The Rest of the Top 20 Hold'em Hands. The top 10 best starting hands in Hold’em are a good starting point for poker players but every potential starting hand can be ranked all the way down to the lowly 7-2 off suit, which only has a 4% chance of. The Top 10 Starting Hands in Texas Hold'em 17 February 2005 By Fred Renzey. When playing Hold'em poker, you can be dealt 169 different two-card starting hands. Thirteen of them are pairs (such as 8/8), another 78 hands are suited hands (like the Q/10 of spades) and 78 more hands are unsuited non-pairs (such as 9/6 offsuit). Texas Holdem – Top 10% Starting Hands. In Texas Hold’em, there are 169 unique combinations of preflop starting hands you can be dealt. This number is arrived at by grouping holdings into pairs, suited cards and offsuit cards, and considering that preflop specific suits (e.g. Hearts vs diamonds) don’t yet have value. (If taking into account suits, the number of hole card. It’s hard to go wrong when playing “rockets,” or “bullets,” as a pair of aces if.
The Strongest Poker Hands – Before and After the Flop
Before the flop is dealt, the strongest hands are easy to spot. Aces, Kings and Queens top the list – with Ace-King not far behind.
The relative strength of poker hands in Texas Hold’em changes as the community cards are dealt. While all sorts of starting hands can hit the flop, there are certain categories which are more likely to turn into hidden monsters.
This page covers the top 10 poker hands, before the flop – and then all the way to the river. This includes:
- Starting Hands: Top 10 hands that every play would love to be dealt before the flop
- Flop Betting: How the first 3 community cards have a huge effect on the ‘relative’ strength of the bet pre-flop hands.
- Turn and River: Draws can complete, or high cards can hit as the community card board is completed.
- Top Hands and Position: Why being dealt a top 10 poker hand alone is not enough to win big.
- How to Tell: If you can spot those times an opponent has a monster hand, you’ll be in a great position top get away from 2nd best holdings.
Starting Hands: The Top 10 Hands Before the Flop
Pocket Aces rule the rankings before the flop. If you are dealt this hand, you’ll win 80% of the time against any single hand your opponent could hold by the river.
Here are the top 10 hands pre-flop in Texas Hold’em:
- Pocket Aces: There is no better feeling in Hold’em than looking down at a pair of aces. Especially if there has been a raise ahead of you.
- Pocket Kings: With aces so rare, it is usual to assume that your pocket kings are the best hand pre-flop. You can always reassess if you face multiple re-raises. With no aces on the flop, you can hope to win a big pot with this hand.
- Pocket Queens: There is a risk that opponents have aces, kings or ace-king when you are dealt Queens. With no ‘card removal’ for those hands as when you are dealt A-A or K-K. Pocket Queens is still a very strong hand and should be played for a raise.
- Ace-King: This hand is even stronger when suited, though plenty strong enough with just the high card value. If you make a pair on the flop, you will have the top kicker to go with your top-pair.
- Pocket Jacks: As you get down the rankings, even strong starting hands start to become vulnerable to over-cards on the flop. Jacks are often good enough to win unimproved, though you need to be cautious when an ace hits the board.
- Ace-Queen: Again, a suited version is much stronger than an unsuited one – as you’ll be able to make the nut flush on occasion. This hand becomes stronger if your opponents are prone to overplaying aces with weaker kickers.
- Pocket 10’s: This is the last pocket pair which is more likely than not to be an over-pair on the flop. It has hidden value, blocking straights and allowing you to hit a set (as with all smaller pairs) on boards which look ‘safe’ for the higher pairs.
- King Queen Suited: This hand has a lot of potential multi-way. Heads up against one of the premium hands, it does not do as well. If you find yourself with king-queen suited in position in a multi-way pot, you can often make a hidden monster and win a big pot.
- Ace-Jack / Ace-Ten: These hands are vulnerable, though suited versions can make the nut flush, if you don’t make 2 pairs, there is always a chance of a Broadway straight.
- Mid-Pairs: Finally, mid-pairs can make sets – giving them a lot of deceptive strength. When someone has aces, and bets strongly, you can often win their whole stack with a hidden pair or 7’s (for example).
Relative Strength of Poker Hands on Different Flops
Key to success in poker is not to get married to the top 10 starting hands after the flop. There are several factors to consider. While you can often assume that your premium starting hand is still best (and bet it accordingly), a clear assessment of the risks is always useful.
When you see a flop, think about the following:
- How many opponents saw this flop (what is the risk that some random hand connected!)?
- Does this flop have the potential to hit many drawing hands (straights and flushes)?
- Is this the type of flop that will not connect with hands my (tight) opponents are likely to play (low, unconnected flops fit this category)?
- Are there cards on the board which are higher than my pocket pair?
These questions highlight an error that many new players make with premium hands. If you limp or call, instead of raising with those aces – you can end up in a tricky spot. You could see a wet flop (lots of potential draws available) with multiple opponents who might have random holdings. If you have to act first in the betting, the situation looks even trickier. Here your hand is too strong to give up on, though if you get a lot of action on subsequent betting rounds, you could be in trouble!
Playing good hands strongly, and raising a few outside the top 5 for balance, is a great way to avoid too many tough spots on the flop.
Turn and River Cards: How Likely my Opponent Hit?
When the turn or river card completes a flush (for example) and your opponent comes out firing with a big bet, you need to ask yourself how often you are beaten.
The wrong question to ask here is ‘how often do players make flushes by the river?’. You have some additional information. If your opponent called a bet on the flop, or even raised, then they are likely to have some kind of hand. If they continued all the way, only to re-raise you at the end when their card hit – you might just be in trouble.
Getting ‘married’ to over-pairs can be expensive in these situations. What is demonstrates is that even the top 10 starting hands can be losers in certain run-outs. You’ll need to use your judgement to decide whether your opponent might be bluffing in the scenario above. This can be based on the player, their bet sizing in the hand and your history with that opponent. In my experience, players at the smallest stakes are not bluffing frequently enough in this type of spot to make this a profitable call.
Playing the Top 10 Poker Starting Hands in Position
With the dynamics or poker hand strength changing as the community cards come out, playing in position is a great way to optimise your profits. This simply refers to acting last in the betting on the flop, turn and river betting rounds. The player with the ‘Dealer’ button position acts last – though keep in mind that acting last relative to the raiser pre-flop is a different factor.
When you are last to act, you can get away from hands when there is a raise and a re-raise ahead of you. It is always an option to bet out and steal a pot you might otherwise have given up on when everyone checks to you as well.
Position strategy goes a lot deeper than this. When you are starting out, keep in mind that acting last + having a top 10 poker hand is the best spot to be in!
How to Tell If Your Top Hand is Beaten?
As you gain experience playing on different board-textures, and against different types of opponents – spotting those times when your pocket aces are second best becomes a lot easier.
While some opponents keep betting at any pot where they have a piece of the board (or a draw in some cases), other opponents are more cautious. If someone who usually limps and calls suddenly wakes up with big bets, this is a great sign that you could be beaten. I have seen opponents play passively for hours, and suddenly check-raise when they made the top flush. If you pay those types off, it is down to you not paying attention – rather than bad luck.
Learn How to Get the Most out of Texas Hold’em Starting Hands
Getting hole cards in Texas Hold’em is where all the action starts. As soon as you get to see your cards, you need to act quickly and make the most out of it.
Although there are numerous things you should pay attention to, including your opponents, your stack size, your position, and tournament levels, there are a couple of essentials that can apply to every starting hand.
Therefore, I decided to make a nice little cheat sheet that will help you act in the right direction as soon as the hand starts.
Let’s make a quick rundown of things you’re going to learn in this article:
On top of that, I also created a helpful FAQ section at the end of this article. Therefore, if you’re ready to improve your Texas Hold’em skill, make sure to carefully read this article!
What Are Starting Hands in Texas Hold’em?
Whenever a hand in Texas Hold’em starts, each player will receive two face-down cards from the dealer that only they will be able to see. These cards are later combined with community cards that are revealed after every betting round.
However, before you are able to make a valid poker hand using community cards, you need to take part in the pre-flop betting round. Essentially, you need to decide what to do based only on your two hole cards.
This is not an easy task, but it could be facilitated if you stick to some guidelines that are pointed out in this article.
Poker Is All About Odds
Before I proceed with discussing individual hands, I just want to make a short point about poker.Although Texas Hold’em, as well as many other poker variations, is a game of skill, many people don’t deny the element of luck that is present. However, knowing your odds at any point in the game is something that could help you significantly when it comes to choosing your actions.
That’s why I am going to discuss odds and probabilities with every hand and tell you how these can affect you and other players during a single poker hand.
Playing in Position — How Your Position at the Table Affects Your Outcome
The position is something you should definitely pay attention to during the pre-flop betting round. Poker players generally divide positions into three main categories: early, mid, and late positions.
Players who are the first to act are said to be in an “early” position. Those who get to act last are in a “late” position. Naturally, those who are in late position usually have a certain advantage as they get to make their decision after seeing what other players decided.
This is extremely important in the starting hand. While some hands may be playable when you’re in late position, they should be taken out of the equation in early positions.
Pairs — What to Do When You Get a Pair as a Starting Hand?
Since players only receive two hole cards in Texas Hold’em, pair is basically the best thing you can get. Yet, you have to keep in mind that no matter how good things look pre-flop, all of that can change after the flop cards are revealed.
The rule of thumb is that you should get money if the pot if your pair improves with the flop. However, there’s one thing you need to know — some pairs are better than others. Therefore, let’s take a look at individual card pairs as your starting hands.
Pocket Aces
Pocket aces. The bullets. Pocket rockets. Pocker lovers have been quite creative when it comes to naming a pair of aces, as it is a very welcome sight in poker. In fact, the best combination of hole cards you can receive is pocket aces.
Statistically speaking, you can only get these once in every 221 hands, meaning you should immediately start working on maximizing the value right away. In other words, the most passive player in the world would make a raise pre-flop with the bullets in their hand.
Post-Flop Pocket Aces
Although you cannot get a better hand than a pair of aces, that could change a lot once the initial three cards are revealed on the flop. Usually, if you don’t improve, just make sure not to stack off to insignificant two pairs or sets.
The good thing about aces is that they are the highest card in poker. Therefore, there’s literally a 0% chance of getting an overcard on the flop.
Pocket Kings
After pocket aces, pocket kings are the second-best starting poker hand. Some very passive and tight players might fold the popular “cowboys” if they’re in a late position and conclude that it’s the best thing to do. However, it doesn’t happen much, and the most logical thing to do is to raise the pot money pre-flop.
Post-Flop Pocket Kings
The only thing that you don’t want to find on the flop is an ace, as that significantly increases the chances of someone else creating a pair of aces. However, if you have an overpair, then feel free to add more chips to the pot and get the most from your hand.
The probability of getting an overcard (in this case an ace) when holding KK is somewhere around 23%.
Pocket Queens or Jacks
QQ or JJ in your pocket should also mean that you definitely need to play your hand in any position. Yet, these two pairs are pretty much foldable in many situations, especially if you’re in a late position and you see other players making a re-raise. If you decide to call in that situation, you might get in trouble afterwards.
Post-Flop QQ or JJ
If there was a lot of re-raising on the pre-flop, you should continue with betting on the flop only if you improve your hand. In this case, it’s important to keep an eye on your opponents to see if they show signs of weakness and act accordingly, despite not improving on the flop.
Pairs Below Jacks
Getting TT, 99, 88 or 77 as hole cards is considered playable in every position. On the other hand, 66 and 55 are only advised to play if you are in a mid or late position. Finally, 44, 33 and 22 should only be considered if you’re in a late position.
Yet, this is something you shouldn’t take for granted. All hands that are below a pair of jacks are not facing raises or re-raises, especially if you’re in a late position. However, you still want to be careful when raising bets.
Post-Flop with Pairs Below Jacks
If you don’t manage to hit a set when the flop cards are on the table, you should consider folding. The lower your pair is, the greater the chance that someone else has already managed to make a pair that is higher than yours.
Odds of Facing an Overcard
The main idea behind pairs is to make sure that there’s a minimum chance of your opponents getting a higher pair. However, the lower your starting hand pair is, the higher the chance there will be a higher card on the flop.
According to Mike Petriv’s Hold’em Odds Book, here are the odds for every pair you can have as pocket cards.
- KK — 23%
- QQ — 43%
- JJ — 59%
- TT — 71%
- 99 — 81%
- 88 — 88%
- 77 — 93%
- 66 — 97%
- 55 — 99%
- 44 — 99.7%
- 33 — 99.9%
Top-Pair Hands — What Are They and How to Play Them?
Whenever you receive a pair of cards and get two different but high-ranking cards, you’re in a good spot. Basically, if you receive, for example, an ace and a king, you are in a good starting position to dictate the hand.
These hands are often referred to as “top-pair” hands, as you have an opportunity to create a top pair on the flop with one of them.
During these hands, the goal of every player is to trap loose players into making the pot larger so that they can make a huge profit. Moreover, top-pair hands can come in handy when you have a position and nobody raised before you.
On the other hand, the rule many poker players accept is that you shouldn’t call a raise if you have them, as that usually leads to losing a significant amount of real money.
Suited Connectors/Suited One-Gappers — An Opportunity You Shouldn’t Miss
What many newcomers to the world of poker completely neglect are card suits. These can be beneficial in creating a flush or a straight (or even a straight flush, if you’re really lucky).
Suited connectors are basically of the same suit and are usually ranked pretty closely. For example, 9♣ and 10♣ are the two cards that can become very lucrative if you manage to connect them with three additional cards of the same suit or three cards that can help you complete a straight.
Suited one-gappers can be cards such as 10♠ and Q♠, meaning there’s a gap between them that can be filled with a J♠, if you’re lucky.
The point is — these hands are great, but you have to take into account that they are risky as well, as one doesn’t often hit straights or flushes.
In fact, if you’re in an early position, the best you can do is fold your cards and wait for the next hand. On the other hand, middle/late positions are more suitable and will allow you to raise if you’re feeling lucky.
Post-Flop One-Gappers
Once the flop cards are face-up, make sure to carefully analyze your hand. The best you can do is immediately land a flush or a straight, but the odds for that are not that great.
Yet, landing a pair or a draw is quite possible, and you should consider your hand good if that happens.
A draw in poker is when a player needs one card to complete a hand. For example, if you have 9♣ and 10♣ in your pocket and you land 2♣, 5♣, and 6♦, you basically have a draw — four cards of the same suit. However, to create a valid poker hand, you need five cards of the same suit. Luckily, you have two more chances to get one on the turn or on the river.
Ultimately, playing one-gappers is always a bit riskier than playing high pairs. However, many professionals agree that this type of hand is great for playing huge pots with the least investment.
Suited Aces — Big Pots for Small Investment
Suited aces refer to hands where you have an ace and a lower card of the same suit. Just like suited connectors, these types of hands shouldn’t result in your making a huge investment. Their goal is to take down big pots without actually investing too much. In other words, getting into a raising competition is the last thing you need with either suited aces or suited connectors.False Friends — Hands That Look Great but Aren’t
Sometimes, new players think they are on the right track after reraising with, say, K♥ and
10♣. These two cards are both high and may look good at first. However, they aren’t suited and are just going to lose you money.Regardless of the position, it’s almost never wise to play these hands, as the chances of getting a valuable hand on the flop are lower than usual.
Post-Flop False Friends
If you had a good gut feeling and decided to proceed with the hand on the pre-flop, there’s a chance that you didn’t get anything on the flop. Even if you make a pair, it should at least be a pair of aces, kings or queens.In every other situation, the best way out is to just fold while you still have time.
Final Thoughts
Starting hands may not tell you much about your final odds, but they are definitely helpful when it comes to creating your strategy for the hand. It’s a perfect time to scan your opponents and find out more about them, especially if you’re in a late position.This article should help you learn what to do once you receive a specific combination of cards, but you shouldn’t take these pieces of advice as final.
Top 10 Hold'em Hands
Poker is not math — it’s jazz. It’s up to players to assess the situation at the table and ultimately decide what to do. Therefore, make sure to use this article as the initial guide and try improvising whenever necessary.