Starting hand selection is where many poker players, especially beginners, often stumble. Understanding which poker hands to play before the flop can dramatically impact your win rate and save you from costly mistakes. This Poker Guide Hands article will break down the crucial elements of starting hand selection, ensuring you’re not the fish at the table. By learning to fold weak hands and play strong ones based on your position, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a more profitable poker player.
Why Starting Hand Selection is Crucial in Poker
Poker is fundamentally a game of mathematics and probabilities. Statistical analysis has consistently demonstrated that certain starting hands have a significantly higher probability of winning against a random assortment of opponent hands. These studies have allowed us to rank starting hands based on their win potential.
Understanding Starting Hands
In poker, your “starting hand” refers to the initial two private cards, also known as “hole cards,” dealt to you at the beginning of each hand.
Knowing the best starting hands in poker is not just theoretical knowledge; it’s a strategic advantage. When we choose to play a hand, we want the odds to be in our favor. Selective starting hand selection is the first step in ensuring this. While waiting solely for the top two or three hands might seem like a foolproof strategy, the reality is that these premium hands are dealt infrequently.
Therefore, a balanced approach combines starting hand strength with positional awareness. Playing in position allows for a wider range of starting hands compared to being out of position. The advantage of acting later in a betting round compensates for playing slightly weaker starting hands.
Poker Starting Hand Groups Explained
To simplify starting hand selection, we’ve categorized 46 playable hands into 8 groups, from Group A (the strongest) to Group H (the weakest we recommend playing). This poker guide hands section will detail these groups, removing the need for complex statistical analysis on your part. Familiarizing yourself with these groups is key to pre-flop strategy.
These 46 hands are strategically chosen for play depending on your position and the table dynamics. Hands weaker than Group H should generally be folded immediately.
Group A
- AA (Pocket Aces)
- KK (Pocket Kings)
- AKs (Ace-King Suited)
Group B
- AK (Ace-King)
- QQ (Pocket Queens)
Group C
- JJ (Pocket Jacks)
- TT (Pocket Tens)
Group D
- AQs (Ace-Queen Suited)
- AQ (Ace-Queen)
- AJs (Ace-Jack Suited)
- 99 (Pocket Nines)
- 88 (Pocket Eights)
Group E
- AJ (Ace-Jack)
- ATs (Ace-Ten Suited)
- KQs (King-Queen Suited)
- 77 (Pocket Sevens)
- 66 (Pocket Sixes)
- 55 (Pocket Fives)
Group F
- AT (Ace-Ten)
- KQ (King-Queen)
- KJs (King-Jack Suited)
- QJs (Queen-Jack Suited)
- 44 (Pocket Fours)
- 33 (Pocket Threes)
- 22 (Pocket Twos)
Group G
- A9s to A2s (Ace-Nine Suited to Ace-Two Suited)
- KTs (King-Ten Suited)
- QTs (Queen-Ten Suited)
- JTs (Jack-Ten Suited)
- J9s (Jack-Nine Suited)
- T9s (Ten-Nine Suited)
- 98s (Nine-Eight Suited)
Group H
- KJ (King-Jack)
- KT (King-Ten)
- QJ (Queen-Jack)
- J8s (Jack-Eight Suited)
- T8s (Ten-Eight Suited)
- 87s (Eight-Seven Suited)
- 76s (Seven-Six Suited)
The ‘s’ notation indicates a suited hand, meaning both cards are of the same suit. For example, ‘AJs’ could be Ace of clubs and Jack of clubs, while ‘AJ’ could be Ace of diamonds and Jack of spades.
Take some time to review these hand groups. Memorization isn’t necessary immediately; you can refer to these groups as you play and gradually commit them to memory.
Poker Starting Hand Charts: Your Action Plan
Having categorized playable hands into strength groups, the next step in this poker guide hands is to understand how to play them based on your position and the actions of other players. We won’t automatically play every hand from these 46 groups. Instead, our decision will depend on our position and the unfolding situation at the poker table.
When in position (acting later), we can play a wider range of hand groups. Conversely, when out of position (acting earlier), we tighten our range and play only stronger hand groups. Similarly, against aggressive opponents who have already raised, we should also narrow our playable range to stronger hands.
To guide your pre-flop decisions, we provide three action charts: UNRAISED, RAISED, and BLINDS. These charts dictate the appropriate action based on your starting hand group, position, and the pre-flop action.
Here are the three action charts:
- UNRAISED: Use this chart when everyone before you has folded or called only the big blind.
- RAISED: Consult this chart when someone before you has already raised.
- BLINDS: Refer to this chart when you are in the small or big blind and facing a raise from a player before you.
| UNRAISED |
|---|
| Everybody acting before you has either Folded or Called the Big Blind |
| Action |
| Opening Raise |
| Call a Re-Raise |
| Raise a Re-Raise |
| Call the Big Blind (if Multiway Pot) |
| RAISED |
|---|
| Someone acting before you has Raised already |
| Action |
| Re-Raise |
| Call |
| BLINDS |
|---|
| After a Raise and You are in the Blinds |
| Action |
| Unraised Blinds – Play as if you were in Late Position in the Unraised chart |
| Re-Raise |
| Call |
How to Use the Charts:
- Identify your starting hand group: Determine which group (A-H) your starting hand belongs to. If it’s not in any group, fold.
- Determine the situation: Identify whether the situation is UNRAISED, RAISED, or BLINDS based on preceding player actions. Select the corresponding chart.
- Identify your position: Locate your current position (Early, Mid, or Late) in the chosen chart.
- Check for your hand group: See if your starting hand group letter is listed in the column for your position.
- Take action: If your hand group is shown, take the action indicated in the chart (Opening Raise, Call, Re-Raise, etc.). If your hand group is not shown, fold.
Action Definitions:
- Opening Raise: Initiate the betting with a raise.
- Call: Match the current bet by calling.
- Re-Raise: Raise again after a player has already raised.
- Call a Re-Raise: Call when someone re-raises your initial raise.
- Raise a Re-Raise: Re-raise when someone re-raises your initial raise.
- Call the Big Blind: Simply call the big blind amount (also known as ‘limping in’).
Quick Reference Tools
Memorizing all hand groups and action charts takes time and practice. Initially, you can refer to these charts while playing. To simplify access, we offer these quick reference tools as part of this poker guide hands:
Printable Starting Hands Chart
For convenient access during play, download and print our A4-sized starting hand chart. Keep it handy for quick reference as you make pre-flop decisions.
(Right-click the link and select “Save target as” to download. Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, downloadable here.)
Quick Reference – Our Starting Hands Desktop Wallpaper is available
Starting Hands Chart Desktop Wallpaper
Utilize our starting hands chart as your desktop wallpaper for an unobtrusive in-game guide. Designed for poker sessions, it allows you to position your poker table window over the Poker Professor logo, keeping the charts visible around the table edges.
(Right-click and “Save target as” to download the wallpaper optimized for 1920×1080 screens. Set as desktop background by right-clicking the downloaded file and selecting “Set As Desktop Background.”)
Starting Hand Examples: Putting it into Practice
Let’s work through some examples from this poker guide hands to solidify your understanding of the charts and decision-making process.
Example Hand 1
You’re in early position and dealt A♦ J♣. You are the first to act, meaning no one has bet before you.
- Hand Group: AJ is a Group E hand.
- Situation: UNRAISED (no prior bets).
- Position: Early Position.
Referring to the UNRAISED Action chart, Early Position column, Group E is not listed. Therefore, you should fold this hand in this situation.
Example Hand 2
You’re in early position and dealt A♠ K♥. You are the first to act, with no prior bets.
- Hand Group: AK is a Group B hand.
- Situation: UNRAISED.
- Position: Early Position.
Looking at the UNRAISED Action chart, Early Position column, Group B hands indicate an “Opening Raise.” You should initiate the hand with a raise (bet sizing details follow).
Example Hand 3
You’re in Mid Position and dealt A♦ A♥. A player in early position raises to 3 times the big blind.
- Hand Group: AA is a Group A hand (the strongest).
- Situation: RAISED (a player has already raised).
- Position: Mid Position.
Consulting the RAISED Action chart, Mid Position column, Group A hands suggest a “Re-Raise.” You should re-raise in this scenario.
Example Hand 4
You’re in Mid Position and dealt 9♥ 9♠. A player in early position raises to 3 times the big blind.
- Hand Group: 99 is a Group D hand.
- Situation: RAISED.
- Position: Mid Position.
Again, using the RAISED Action chart, Mid Position column, Group D is not present. You should fold this hand when facing a raise in mid-position with pocket nines.
Example Hand 5
You’re in Late Position and dealt 8♦ 7♦. Two players before you have limped in (called the big blind).
- Hand Group: 87s is a Group H hand.
- Situation: UNRAISED (limpers are considered calling, not raising).
- Position: Late Position.
From the UNRAISED Action chart, Late Position column, Group H hands in a multi-way pot (multiple players in the hand) indicate “Call the Big Blind.” Since two players have already called and the blinds are likely to call as well, you can call the big blind and enter the hand.
Bet Sizing: How Much to Raise and Re-Raise
This poker guide hands wouldn’t be complete without addressing bet sizing. While precise bet sizing is an advanced topic, here are general guidelines for opening raises and re-raises.
Generally, an opening raise should be between 3 to 4 times the Big Blind (BB). Starting recommendations:
- Early Position: Raise 4 times the Big Blind.
- Mid Position: Raise 3.5 times the Big Blind.
- Late Position: Raise 3 times the Big Blind.
Vary your raise sizes to avoid predictability, but these serve as good starting points. Raising slightly larger in early position applies more pressure when you are out of position.
For re-raises, a general guideline is 2 to 4 times the original raise. Consider these adjustments:
- Raised from Early Position: Re-raise 2 times the original raise.
- Raised from Mid Position: Re-raise 3 times the original raise.
- Raised from Late Position: Re-raise 4 times the original raise.
This adjustment is based on the likelihood of stronger hands from earlier positions versus potentially weaker hands from late positions.
Time to Practice: Bankroll Challenge Stage 1
This has been a comprehensive lesson on poker guide hands and starting hand selection. Practice is key to mastery. Start applying these principles in low-stakes games with our Bankroll Challenge Stage 1.
Poker Bankroll Challenge: Stage 1
- Stakes: $0.02/$0.04
- Buy In: $3 (75 x BB)
- Starting Bankroll: $25
- Target: $3 (1 x Buy In)
- Finishing Bankroll: $28
- Estimated Sessions: 1
Use this challenge to practice starting hand selection based on the charts and to become comfortable with positional awareness. Play conservatively initially and recognize that opponents may sometimes have stronger hands. Future lessons will delve deeper into post-flop betting strategies.
