Best Poker Handles
There are 169 unique poker starting hands in texas hold’em.
That means there are 169 unique strategies to know about.
But don’t worry!
In this article you will learn about the best poker starting hands and how to play the rest.
It's Saturday night, you're at the poker table with your friends, and you're feeling lucky. You're hoping for a run of cards that ends up with hands like the first or second on this list. But the rest of the list will do in a pinch and they might be winners depending on what everyone else has—or, more to the point, what everyone else thinks. There are 169 unique poker starting hands in texas hold’em. That means there are 169 unique strategies to know about. But don’t worry! In this article you will learn about the best poker starting hands and how to play the rest. I have a friend, following one of Tom Dwan’s plays, who would fight ‘til the end his King-Nine suited.
I have a friend, following one of Tom Dwan’s plays, who would fight ‘til the end his King-Nine suited.
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Whatever happens, my friend would bluff his way with this hand even if he didn’t hit anything on the board.
He believes that this is his lucky poker starting hands.
Each time this hand of his wins, he’d say “I told you so”, but more often than not he’d remain quiet if his favorite poker starting hands is beat.
Luck is present in poker, but the game is about probability.
If you’re like my friend who largely believes in a lucky poker starting hands, then there seems to be a problem with your game.
But this one friend isn’t the only one.
I have loads of friends who have “carved in stone” favorite hands and would play crazy just to prove theirs are the lucky one.
Having played with my buddies many times I could tell if they’re holding their favorite cards, which is a good tell for me. Bad for them. Good for me.
But what are my favorite hands in poker?
Truth be told – “nothing.” Yes, nothing.
However.
I do have specific plays and strategies for hands dealt to me.
I’ll list them down one by one and explain why.
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Here are my favorite poker starting hands
I learned about these hands after reading Phil Helmuth’s book “Play Poker Like the Pros“.
Fair warning though, I believe that Phil’s advice on how to play these hands are only apt for beginners and novice players.
I play these hands strategically from time to time especially when I play with loose players with a wide range of playing
Or Bullets as it’s commonly called in the poker community.
It’s the best opening hand in Hold’em.
It’s statistically the most powerful hand in poker and even if your game is down to who has a strongest pair (meaning you or your opponent didn’t hit anything on the community cards),
Aces will play strong and straight up.
Show me a poker player who hates Aces and I’ll run up to him and punch his nose.
Aces can be played well especially during heads-up matches because it’s a slated favorite, mathematically speaking.
However, it’s drawback is when there are too many players in a hand and your opponents have powerful draws.
In situations like this, your bullets will often be at risk of getting outdrawn.
Here is a play by Daniel Negreanu when he is delt a pair of american airlines. You think we wun or lost?
The second best starting hand in poker.
You couldn’t go wrong with this hand, except, well, for obvious reasons, when there’s an Ace on the board.
Just like Aces, though, Cowboys stand their ground in heads-up matches and are statistically favored second to Bullets.
poker starting hands
Again, the downside to this favorite hand is when it’s either outdrawn or when there’s an Ace on the board.
Just a segue, my favorite experience with Cowboys and how this poker hand made me start winning more was when I’ve outdrawn an opponent with Pocket Rockets on the River.
I promise you, the look on my opponent’s face even Picasso couldn’t paint.
Watch how Phil Ivey play with his pocket kings.
Sadly, nicknames for pocket Queens are very derogatory, but that’s how majority of poker players labeled it.
Personally, I can’t help calling pocket Queens Bitches because I lost half of my stack during a tournament I played in many years back.
My Queens were no match against my opponent’s rockets in what I considered one of the most important tournaments of my life. I was looking for a draw, but I didn’t get any.
Will I completely despise pocket Queens and fold it immediately if dealt with it?
Of course not!
Queens are still powerful and no amount of bad beat or two-cards above can stop good poker players from playing them aggressively.
This guy was very happy to get pockets queens while playing Governor of Poker.
Ace-Kings are recently labeled Anna Kournikova after the gorgeous tennis player.
During an episode of WPT, commentator Vince Van Patton called Big Slick Anna Kournikova because the hand “looks great, but never wins.”
The reference is understandable because Ace-Kings, although they look good, are drawing hands.
Even lower pockets could beat Big Slick if the latter didn’t hit a pair or draw on the board.
I prefer playing Big Slick usually under the gun (the position after the big blind) and bully my opponents to fold right in the onset.
The nice thing about Ace-King is when you hit top pair and you have a strong kicker or when you hit a good draw.
Big Slick is one of those poker hands that made me start winning more at poker.
Here is what happens when big slick meets big slick.
Don’t be fooled by this face card.
It looks really good to have pocket Jacks, but they’re really tough to play.
Why?
That’s because three higher cards already had it beat assuming your opponent has one high card that hit the board.
Just the same, and since we categorized J-Birds as a monster hand, you should play it like a monster hand.
With pocket Jacks, I always play strong.
But when there’s a threat on the board, I find Hooks much easier to fold than Bullets or Cowboys.
Pro poker players consider pocket Jacks as the highest medium pair in Hold’em.
Get more insights on how to play pocket jacks in this video.
This medium pair is the most difficult to play when dealt with.
According to poker probabilities, Tens have a higher chance of getting into trouble with 70 percent of overcards being dealt on the flop.
But between Tens and Big Slicks, I prefer Tens because it’s easier to fold; when my Ace or King hits a card on a board ;and later outdrawn in the River.
Here is how Phil Hellmuth likes to play his pocket tens.
My final thoughts
The starting hands I brought up in this article is based on Phil Helmuth’s monster starting hands.
In fact, Phil suggested ten monster starting hands, but I’ve only included the six best.
The good thing about using these starting hands is that they’re straight up and very simple to execute.
You can crush any average game if you play them by the book.
Phil would even go another mile and would suggest that you play these hands from any position while scaring your opponents with raises and re-raises.
Personally, I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s up to you if you want to try it out.
For beginners, playing these hands will help them develop the mental discipline needed.
A good and strong fold is always better than going gung-ho about a particular play.
Once you get your game together, you’ll develop your own style and strategy and you would realize that these hands are as boring as they could get.
But just the same, with enough mental discipline coupled by a straight up strategy, these poker hands made me start winning more.
Wait… There is more!
This will be a bit technical and for the advanced players.
Still here?
Great!
I have put together a spreadsheet with the most played starting hands and their expected value.
But hold on a bit, what is expected value?
Well, based on hundred of thousand of plays some smart guys calculated the expected value of playing a specific hand.
For example if AA has an expected value of 2 and the big blind is $6, then the expected value of playing would be 2*$6= $12.
Here is a screenshot of the spreadsheet and you can download/view the whole thing here.
As you can see your table position has quite a big impact on the expected value of your hand.
Now when you have learned so much about poker starting hands why not head over to our mega post about the best poker sites online?
Phil Ivey, a 10-time winner of the World Series of Poker and a multiple winner of online poker and live tournaments, is not a professional who gives out poker tips very often. But when he does, his tips are very valuable, especially for newbies. After all, even Phil Ivey was once a newbie and must have gone through many stages of developing his own skills. He must have learned, sometimes the hard way, about making rookie mistakes and how to avoid them. He must have thought deeply about how to improve his skills, and he must have read the how-to manuals and followed the guidelines in order to develop his own understanding and style of poker gameplay. And, along the way, he must have learned how to read the game, of course – as he is especially good at it.
More importantly, he must have learned from his own experience how it feels to become a great poker player. And today, with the benefit of hindsight, he can give very valuable tips and advice, full of keen perception of the game itself, as well as the best ways to become a more proficient player.
“I’m a firm believer in learning the game by playing the game.”
There are many solid guidelines and learning materials about playing poker. All these books and tutorials can be of great help, especially for novices. But you should never rely on these materials too much, because once you study them and begin to follow them meticulously, you could end up playing poker like someone else, or like everyone else, which can be even worse.
“Different players have their own approach to the game,” says Phil Ivey, and it is the key. There is a certain line that divides what you have learned from other players and your own style of play. The latter is what you have to develop yourself by playing the game. Of course, you would have to incorporate what you learned in your own style, but you can never substitute the experience you must gain with the books you have read.
“Poker Math Only Takes You So Far.”
Many players apply a very mathematical approach to playing poker. They study and calculate the odds and every decision they make is in tune with the math. “It’s a solid way to play,” admits Phil. But this approach won’t work for everyone. Besides, there are many situations when you just cannot calculate everything – otherwise, this game wouldn’t be so interesting and sometimes thrilling. And even the best odds-calculating players would tell you that the math “only takes you so far,” giving you only a general idea about a particular hand.
There are factors other than odds, and these factors largely influence the tournament play, especially when it comes down to intangibles, like what you feel, who your opponent is, whether he has a strong hand and what he might be up to. “Even if the odds say you should play, your gut may be telling you something else,” says Phil. This special kind of “poker feeling” can only be developed through extensive practice.
“Poker Isn’t About the Cards, It is About the Players and the Situations.”
All beginners usually rely on other people’s advice, sometimes too much. And then all the bits and pieces of advice from all the different sources make a kind of a hodgepodge in your head, which prevents you from becoming a better player. All your attention is focused on the cards, and you think about odds and probabilities, often forgetting that you should figure out what your opponent is doing.
The only way to improve your skills in poker is to weigh and take chances, regardless of whether they worked in this particular hand or not. “You have to make the play that you believe is best,” notes Ivey.
“Recognize your mistakes.”
Phil once admitted that many players don’t recognize when they make mistakes. Indeed, once a player reaches a certain level or just feels he has considerably improved his skills, it might seem to him that he has reached near-peak ability. Tempted to think this way, this player dramatically narrows the scope of his further progress. If you made a mistake, you need to find out where, and how.
“Do Not Overanalyze.”
After a hand of a session is played, it is good to go back and look closer at where you have made mistakes, if any. It is important to be honest with yourself. But some players tend to overanalyze, thinking too much about how they could have played. This kind of unnecessary focus on a hand you have already played can have a negative impact on your next hand or session.
It is important to understand that, with many decisions in poker, you just cannot judge – whether the decisions were right or wrong. If the decision you made did not work, it does not mean it was a wrong decision.
“Manage your money.”
Phil Ivey repeatedly spoke about money management in many interviews and emphasized how important the issue of bankroll management is for every poker player. It is not only about staying on the safe side and not putting yourself in trouble. In poker, managing your bankroll takes more than just being a responsible gambler. It involves your betting decisions and the chips you risk in every hand you play.
“Figure Out a Way to Win When you Have Much Better Players at the Table.”
As soon as you get better at poker, you will face stronger opponents. Some players would get intimidated in such situations and cannot play their cards well. The good advice here is to try and figure out a strategy that works – because there should be at least one. Try to move them out of their comfort zone. Study your opponents; their body language; how they react to the cards they see. Remember that you can win if the strategy and decisions you develop work.
Best Poker Hands Sheet
“Handle Your Defeats.”
Best Poker Hand List
Phil Ivey reminds us that poker is a game of chance; quite a tough game with a lot of variances. And that it involves swings and losing streaks. “You are going to have bad days,” says Ivey. But not every loss is your fault. You could lose because of tough luck, or just because you enter a losing streak, despite the fact that you have played your cards well. Phil Ivey has been unlucky many times, and he knows how it goes – when the whole session goes wrong, he still tries to play his best. That is why your ability to handle your losses is tremendously important. If you cannot handle your defeats, don’t play poker.
“Read other tips and poker books. Talk to your friends. Absorb as much information as you can. But, at the end of the day, you have to trust your instincts and play your own game – not someone else’s.” There is nothing to add to these words of wisdom from Phil Ivey.