When participating in Poker games, especially real-money ones, have you ever wondered why choosing your starting hand is so important? After each playing session, how much profit do you tally up? Could it be that you frequently jump into too many hands with weak hole cards, ultimately losing a significant portion of your bets? Winning one hand but losing ten still results in an overall loss.
This article will clarify the importance of only participating in hands with worthwhile starting hands.
The Reason Why You Need to Choose Your Starting Hand Carefully
To succeed in Texas Hold’em Poker, only participating with selected starting hands is key. Players who consistently profit in this card game often fold up to 70% of the hands dealt. If you’re watching highlight reels of impressive poker hands online, don’t put too much faith in those spectacular winning situations. The odds of those historical “nutted” hands occurring in reality are very low.
You can search for instructional videos on how to start a Poker hand with a starting hand. However, read this article to understand the meaning of some common notations used when analyzing hole cards.
Classification and Value of Starting Hands You Need to Remember
The starting hand, also known as your hole cards, are the two face-down cards each player is dealt at the beginning of a hand in this card game.
Understanding the value and ranking of your hole cards at the start of a hand is paramount when playing Poker. You need to know which hands are worth playing. That decision also depends on your seating position at the table.
Absolutely strong hands like pocket Aces or pocket Kings should always be played regardless of your position. Conversely, very weak combinations like 8♠ 3♥ should almost never be played in the first betting round.
Consider the following three factors before deciding to bet to continue the hand after the flop:
- Your seating position at the table.
- The number of players at the table.
- Your opponents’ playing styles.
Making the wrong decision in the first betting round can ruin the entire hand. This is pre-flop play. Sometimes, you can lose almost your entire stack due to mistakes in this stage. This article will share the essential factors to help you choose your starting hand for a game.
Common Terms for Hole Cards
There are a few terms for the names of starting hands in Poker that you will frequently encounter, whether playing online or at a brick-and-mortar casino. You will also come across these terms in Poker strategy articles. You can learn about some basic Poker concepts, how to play, and the rules from reliable sources.
This 777Live article will focus on guiding you through the concepts related to starting hands at the beginning of a hand. Hole cards in Texas Hold’em Poker are divided into two main types:
- Suited hands: Two hole cards of the same suit (Diamonds, Hearts, Clubs, Spades). For example: J♦ 9♦, A♥ K♥, Q♣ 10♣, 10♠ 6♠.
- Offsuit hands: These are hole cards of different suits.
When reading materials about starting hands, you will often see suited hands denoted by the letter ‘s’. For example: A5s means an Ace and a 5 of the same suit. Offsuit starting hands will be denoted by the letter ‘o’. For example: AKo means an Ace and a King of different suits.
For example: the starting hand 78s means a 7 and an 8 of the same suit. This starting hand could be combinations like 7♦ 8♦, 7♥ 8♥, 7♠ 8♠, 7♣ 8♣. If you see A5o, it means an Ace and a 5 of different suits. For example: A♣ 5♥.
Many starting hands in the recommended charts from Poker strategy resources are suited combinations. Offsuit starting hands are played less often. For example: J10 suited will be played more frequently, while J10 offsuit is played less often.
Notations for Higher-Value Starting Hands
Higher Pocket Pair Starting Hands:
For example: The notation 22+ means you should play with pocket pairs with a value of 2 or higher. These hands could be pocket 2s, pocket 3s, pocket 4s, etc., up to pocket Aces. If the notation is 88+, it means you should only play with pocket pairs 88, 99, TT (Ten-Ten), JJ (Jacks), QQ (Queens), KK (Kings), AA (Aces). Smaller pocket pairs like 22 through 77 are not included in this notation.
Higher Connected Starting Hands:
Consecutive value cards are called Connected hands. For example: the starting hand 7-8, Q-K, J-Q… If you see the notation 98s+, this means starting hands that are consecutive and suited with a value of 9-8 or higher. In this case, these are suited hands like: T-9 (Ten-Nine), J-T (Jack-Ten), Q-J (Queen-Jack), K-Q (King-Queen), A-K (Ace-King). For example: 10♥ 9♥, J♦ Q♦, Q♣ K♣. The notation 98o+ means you can play with all consecutive and offsuit starting hands with a value of 9-8 or higher.
Similar Notations for Near-Connected Starting Hands
Some starting hands with values one or two cards apart are also considered playable. These hands have the potential to complete straights when the community cards are revealed.
Applying similarly to starting hands with values one card apart:
For example: 57s+ means suited starting hands, one card apart, and with a value of 5-7 or higher. These are hands like 68s, 79s, 8Ts, 9Js, TQs…
The starting hand 9Jo+ means offsuit starting hands, one card apart, and with a value of 9-Jack or higher. For example: TQ (Ten-Queen), JK (Jack-King), QA (Queen-Ace).
Applying similarly to starting hands with values two cards apart:
For example: 69s+ means suited hands like 7-Ts, 8-Js, 9Qs… with a value of 6-9 or higher.
The starting hand 8-To+ (Eight-Ten offsuit plus) are offsuit hands like 9-Q, T-K, J-A, with a value of 8-Ten or higher.
Ax, Kx Notations in Poker
This is a notation for starting hands with a fixed Ace (A) or King (K) and any other remaining card. Ax means any starting hand with an Ace accompanied by any other card (A2, A3, A4…). Kx means any starting hand with a King accompanied by any other card (K2, K3, K4…).
Now, let’s quiz you: what starting hands does KTo+ mean? Comment below this article so the Poker community can see that you’ve understood this lesson!
However, you also need to be careful to avoid making mistakes in the first betting round. This article has shared how to identify starting hands worth playing. The value of your hole cards needs to be combined with your seating position at the table to create the potential strength of that hand. Learn more about the names and characteristics of different seating positions at a Poker table.
Summary
Choosing your starting hand is a fundamental and extremely important skill for success in Poker. Avoid playing too many hands with weak cards. The value of your hole cards needs to be assessed based on itself (suited, connected, card value) and especially your seating position at the table. Mastering common notations helps you easily understand and apply strategies from various resources. Avoid common mistakes in the first betting round to preserve your chip stack.
Persistently practice your ability to recognize and choose starting hands intelligently. Discipline in only playing good hands will be a crucial factor in leading you to long-term success with Poker.
