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Knowing Your Poker Starting Hands

January 12, 2008

Hold’em poker, either at no limit, pot limit, or limit, is complicated no matter how long you have been playing. It isn’t just about the skill of the knowledge that you have, but it also about the mathematical method to this game that require you to be on the top level of play at all times. If people do not think that poker has any mathematical implications then they really shouldn’t be playing the game at all.

However, it is easy to learn if you are willing to put in the time. The first thing you should do, after learning the rules of course, is to know which Texas Hold’em hands are playable and which ones should be folded. By memorizing them, and really understanding them, you can start applying what you learn here on actual tables. No matter what people say, there is a difference between a good starting hand and a bad starting hand. A good starting hand automatically gives you more chances to win, whereas a bad starting hand is going to end up with you losing, and sometimes, losing very big.

Here is a list to help you get an idea of what is the best hands, the second best hands, the third best hands, etc, until you get to the hands that should be folded under most circumstances (this excludes playing heads up which we will tackle soon.) As you can see they are separated into groups that give you the best to the worst odds. You may look at the last hand and see some cards that you think shouldn’t be there. However, they are there for a reason - they lose more than they win. Some of these starting hands overlap, because it depends on the table you are playing and how many people are there. Take a look and see how these groups compare to the hands that you are playing.

1: AA, KK, AKs
2: QQ, JJ, AK, AQs, AJs, KQs
3: TT, AQ, ATs, KJs, QJs, JTs
4: 99, 88, AJ, AT, KQ, KTs, QTs, J9s, T9s, 98s
5: 77, 66, A9s, A5s-A2s, K9s, KJ, KT, QJ, QT, Q9s, JT, QJ, T8s, 97s, 87s, 76s, 65s
6: 55, 44, 33, 22, K9, J9, 86s
7: T9, 98, 85s
8: Q9, J8, T8, 87, 76, 65
9: A9s-A6s, A8-A2, K8-K2, K8-K2s, J8s, J7s, T7, 96s, 75s, 74s, 64s, 54s, 53s, 43s, 42s, 32s, 32

As you can see the list is quite descriptive and puts strong emphasis on connecting and suited hands. Although learning how to play these starting hands correctly is much more complex than just knowing which hands not to play there are certainly some easy general guidelines. First of all, the hands in the two first groups should usually be raised from almost any position. The hands in groups 1 to 4 and sometimes even 5 should usually just call and the hands in groups 6 to 8 should be played with extreme caution and only in very loose and passive games. Group 9 represents hands that have very little chance of winning and usually serve only for diversity and bluffing in order to throw off your opponents. Of course this should be done very rarely and even not all in the low limit games.

Memorizing these groups will help you get a better idea of what you should and should not be playing, and why you may not be winning as much as you should be. Once you understand these groups it will help you understand the mathematical odds of you felting everyone at the table.

Written by Tom · Filed Under Poker Strategy |  

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