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Starting Hand Selection in Texas Hold'em Poker
It is very important that you understand which pocket cards (starting hands) you should fold - and which ones you should stay with when playing Texas Hold' Em poker.
It is imperative that your starting hand (pocket cards or hole cards) is good and strong as this is the only thing that makes your hand different (hopefully stronger) than the poker hands of your opponents.
When assessing whether your hand is strong or not you should also take into account your position.
Position in poker defines where a poker player sits compared to the dealer and whether he or she will be first or last to act in a round. Hence this expression also refers to where a poker player sits compared to his poker opponents.
Dealer position
Your position at the table is always relative to the dealer for that hand's position which is one (and probably the most important) of the reasons the deal rotates around the table in poker, so that everyone gets the same amount of time in the various positions.
Being in the dealer position, or "on the button," is the most desirable position in poker in flop/community games like Texas Hold'em, since after the flop, the person on the button will always be the last to act in each round of betting.
You can get away with playing more marginal hands on the button because of this advantage.
Early position
Players to the three seats to the left of the dealer are said to be in early position.
This is considered the worst position in poker since you have to act first without knowing how any of the other players are going to play their hands.
Because you have to decide whether to fold or raise without a lot of information on the other players, it is a good idea to only play the best of the best of cards here.
Sometimes abbreviated "EP.
Middle position
Middle position falls in the middle both litterally and figuratively. It enjoys less of the benefits of late position, but not entirely the downfalls of early position.
Because you are in-between, you are free to play a few more hands than you would in early position before the flop, but certainly not as many as you would in late position. On subsequent betting rounds, you enjoy the benefit of half of the players having already acted, but must consider the half that hasn't acted yet.
One 'advantage' of sorts in middle position is the ability to improve your position by folding players after you. If nobody before you has suggested great strength, you can chance making a bet in the hopes of folding players behind you. With each one that you fold, you improve your position. If you fold everybody after you, you've just 'bought' last position. Obviously, you need some kind of a hand to make this move. A strong drawing hand (four to a straight or flush), middle pair with an overcard kicker, or maybe even a couple overcards qualify for this move.
Sometimes abbreviated "MP".
Late position
The best position to have in poker is late position, which is defined as the dealer and the players just to his right.
Being in late position allows you to have a lot more information about how the hand is going as you have seen how the majority of the table has decided to play their cards before you have to make your own choice of whether to call, bet, raise, or fold.
Being in late position with a good hand has major strengths over being early with a good hand. Early position raisers are assumed to have a good hand and it tends to scare players away. Early preflop raises can force the other players to call two bets at once (or more in the case of pot limit or no limit hold 'em) when there is nearly nothing in the pot worth fighting for. In late position, there may be players who have already called one bet. Those players only have to call one bet (in limit) with a little something already in the pot. So players in late position with a good hand have the ability to manipulate the pot size, which will make future bets easier to call in the upcoming betting rounds.
Sometimes abbreviated "LP".
What cards you can play in different poker positions at the table
Here's a quick guide to what Hold'em starting hands to play in different positions:
Typical Game: 2-4 players seeing the flop on average. A moderate amount of preflop raising |
Action
Before You |
No Raise |
One Raise |
Raise &
Re-raise |
Early Position |
Raise: AA-JJ, AKs-AJs, AKo-AQo, KQs
Call: TT-88, ATs, KJs, QJs, AJo, KQo |
Raise: AA-QQ, AKs-AQs, AKo
Call: JJ-TT, AJs, KQs (You can also reraise with these hands) |
Raise: AA-KK
Call or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
Middle Position |
Raise: AA-99, AKs-ATs, KQs-KJs, AKo-AJo, KQo
Call: 88-77, KTs, QJs-T9s, ATo, KJo |
Raise: Same as above
Call: Same as above |
Raise: AA-KK
Call or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
Late Position |
Raise: AA-99, AKs-ATs, KQs-KJs, QJs, AKo-AJo, KQo
Call: 88-55, A9s-A5s, KTs, QTs, JTs-76s, J9s, ATo, KJo, QJo |
Raise: Same of above
Call: Same as above |
Raise: AA-KK
Call or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
Small Blind |
Raise: AA-JJ, AKs-AJs, KQs, AKo-AQo
Call: All late-position hands, plus any suited Ace and any pocket pair. |
Raise: Same of above
Call: Same as above |
Raise: AA-KK
Call or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
Big Blind |
Raise: Same hands as small blind.
Check: Everything else. |
Raise: Same of above
Call: Same as above, plus 99-77, ATs-A8s, KJs, QJs-JTs, AQo |
Raise: AA-KK
Call or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
Aggressive Game: Many pots raised before the flop. Aggressive games can be loose or tight. |
Action
Before You |
No Raise |
One Raise |
Raise &
Re-raise |
Early Position |
Raise: AA-JJ, AKs-AJs, KQs, AKo-AQo
Call: TT-99, ATs, KJs, QJs |
Raise: AA-QQ, AKs, AKo
Call: JJ-TT, AQs-AJs, KQs (You can also reraise with these hands) |
Raise: AA-KK
Call or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
Middle Position |
Raise: AA-TT, AKs-AJs, KQs, AKo-AJo
Call: 99-88, ATs, KJs, QJs-JTs, ATo, KQo |
Raise: Same as above
Call: Same as above |
Raise: AA-KK
Call or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
Late Position |
Raise: AA-99, AKs-AJs, KQs-KJs, AKo-AJo
Call: 88-77, ATs-A8s, KTs, QJs-98s, ATo, KQo-KJo |
Raise: Same of above
Call: Same as above |
Raise: AA-KK
Call or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
Small Blind |
Raise: AA-99, AKs-AJs, KQs, AKo-AQo
Call: All late-position hands + any pocket pair if 2 or more players have limped in |
Raise: Same of above
Call: Same as above |
Raise: AA-KK
Call or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
Big Blind |
Raise: Same hands as small blind.
Check: Everything else. |
Raise: Same of above
Call: Same as above, plus 99-88, ATs-A8s, KJs, QJs, AQo. |
Raise: AA-KK
Call or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
| Soft Games:: At least 3-5 players seeing the flop on average. Very little pre-flop raising |
Action
Before You |
No Raise |
One Raise |
Raise &
Re-raise |
Early Position |
Raise: AA-TT, AKs-AJs, KQs, AKo-AQo
Call: 99-77, ATs-A8s, KJs-KTs, QJs-T9s, AJo, KQo |
Raise: AA-TT, AKs-AQs, AKo
Call: AJs, KQs (You can also reraise with these hands) |
Raise: AA-QQ, AKs |
Middle Position |
Raise: AA-99, AKs-ATs, KQs-KJs AKo-AJo, KQo
Call: 88-22, A9s-A2s, KTs, QJs-76s, ATo, KJo |
Raise: Same as above
Call: Same as above |
Raise: AA-QQ, AKs |
Late Position |
Raise: AA-88, AKs-A8s, KQs-KJs, QJs, AKo-ATo, KQo
Call: 77-22, A7s-A2s, KTs-K9s, QTs-Q8s, JTs-54s, J9s-97s, KJo, QJo |
Raise: Same of above
Call: Same as above |
Raise: AA-QQ, AKs |
Small Blind |
Raise: AA-99, AKs-ATs, KQs, AKo-AQo
Call: All late-position hands. |
Raise: Same of above
Call: Same as above |
Raise: AA-QQ, AKs |
Big Blind |
Raise: Same hands as small blind.
Check: Everything else. |
Raise: Same hands as above.
Call: Same as above, plus 99-22, ATs-A2s, QJs-98s, KJs-KTs, AQo |
Raise: AA-QQ, AKs |
Best Hold'em Poker Hands
Keep in mind there are many differing opinions to value of starting hands in Texas Hold’em. Rankings will vary according to table position and with the type of game. These rankings are a good starting point to develop your own personal rankings.
Tier 1- The best starting hands
• Ace-Ace
• King-King
• Ace-King suited
• Queen-Queen
• Jack-Jack
Tier 2- Other very strong starting hands
• Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack, Ace-10 all suited
• Ace-King
• King-Queen suited
• 10-10
• Ace-10, King-Jack, Queen-Jack, Jack-10 all suited
• Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack
• 9-9
• King-Queen
• King-10, Queen-10 suited
Tier 3- Hands that are playable in most positions but not as strong as the above.
• 8-8
• Jack-9 10-9 both suited
• 7-7
• 9-8,8-7 both suited
• Ace with any other suited card
• King-Jack, Queen-Jack, Jack-10
Tier 4- Decent hands best played sparingly and in late position
*Any low pair (e.g. pairs below 7)
*Connected suited card, such as 8-7,5-4,4-3
*Ace-10, King-10, Queen-10
*King-9, Jack-8 both suited
Any hand not mentioned is generally regard as a weak hand and should only be played in situations where you have an advantage on your opponent. Example: Late position with no callers against the blinds or against weak players.
General Strategy
You should raise with Premium Cards no matter what position your in, with exception of Queens and Jacks which should be raised only if no one has raised before you.
With the other strong Playable Cards you are looking to raise in the middle to late position if no one betting before you has raised.
With Playable hands you can raise in mid to late position if everyone betting before you has folded.
You do not want mediocre hands to stay in the game hoping for a miracle board that will save their hand, and you do not want to be tagged as a rock who only plays the best hands. The only way to really gain a feel for poker strategy is by playing, but these basic strategies are meant to give some general ideas about the strength of your pocket cards and how to play them.
If you are new to Texas Hold'em Poker , online poker sites offer great opportunities to play the game for play money or at very low stakes.
Top 10 Worst Starting Hands in Texas Hold'em
According to David Sklansky's Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players, the top 10 worst starting hands are:
- 2-7
- 2-8
- Tie: 3-8 & 3-7
- 2-6
- Tie: 2-9, 3-9, & 4-9
- 2-10
- 5-9
- Tie: 4-7, 4-8, 5-8, 3-6...
- Face card + low card, unsuited
- Ace + low card, unsuited
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