A poker hand is made up of five cards, and in Texas Hold’em you get seven cards in total to choose from. Yet, the importance of the first two cards you get dealt cannot be overstated.
Being dealt one of the best starting hands allows you to play with confidence from the very start and put your chips into the pot in every betting round.
But what exactly are the best starting hands in poker and what makes them so good? We will answer these questions and teach you what makes for a good starting hand in Texas Hold’em Poker.
#1 – Pocket Aces (AA)
Known as the “American Airlines” or “Pocket Rockets,” pocket Aces are the very best starting hand you can get in Texas Hold’em.
A pair of Aces is a truly superior poker hand with over 85% equity (chance to win) against a random poker hand that your opponent might be holding.
Being such a strong starting hand, AA should never be folded before the flop. In fact, you will want to do your best to put as many chips into the pot as you can every time you get dealt Aces.
Keeping that in mind, make sure not to play your Aces too aggressively and force your opponents out. Don’t advertise your hand by overplaying it. Instead, try to make reasonable raises that you might make with other starting hands.
The amazing thing about pocket Aces is that they are always the best hand preflop, and you never have to worry about what your opponents are holding.
This all changes the moment the flop is dealt, which is why you should be careful not to go broke every time you have Aces and your opponents make a better hand on the flop or later betting streets.
While Aces are still vulnerable, they are by far the best and the most profitable hand in Texas Hold’em. Play them every time from every position, and be ready to scoop some huge pots with this powerhouse of a poker hand.
#2 – Pocket Kings (KK)
Pocket Kings are the second best starting hand in poker, only trumped by pocket Aces. KK is one of the most profitable starting hands for any poker player.
A pair of Kings is a massive favorite against many other strong hands like QQ, JJ, TT, and AK, which means there are many hands you can get value from.
On the other hand, AA is the only favorite against KK, meaning you have very little to worry about when you look down at a pair of Kings.
Yet, things can change quite a bit once the flop is dealt, as KK becomes a lot less powerful on any Ace-high board. Any player holding a single Ace can easily have you beat at that point.
For this reason, pocket Kings are a hand that requires a bit more protection than pocket Aces, which is why it’s important to play your Kings aggressively and trap less frequently.
For the most part, pocket Kings are worth putting all your chips into the pot before the flop when possible, while setting a trap can make sense at shallower stack sizes.
#3 – Pocket Queens (QQ)
Without any doubt, pocket Queens is another powerhouse hand in Texas Hold’em Poker. However, it is far less superior than the likes of AA and KK.
While pocket Queens is the third best starting hand in all of poker, it is far more susceptible to being beat on the flop, turn or river. There are two overcards in the deck, and either one of them showing up on the board means you can now be beat by a single pair.
In tournament poker, it is very common to see QQ end up in a virtual coinflip against AK, as two players push their preflop edge and put all their money in the middle.
In the vast majority of cases, QQ is good enough to play for all your chips, but it is important to be careful as the stacks get deeper.
As long as you are playing with 100 big blinds or less, especially at tournament tables, pocket Queens will be a hand to get very excited about.
#4 – Ace-King (AK)
The Ace and the King are the two highest-ranked cards in poker, so it comes as no surprise that AK is one of the best starting hands in the game.
Overall, you can get dealt 16 combinations of AK, four of which are suited combinations, and 12 of which are not. In contrast, each pocket pair only has six total combinations.
For this reason, you will see combos of AK a lot more often than hands like AA or KK. Playing your AK well will be important to your bottom line.
Ace-King is a hand you should play quite aggressively, as winning chips with it in the early betting streets can be quite valuable.
When necessary, AK is worth playing for all the chips, especially if the stacks are not too deep. Yet, it is not a hand you want to go broke with every single time.
The bulk of your profits with AK will come from other players flopping the same top pair with an inferior kicker, which is why it’s sometimes worth keeping your opponent in the hand to see the flop when you hold AK.
#5 – Pocket Jacks (JJ)
Here is a hand that some players claim to be the most problematic starting hand in all of poker. Of course, we are talking about pocket Jacks.
Statistically speaking, a pair of Jacks is one of the best starting hands in poker hand rankings, as only AA, KK, and QQ are favorites in a head-to-head duel.
Yet, a pair of Jacks can be a lot trickier to play than the other hands on this list, as it is on the very cusp between the very strongest hands and all other starting combos.
At shallower stacks, you will usually want to play your Jacks quite aggressively. However, you will often end up flipping against hands like AK and AQ, or even KQ.
On the other hand, the three higher pairs out there always present a real danger, as they make up a combined 18 card combinations that have your JJ in a very bad shape.
The main thing to keep in mind when holding JJ is that your hand is far from unbeatable, which is why the profile of the players you are playing against matters a lot more than it would with stronger starting hands.
#6 – Ace-Queen (AQ)
Next on our list of the best starting hands is Ace-Queen. This is the second best unpaired hand in the game, and one you should be quite happy to see in both cash game and tournament settings.
Yet, unlike the previously listed hands, AQ is a hand that should be played in different ways in different poker scenarios.
In tournament play, when stacks get shallow, AQ can be a hand you will gladly commit your stack with and expect to be ahead quite often.
In very deep-stacked cash games, AQ can be folded before the flop to extreme aggression, while the suited version can often play very well postflop.
Unlike a hand like AA, which allows you to keep piling chips into the pot no matter what, playing AQ correctly requires a lot more finesse.
If you are not very experienced at recognizing which opponents may be overplaying their cards, we recommend playing AQ somewhat cautiously, especially against earlier position raisers that tend to have a stronger hand range.
#7 – Pocket Tens (TT)
Pocket Tens is a hand that’s not even considered as a premium by some players, and one that does tend to fade in value, especially as the stacks get deeper.
With four superior pocket pairs, and a whole host of hands that are in a virtual coin-flip with TT, this hand deserves a more careful approach.
Yet, pocket Tens do pack a mean punch at shallower stacks, which is why you will often see tournament poker players put all their chips in with this particular pocket pair.
When you get a ton of action with TT, don’t expect to be ahead too often. Instead, be ready for a lot of coin-flipping and gambling, as a pair of Tens simply isn’t that big of a powerhouse.
Exerting pressure on your opponents and getting them to fold some picture cards is the most important part of your strategy with TT, as denying significant equity from such hands can be where you truly make your money.
#8 – Ace-Jack (AJ)
As we move down our list, we get further and further from true premiums and into the territory of medium strength hands.
Ace-Jack is a hand that gives a lot of players trouble, as they overvalue it and lose too many chips to superior hands like AK, AQ, and AA.
Don’t get me wrong, AJ is a pretty good hand, but you will want to tread carefully with it, especially when you hold the offsuit variation.
In full-ring games, you may even consider folding AJ offsuit in early position, as there are simply too many players out there who can wake up with a better hand and get you in trouble.
As the stacks get shallower and the table gets short-handed, AJ grows in value, and the suited version of the hand is a real beauty.
Still, be careful not to overextend yourself with AJ, and make sure to adjust your strategy with this hand to the particular situation you are in.
#9 – King-Queen (KQ)
While KQ ranks under hands like AJ and TT, there are many situations where this hand will perform better. This is especially the case in cash games, and especially when your KQ is suited.
King-Queen is a hand that has a lot of potential in deep-stack situations, as it can make strong straights, flushes, and two-pair combos that outperform your opponents’ hands.
On the other hand, making top pair with KQ usually won’t cost you your entire stack, as there will be opportunities to recognize you are beat and fold your cards.
KQ is a powerful hand in tournament poker as well, as it has enough equity to virtually flip a coin against all smaller pocket pairs, as well as hands like AJ and AT, which often take aggressive lines in tournament hands.
Overall, KQ may not be the strongest hand in Texas Hold’em Poker, but its potential makes it highly playable in nearly all scenarios.
#10 – Pocket Nines (99)
We will finish out our list of the top ten hands in poker with pocket Nines, a pocket pair that lacks much of the allure of premiums like AA or KK.
Yet, 99 is a very strong starting hand in Texas Hold’em Poker, and you should be quite excited to see it. That said, you won’t stack anyone for 200 big blinds with an inferior hand, so make sure to play accordingly.
Pocket Nines work best in tournament situations where stacks are shallow, and will often even get action from inferior pairs for all the chips.
In cash games, pocket Nines often turn into an amazing bluff catcher, while making a set with this pair can get you paid big. One thing you will need to get used to is flipping coins when you have a pair of Nines, as you will go up against combos like AK, AQ, and KQ, quite often.
