The best starting hands in poker are those that are strong preflop and have the ability to connect with the flop. These are also the hands that have the most chance of winning the pot on the flop and turning into a profitable holding.
The most commonly played starting hand is a pair of aces, but there are some other great holdings to consider. These include JJ, AKs, AQs and AKo.
While these starting hands are attractive they can be easily undone by an unsuitable flop and should be played very conservatively. The odds of flopping a flush on the flop are one in 118 (0.8%) and you only make a flush after the river around 6.5% of the time.
Another good starting hand is pocket kings, which are the second best in Texas Hold’em and are also an absolute monster pre-flop. They should be considered in the majority of situations and are an excellent choice to raise with before the flop.
If you’re looking for a slightly less strong holding, you could try pocket tens. Although it’s still a very strong hand against rags, it falls short of the aforementioned premium pairs like AA, KK, QQ and JJ. This can make it a coin flip against ace-king, and it’s a weaker hand in general so it may not be worth playing as often as other premium pairs.
Similarly, pocket jacks are very strong starting hands that you can play very aggressively with, but they are also a big underdog against typical raising hands. You should also be wary of the opponent who is playing a weak pair of Kings, which can be devastating to this strong holding.
Other great poker starting hands include suited two-gappers like 96s+, three gappers like J7s+, and offsuit hands such as K9o and Q9o. These are all a lot of fun to play and can be a great way to build your stack before the flop.
There are many ways to improve your poker game and understanding which starting hands have the best EV is a key part of this. The most common way is to study poker charts that rank poker hands by their strength and read poker articles written by experts in the field.
These charts are available for download and can be viewed on a computer, printed out, and studied offline. They are based on a mathematical formula developed by Bill Chen, who was a doctor of mathematics at Cal-Berkeley and has won two World Series of Poker bracelets.
When you start a new game of poker, it’s wise to use a poker chart or starting hand rating table to help you understand your hand’s strength and where you should be playing it. These tables will give you an idea of which hands are most likely to win a hand and can help you decide when you should raise or fold your hand.
The best starting hands in poker are the ones that have the highest EV, which means that they’re the most likely to win the pot. This is the same principle as using a starting hand ranking table, but it’s important to remember that it’s not always possible to know which poker hands have the highest EV before you play. It’s also worth noting that some players like to play a wide range of poker hands, while others prefer to stick to a tighter range of hands.