Which starting hands do you play?
The first decision of every hand is the most important one. This is the logic behind it, without having to learn tables by heart.
There are 1326 possible starting hands, and most of them lose money. The heart of starting well is simple: play hands that can win big pots, and throw away hands that mostly finish second. Big pairs and ace king win big pots. Small pairs and suited connectors occasionally make a hidden monster. Everything in between, the pretty but not quite hands, is where the money leaks away.
Three groups, one rule
Always play: high pairs (nines and up), ace king and ace queen. These hands are often the best both before and after the flop.
Play when it can be cheap: small pairs and suited connectors, such as eight seven. They miss often, but when they hit, they hit hidden and big.
The trap: loose face cards with a mediocre side card, and any ace with a low card beside it. They often hit just something, and just something is precisely enough to pay too much to somebody with more. The explanation why is in the poker hand rankings: with equal pairs the side card decides.
Position widens or narrows everything
The same hand can be a fold early at the table and a fine raise on the button. The later you sit, the more players have already folded and the more often you decide last after the flop. That is why your playable selection grows from a narrow fifteen percent early to some forty percent on the button. More on that in position in poker, and the full selection per seat you can see in the free range visualiser.
How you then actually play that selection (raise, do not call along) is in the free preflop lesson and in step two of the roadmap for beginners.
frequently asked questions
Starting hand questions.
How many starting hands should I play? +
As a guideline at a table of six: early about twelve to fifteen percent of your hands, in the middle around twenty, and on the button towards forty percent. If it feels like you are throwing a lot away, you are probably doing it right.
Are two face cards always playable? +
No, and this is the most expensive beginner myth. A king with a jack looks lovely, but against a raise you mostly finish second with it: if you hit your king, your side card loses too often to ace king. Pretty is not the same as profitable.
Why are small pairs playable then? +
For one reason: about one time in eight you flop three of a kind with them, a hidden monster that wins big pots. The rest of the time you throw them away cheaply. So you play them as a lottery ticket at a good price, not as a strong hand.
What does "suited" mean and how much does it matter? +
Two cards of the same suit. It makes less difference than it feels: some three to five percent in your chance of winning. The real advantage is that now and then you make a strong flush with it; the danger is that it makes middling hands look just about playable.
practise your selection
Do you already know without thinking?
Pokiq trains your starting hand choices until they come automatically, with an explanation for every decision. Free, with no gambling.