the player that calls you is holding a higher pair, then you can probably start gathering your crap from the table and get ready to shake some hands. On the other hand, if he turns up two cards that are higher than your pair (but aren’t suited) then you each have just about a 50/50 chance of taking the pot.
- Two high cards. This is two hole cards that are not of the same suit, but are both Ten or higher. Again, you’re basically hoping to par one of your cards and hold a nice kicker along with it. There is also the chance of picking up a nice high straight with this hand. In any event, you should see a complimenting flop to continue. Be careful not to spend money pursuing the inside straight draw. That means you already hold both the top and bottom card in your straight and you’re looking for one in the middle. The odds of it coming on the turn or river are pretty low. However, the open ended straight draw is sometimes worth spending a small amount of chips on. If it doesn’t fall on the turn you have a decision to make. Chances are it’s not going to fall on the river either. Your best bet in this situation is to read your opponent to the best of your ability. Did the turn help him? If not, it may be a good opportunity to bet hard and bluff him out. If he calls you always have the river to look forward to. If you don’t hit on the river you can tuck your tail between your legs and admit your defeat.
- Suited Ace and medium-high card. This would be an A7, A8 or A9 of the same suit. This is best to play when you’re in the right betting position. It can also be a nice hand when there aren’t only one or two other players left at your table. You’re basically hoping to either pair your Ace, hit a flush draw off the flop or pair your non-Ace along with some other non-face cards showing on the board. Unless you grab the nut flush (a flush from the flop), then you need to proceed with caution. If you hit your Ace, you should consider betting on it. If there is an aggressor behind you then he either has a higher kicker or is simply trying to represent he has that Ace paired. In either case, proceed with caution.
- Medium-high suited connectors. This would be two suited cards of either 78, 89 or 910. A good flop provides outs for you to either hit the straight or the flush. If the flop does nothing for you then you need to either get out fast or bluff it hard.
Of course, there are other hands that can present a good start for the right player, in the right betting position. If you’re just getting started, the above hands should server you fairly well. Play smart and play your opponents. Remember, it doesn’t hurt to spend a few chips here and there to get a feel for how your opponents are betting. As Doyle Brunson says, “You’ve got to give action to get it.”
