One of the keys to being a strong Texas Hold 'em poker player is to know which hands are playable and which are not.This list of the top 10 best starting hands for Texas Hold 'em is a good place to start learning. A number of poker experts have written on the subject of good poker starting hands for Texas Holdem. Beginners should read the best poker writers to further their study of poker hand strength. David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth of 2+2 fame designed an influential set of Texas Holdem starting hand charts in 1999.
Texas Holdem Rankings for All 169 Starting Hands. Sure, you still beat A 7, A 6, A 5, A 4, A 3, and A 2, but opponents tend to play the first group of six a lot more than the second group, illustrating why A 10 off suit is seldom the best hand on an ace high board.
September 23rd, 2019 12:31
Texas Hold’em is the most popular and widely played throughout the world. It is played with a single 52-card deck and normally involves 2-9 players. Each player in the game has to form the best 5 card poker hand combination from the seven cards – two hole cards and five community cards. There are five betting rounds in Texas Hold’em poker game – and the player with the winning hand takes away the pot.
Know The Hand Rankings
- Royal Flush – Best possible hand – AKQJT in heart
- Straight Flush – Five cards of same suit and in sequential order – JT987 in spades
- Four of a kind – Any four numerically matching cards – All 4 sevens
- Full house – Three of a kind and a pair in the same hand – 3 aces & 2 queens
- Flush- Five cards of the same suit in any order – 257QQ in diamonds
- Straight five cards of any suit in sequential order – 45678 in different suits
- Three of a kind – Any three numerically matching cards – 3 queens
- Two pair – two different pairs – 2 aces & 2 queens
- Pair – any two numerically matching cards – 2 kings
- High card – the highest ranking card in your hand with ace being the highest and two the lowest
Popular Starting Hands
Texas Hold'em Starting Hand Rankings
- AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK are the Best Hands. If you receive any of these card combos, raise in the pre-flop, and bet more depending on their higher value.
- KO,AQ, TT, 99 are the good starting hands which are often strengthened by the board cards.
- KJ, AJ, AT, JT, QT, QJ, 88 are reasonable hands that can easily be beaten if another opponent has a higher combo. You should pursue these hands if they are suited and when you are in late position at the table.
- A8, K7, Pockets pairs lower than 8, suited adjacent 98, 76 are potentially good hands. These cards are often missed in the flop yet have the potential to become flushes, straights and trips.