Best 10 Hands on Online Poker

10 months ago
Best 10 Hands on Online Poker
08:27
20 May

Taking the time to get acquainted with the fundamentals of poker is paramount if you hope to excel with the game. This guide is designed to assist you in navigating what hands are best to start with, how they compare to one another in potency, and how best play them.


What Are the Best Poker Starting Hands?

Before we dive into more specific information, let's quickly go over the complete list of online poker games to try out, along with the pre-flop hands. Here are the 10 strongest Texas Hold'em poker hands pre-flop:


Pocket Aces

Nothing beats a nice pair of Aces when playing Texas Hold'em pre-flop. Although it's the strongest hand, it doesn't guarantee you'll take the pot. Ante up with Pocket Kings and you've got an 18% chance of trumping Aces, while 6-5 suited gives you the best equity at 23%.


To top everything up, playing Pocket Kings before the cards are dealt in Texas Hold'em is a major gamble. When you've got deep pockets of chips or if you're playing against tight-fisted players, then it's probably wiser to fold. But, watch out for Aces, since they could drastically diminish your hand.


Pocket Kings

This phrase is a sure bet when it comes to achieving royal success at the poker table. Focusing your king-size effort to build a winning hand pays off big time. Even though playing Pocket Kings before the flop in Texas Hold'em is seen as a real power move, it still comes with risks. In deep stacks of chips or against tight opponents, throwing in the towel might be your best bet. That said, if an Ace hits the table, don’t get too attached to your Kings either – you have to be flexible and watch for any changes.


Pocket Queens

No doubt, Pocket Queens are able to put you in an awesome spot in the beginning. Off the flop, you've got a striking 65% chance of success against A-Q suited. Even when pitted against lower pocket pairs, your Queens are usually duking it out as top dog. And of course, the odds take a bit of a hit against pocket Aces, but 19% are still pretty tremendous. All things considered, this pair of Queens seems about as solid as a rock for the early stages of poker.



Pocket Jacks

It's the classic poker hand that can be a real game-changer. Every real poker player knows all too well the thrill of being dealt pocket jacks, so don't be shy when they come your way.

A lot of players think they're overrated and difficult to manage, but really it's the fourth strongest hand you can get in Texas Hold'em pre-round. It may come as a surprise, but winning against two random cards happens much more often than you'd expect - in fact, your odds of making the best hand come in at a whopping 20%.


Ace-King Suited

Holding an Ace-King (known as “big slick”) in Texas Hold'em is usually perceived as the fourth best starting hand. Nevertheless, no guarantees can be made as you must still wait to see the presentation of the cards from the community.

Nonetheless, a promising opportunity is accomplished here - you are in with a chance to achieve a ‘nut flush’ (notably an ace high flush) possibly even resulting in a ‘royal flush’ (ace, king, queen, jack and ten consecutively in the same suit). Similarly, the potential of securing a strong straight or a higher pair also exists.


Pocket Tens

Pocket Tens have often been misconstrued in the world of Texas Hold'em. What some may consider disadvantageous due to the presence of overcards on the board, are actually quite reliable. Showing strength with a pair of Tens right off the bat is always a good idea and making a three-bet is a very tactical move. Even when facing off against an overpair, there's still a 20% chance that you can dominate if you play your cards right.


Ace-King Offsuit

Ace-king offsuit takes a back seat when compared to its suited counterpart, however, it still is an impressive draw-oriented hand. It is stronger than all other non-pairs and supporters of coin-flip bouts against pocket aces and pocket kings. This card makes a statement by outperforming all weaker ace-x hands.


Ace-Queen Suited

The Ace-Queen suited is a terrific poker hand in the post-flop play. Drawing to the nut flush and nut straight and having the capability of creating top pair top kicker on a Queen high board are great factors that make this hand worth playing.


Although at first glance, you may be tempted to fold when facing pocket Aces, your odds play out in your favor more often than not when it comes to Kings and Queens. Against any lower ranking pair of cards, you still have a fighting chance of coming out ahead with a 50-50 shot or better.


Pocket Nines

Nine-Nine may not be the biggest of pocket pairs, but it undeniably ranks as one of the ten strongest hands of Texas Hold'em. Certainly, if pitted against higher pairs it may face defeat, however when placed in a game against two seemingly random cards, you’ll find yourself in an advantageous standing.

When you flop a set with this hand, it can be a peril for your rivals. Trouble may arise but it is simpler to discard two nines than larger pocket pairs.


Ace-Jack Suited

To conclude the list of the ultimate ten most advantageous pre-flop Texas Hold’em hands is Ace-Jack suited. To top everything up, while this can be a winning combo if you hit top pair on the flop, beware since you may end up getting outplayed by someone with A-K or A-Q.


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Writer and semi-retired poker pro from Edinburgh (UK).Read more

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