Strong Poker Starting Hands
At the bottom of this page is a comprehensive listing of Texas Hold'em starting hands based on their EV (expected value). Expected value is the average number of big blinds this hand will make or lose. For example: AA from the Small Blind in a $3/$6 game will make, on average, 2.71 times the big blind, or $16.20 per hand (2.71. $6). Even so, J 10 suited is a favorite hand for any poker player based on the bounty of possibilities the hand offers on every flop. You’ll almost always flop some sort of draw or outs, with the chance to improve to strong hands on the turn or river, making J 10 suited a great hand to execute the float play that has become so popular of late. Tip 1: Play The Right Starting Hands. Whether it be lack of patience, or an unfamiliarity with opening ranges, many tournament poker players still open too wide. This is especially true when it comes to early and middle position opens, where there are still many opponents left to act behind who can be dealt a strong hand. 6-Max Starting Hand Range Charts Solid poker strategy begins with good preflop hand selection. Having well-structured ranges will lead to fewer tough spots and more profitable ones. Here are 6-handed preflop charts for every position at the table (starting from the LJ) from the Upswing Lab.
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Every decision you make, every pot you win and your ultimate success in poker all begin with those two little cards dealt to you at the beginning of each hand. With so much riding on your starting hands, it only makes sense that you would want to pick the ones that give you the best chance to win the pot.
In early position, you want to be extremely particular in which starting hands you play. Early position is a tough place to play from so you need stronger hands to help negate the disadvantage of your position. Only stick with the strongest hands from early position - look for big pairs like TT-AA and AK.
When you get to middle and late position, you can open up your range a little. If several people have already entered the pot, you can enter as well with a variety of hands. Besides the obvious premium hands, you can also play small pocket pairs and suited connectors with the hopes of hitting a big flop.
As a general rule of thumb, you should really only play the top 20% of your starting hands. The other 80% you should just fold. It sounds terrible having to fold 80% of the time but that's how the big winners do it. Even your favorite poker pros on TV have to fold most of the time - you just don't see it on TV.
This is usually where newer players interject with the argument that any two cards can win in holdem. Of course any two hands can win in holdem but that doesn't mean you should play every hand you're dealt! Anything can happen in the short term but we look at poker and judge success from a long term perspective.
If you want to win money in the long term, you need to fold all those weak hands and stick with only the best hands. Weak hands don't win often enough to pay for all the times they don't get you anywhere. All the times you limp in with a weak hand and end up folding it add up quickly.
The other problem with weak hands is how hard they are to play post flop. When you play those marginal hands, it's hard telling where you stand because your hand is so iffy. If you constantly place yourself in marginal situations, you're going to lose money. Just avoid the problem in the first place and stick with strong hands.
When you play those strong hands, play them like you mean it. Come in with a raise and get some money in the pot. Sometimes it seems pointless to raise your strong hands, especially ones like AK, when you know the whole table is just going to call your raise but trust me, there is a point to raising.
Even if there are 9 other people in the pot, you should still raise your strong hands because they have more pot equity than the weak hands your opponents play. Even a hand like AK that only hits a pair 1/3rd of the time is worth raising because you'll win more than your fair share of pots with it. Every time you get money in the pot against inferior hands, you win over the long term. Sure, you'll have all kinds of results in the short term, but the bigger pots you win with your strong hands make up for the times someone draws out on you with a trashy hand.
If you play tight before the flop and raise your strong hands aggressively, you'll already be well on your way to winning big in poker. Playing a tight but aggressive starting hand strategy is the easiest way to gain an immediate advantage over your competition. If you couple that with a solid post-flop strategy, your bankroll will grow faster than you ever thought possible.
Poker Concepts Worth Knowing
Basic Starting Hands - Texas Hold'em
“What hands you play in Hold'em is as much about your position at the table as it is the hands yourself.
Here's a useful downloadable chart explaining hand rankings and what starting hands you should play. Click to download.
9-9, for example, is a good raising hand in late position if no-one has raised the pot beforehand, but in early position (the small or big blind) you can find yourself in trouble if you're first to act after the flop.
The first thing to do is group starting hands together: Premium, Semi-Premium and Marginal.
Premium hands are things like A-A and K-K. With these hands you'll be raising and re-raising, in every position at the table.
Next, Semi-Premium hands are ones like A-K, Q-Q, J-J, 10-10 and K-Qs. With these you should raise in every position, and re-raise with them in late position only. A-K is OK to just call a raise with in early position, as if you're first to act you can comfortably check-call on a low flop, or bet out if you've hit top-pair. Remember, A-K is only 'ace-high', i.e. it has great value only if you make a pair with it.
Strong Poker Starting Hands Meaning
Strong Poker Starting Hands Against
Next, Marginal hands are a bigger group of cards. In this group you can put 9-9, J-10s, 10-9s, A-10s, A-Js, K-Js. Raise in late position only in an unraised pot and call in early position if you have value.