Texas Hold’em Starting Hands

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An important decision you'll make when playing Texas Hold'em is selecting your starting hands. Most players lose because they play too many hands. There are 169 possible two-card starting hands. There are 13 cards in each suite, 2 thru ace. You get two cards so 13 x 13 equals 169.Hands of equal rank but different suits are counted as one because they've the similar value before the flop. For example an Ace and King of hearts has the similar value because the Ace and King of spades, clubs or diamonds.

Of those 169 hands there are just about 75 which might be profitable to play. Not all of those hands can also be played from every position and a few of them require more players entering the pot to be profitable.

Suited cards are somewhat more powerful than unsuited cards as a result of their flush potential however many novice players put an excessive amount of value on suited cards. While you start with two suited cards you'll only make a flush 5 percent of the time. Many novice players make the error of playing any two suited cards.

The mix of starting hands will fall into four categories.

Pocket PairsBig pairs are powerful starting hands. A COUPLE of Aces is the most productive starting hand but a couple of deuces is a weak hand that may only be played in late position in an unraised pot. Some medium pairs can win the pot but with the smaller pairs you can be trying to make a collection or possibly a straight draw. The percentages of being dealt a couple as a starting hand are 16 to one or about one in every 17 hands. The chances of being dealt a particular pair similar to a couple of aces is 220 to 1.

ConnectorsCards which can be next to one another are called connectors. They are often suited or unsuited. These are hands like K-Q, J-T or 9-8. Connectors are utilized in making straights. Suited connectors could make straight flushes, straights or flushes.

Gapped Cards.Gappers are hands that experience a number of gaps between them. These are cards like Q-T, J-9 or A-8. The smaller the distance the simpler it's to make a straight. With a hand that has an opening you're looking to fill an inside straight in case you play these or possibly a flush in the event that they are suited. As with the connectors the suited cards have more potential.

Big CardsCards of a better value than ten are considered big cards. Suited cards are more valuable than unsuited cards. These hands still fall into the kinds of connectors or gapped hands but as a result of their higher value they may be able to sometimes stand all alone for those who pair them up at the flop. Big cards play better against fewer players.

A COUPLE of Aces is the strongest starting hand before the flop. With only two cards there may be nothing higher. Aces don't always get up because the winning hand after the flop especially if there are lots of players enthusiastic about the hand. In a heads up situation a couple of aces will win about 80 percent of the time, however against ten players they'll only win about 35 percent of the time.

The weakest starting hand is an unsuited seven and deuce. There are five gaps between the 2 cards creating a straight impossible. Because they don't seem to be suited you can not make a flush either.

Many players in low-limit games will play any Ace whatever the second card. Many players have found themselves a loser when an ace flops and they're beat out by a player with a larger kicker. Some novice players will just play any two cards. They're in search of miracle flops to enhance their hands. Even though it is feasible to get a miracle flop occasionally it is going to not make up for the days you are going to lose should you play any two cards. To be a consistent winner a player must choose the proper starting hands and play them from the right kind position.

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