Hands to Play

Starting hands

On a full table of ten players, in general you should be looking to play the following types of hands. The fewer players there are, the lesser your starting requirements need to be, and for heads-up play there is no chance of waiting around for great hands. This is why it is easier to learn poker on a full table at first.

Premium hands

Pair of Aces (Pocket Rockets, Bullets)	Pair of Kings (Cowboys)	Pair of Queens (Ladies)	Pair of Jacks (Hooks)	A-K (Ace-King) suited or unsuited (The Big Slick)	A-Q suited

Fairly strong hands

A-Q unsuited	Pair of Tens	A-J suited or unsuited	Pair of 9’s	K-Q suited	A-10 suited

Playable hands

A-10 unsuited	Pair of 8’s (Snowmen) down to Pair of 2’s (Ducks)	K-Q unsuited, K-J, K-10	J-10 suited and any lower suited connecters, 10-9, 9-8, etc.	Ace-small card suited	Other suited connecters, J-9, 10-8, 9-7, etc.

Hands to generally stay away from

Q-3 (Picture card weak kicker	7-2 unsuited (the worst starting hand)	2-3 (a Rat and a Mouse)	10-2 (Brunson)	Picture card weak kicker

From early position, only the premium hands should be played, but the later you are, the more you can widen your starting requirements. The general categories for playable hands fall into:

Big pairs — Aces, Kings & Queens

Limit – these hands should be raised before the flop from any position to get more money into the pot and to reduce the number of opponents. If too many players get the chance to see the flop, there is a fair chance you may not have the best hand afterwards. Don’t be afraid to fold if it looks like you are losing on the flop. If you have a pair of Kings and an Ace comes out on the flop, with many players still in the pot there is a very good chance someone has made a pair of Aces. If players start betting you have to be prepared to throw away that big pair and wait for the next chance. If the flop doesn’t seem dangerous then keep betting.

Pot-limit & No-Limit – there may be times when it is worth the risk of slow playing a big pair but if you try this you must be prepared to accept the consequences if it backfires. If there is a player raising frequently it may be best just calling or checking if you are first to act. If the aggressive player raises, then you can re-raise. In contrast to slow playing big pairs, you also do not want to bet too much before the flop because you want action with your best hands.

Medium pairs — Jacks, Tens, Nines & Eights

Limit – these types of hands can be fairly tricky to play at times and in loose games where many players are calling, they are probably best played as if they are small pairs. In limit games, it is difficult to reduce the number of opponents in the hand but if the game is fairly tight and you are in late position you can raise if you think you will only have a couple of opponents to deal with on the flop. If the flop comes low you can bet again but often you may have to throw away your hand when overcards come out.

Pot-limit & No-Limit – again, they can be very difficult to play but in no-limit games it is easier to reduce the number of opponents in the pot as you can bet a larger amount before the flop. If there are many players in the pot, it may be better to just call and hope to hit trips on the flop.

Big cards — A-K, A-Q, A-J, K-Q, K-J

Limit – from early position a raise before the flop with A-K or A-Q is appropriate but it is dangerous to play weaker Aces or the likes of K-Q from early position as you could easily run into bigger cards. In middle and later positions many more of these hands become valuable and should be raised. Be careful calling raises with hands like A-10 or Q-J as they are often overrated hands. If the raise is from a conservative player then you are not only likely to be behind, but also likely to be dominated. An example of this may be when you hold K-Q and call a raise from a tight player. If you are up against A-K and a King comes on the flop then you are going to like your hand but are unlikely to win with your Queen kicker. Q-J can be a troublesome hand for the same reasons so should only be played if there has not been a raise and you are in late position.

Pot-limit & No-Limit – similar guidelines apply with the danger of having a dominated hand, but it may be more serious as it can cost you your entire stack. If you have raised before the flop from late position and only get one or two callers, with a low flop it is sometimes best to bet again on the flop as your opponents may believe you have a big pair. As you can raise more in no-limit it is easier to scare other players off, but also has more serious implications if it goes wrong.

Suited Connecters — e.g., 6-7, 9-10, J-Q

Limit – these hands play best in games where many players are in the pot and the pot has not been raised. They should only be played from late position, and most of the time the flop will not be worth staying in on. When a good flop comes down giving you a straight or flush draw, then as long as the pot is large enough to chase (which it should be if there are many players staying in) then you have a hand worth chasing.

Pot-limit & No-Limit – these hands have less value in no-limit because if you flop a good draw, you may have to pay too much to chase your card, whereas in limit the bet is much smaller in relation to the pot.

Small Pairs — Sevens down to Twos

Limit – loose games are best for low pairs, but you don’t want to be paying too much to see the flop. If a few players have called (or you expect players after you to call judging by the nature of the game) then you can call and hope to hit three of a kind on the flop. If you miss on the flop you are much less likely to make it on the turn or river, which will also cost you more, so it is normally best to abandon after the flop.

Pot-limit & No-Limit – small pairs can be excellent in the right type of games when you can see the flop cheaply and there is often a lot of betting on the flop. If a player has raised the pot before the flop, it is usually best to fold. If you hit the flop, there are situations when it is best to bet and other situations where you will need to bet. For example, you make your trips but the flop has two suited cards and a possible straight draw. You will need to bet a fair amount to make them pay the price if they want to catch you up. If the flop presents no obvious dangers, it may be better to let another card come out to give other players the chance of making a good second-best hand they are likely to bet with.