Poker starting hands

To play a round of poker requires an analysis of many factors. What position you are in, how many chips you have, and how many your opponents have? Emotions; for example, are you or is another player on “tilt” or on a hot streak? Another question to ask is, are you playing a round with lots of other players or only heads up? Out of all the factors needed to play a hand, the main one you need to consider is your starting hand. Whether it’s a low-limit or a no-limit high stakes game, starting hands can be the foremost factor in who wins at poker. What are the best starting hands? The answer depends on whose book you read? What is listed below is a small sample of what you will find in some of the poker books found on the shelf today. As you will see each author does value certain starting hands over others. Some even suggest a raise depending on position; others want you to just call. The point is, poker has many, many variables and no particular starting hand should be set in stone. The fact is many professionals will vary the way they play their starting hands just to confuse other players. In poker, you don’t want anyone getting a tell that you always follow the same basic rules of starting hands.

   Phil Hellmuth    Bill Burton   David Skiansky   Doyle Bruson   CDV Associates      

         1. A-A               A-A                 A-A                 A-A                  A-A

         2. K-K              K-K                K-K                K-K                 K-K

         3. Q-Q               A-Ks*             Q-Q                 Q-Q                  Q-Q

         4. A-K               A-K                 J-J                   A-Ks                J-J

         5. J-J                 A-Qs               A-Ks               A-K                  A-Ks

         6.10-10              K-Qs               10-10               A-Qs                10-10

         7. 9-9                 Q-Q                 A-Qs               K-Qs                A-Qs

         8. 8-8                 J-J                  A-Js                J-J                    A-Js

         9. A-Q              10-10               K-Qs               10-10                K-Qs

       10. 7-7                 9-9                  A-K                 9-9                    K-Js

*s = suited cards, i.e. Ace-Clubs & King-Clubs