Poker starting hands affect the entire hand. Already in the first seconds of the game, you will be able to consider potential strategies at a later stage. In the game, it also happens that opponents go all-in preflop. Although they only know what they have in their hands.
Determining the value of starting hands is a skill that needs to be learned right away. To do this, it will be enough for you to read the small material that we have prepared for you.
Best hands in Texas Hold'em preflop
First, let's take a look at premium hands. They will give you the best chance of winning. With such cards, you can build aggressive strategies. These are, of course, big pairs.
The best pairs in poker are aces and kings. According to general statistics, poker players receive one of these combinations once in 110 hands. Not that uncommon, considering the advantages that cards provide.
But they do not guarantee you victory. Any opponent can make a stronger combination. It should be borne in mind that your chances will be affected by the number of opponents at the table. Therefore, it makes sense to make a big pre-flop bet in order to weed out "extra" opponents.
The next strongest hands are pairs of queens and jacks, and a king with an ace in one hand. With these punishments, you also have a good chance of winning. With queens and jacks, you can only face combinations of paired aces and kings. And you already know the chance of getting these combinations.
Ace and king are not strong by themselves. But they have great potential. After all, you can make a good combination or a straight if any card appears on the table that is paired to your options on hand.
Pairs of tens, ace-queen, ace-jack, king and queen are also considered strong preflop combinations.
And what, to start the game with only strong combinations?
Some players prefer to play premium hands and those close to them. And the rest of the cards are simply discarded. But this is not very profitable - you will be losing money in the blinds. The second big negative is boring. You will have to watch your opponents play for a long time while you wait for a good hand. In addition, strong opponents will quickly notice your tactics and will be able to resist them.
Therefore, weaker combinations should be included in the range of played hands. Pay attention to:
- Lower pairs of cards;
- Suited combinations;
- Small to medium sized connectors.
These are cards that can bring you potential profit. You can make a flush or a straight if you're in luck. But remember that the chances of making such combinations are small (a flush, for example, is collected in 0.8% cases).
Therefore, these additions to the starting hands can only be viewed as small pros or cons when continuing the hand.
The behavior of opponents when receiving the first cards
But don't just focus on yourself. Track how your opponents behave after getting starting hands. analyze the situation at the table. Of course, your position will have a big impact. If you are in the blinds, it will be difficult for you to gauge the strength of your opponents' hands. But any information about rates, increases can become invaluable in the later stages.
Poker starting hands Is something that you definitely need to pay attention to when learning poker strategies in order to achieve good results in the game.
