Starting hands are composed of two hole cards kept hidden until betting commences and then compared against five community cards in play.
Starting hands consisting of an ace and king or queen and jack are generally strong pre-flop. However, they can quickly become inferior post-flop if opponents raise three bets to reduce your position.
Aces
There are numerous ideal starting hands in Texas Hold’em Poker that could make an excellent starting hand, yet not all make the cut. Some hands such as pocket pairs or worse suited aces should not be played early position and should be avoided completely; others such as suited connectors can be very profitable on strong flops but must be played cautiously in mid to late positions.
Pair of Kings: Another excellent starting hand
Kings
As players receive their two private cards (known as starting hands ) prior to the flop, they need to consider various factors including table position and playing styles. When selecting their starting hands they should carefully evaluate all available factors including table position and playing styles as strong starting hands may justify raising or re-raising action in order to build up a substantial pot and narrow their field of opponents.
As an example, an Ace-Jack (AJs) hand is a strong poker hand that forms a Royal Flush with 18% odds of success, yet can lose against tight players from early position. Therefore, it is vitally important that one knows the strength of opponent hands before selecting their preflop strategy.
Queens
Starting your Texas Hold’em poker session off right requires several factors. First and foremost is considering your opponents and your own stack sizes; having deep stacks allows for more starting hands to play if others have already raised. But early position can still be affected if other players raise before you.
Texas Hold’em players looking for the ideal starting hand are advised to select two aces as their initial starting hand, which provides 70% equity against any preflop hand but doesn’t guarantee victory. Queens and kings are also strong starting hands but may struggle against overcards.
Jacks
Hold’em players looking for an ideal starting hand should focus on finding two jacks as a preflop premium preflop hand, which can quickly win you large pots if your set hits after the flop. Baby pairs are another strong starting hand that offer reliable preflop betting potential and potentially lead to three-of-a-kind if an overcard appears on the flop.
Do not waste late position playing random two-pair hands without consideration of their potential value, since these may lose you money over time. Play these hands only against a raise.
Ace-King
Aces make for a solid starting hand as it’s difficult for other players to build solid drawing hands against them (especially at lower stakes levels). Preflop, strive to maximize positive expected value; especially if in position.
Pair of Kings: Another powerful starting hand! These powerful cards outclass any pair of queens and can beat most two-pair hands on the flop. However, be wary when playing this hand against tight players as they will often call your raise with weak hands like AK or AQ and call you off with weaker cards themselves if they call your raise with them; therefore it’s vital that you learn your opponents betting tendencies so you can make sound decisions when making your decisions.
Ace-Queen
Pocket Aces can be one of the strongest starting hands, but it is important to be wary of newcomers entering the pot, particularly if an Ace appears on the flop. Furthermore, be wary of opponents with AK or AQ who may try and overstretch themselves to win more chips from you.
If the flop doesn’t improve your hand, it is often best to fold preflop. If playing against an aggressive or weak opponent, raising with this hand may prove more profitable than folding preflop.
Ace-Jack
Starting off strong before the flop is often preferred to flopping weak hands; this starting hand may also make an ideal flopping choice in case your opponent holds an overpair.
The suited ace-jack hand is an effective high-potential broadway hand with strong two pair potential that is particularly suited for tight players who may call raises with suited aces and kings.
A suited king-queen combination is another powerful hand that can produce three of a kind on the flop, but should be played carefully on dangerous board textures that favor your opponents’ ranges.
