Top Poker Hands To Play

The Strongest Poker Hands – Before and After the Flop

Hands

Before the flop is dealt, the strongest hands are easy to spot. Aces, Kings and Queens top the list – with Ace-King not far behind.

The relative strength of poker hands in Texas Hold’em changes as the community cards are dealt. While all sorts of starting hands can hit the flop, there are certain categories which are more likely to turn into hidden monsters.

Relive the greatest moments in PokerStars history, including Phil Ivey battling Daniel Negreanu heads-up, Victoria Coren-Mitchell becoming the only player to. What’s the Best Hold’em Hand? If you’re pre-flop the answer is easy: pocket aces. Outside of those.

This page covers the top 10 poker hands, before the flop – and then all the way to the river. This includes:

  • Starting Hands: Top 10 hands that every play would love to be dealt before the flop
  • Flop Betting: How the first 3 community cards have a huge effect on the ‘relative’ strength of the bet pre-flop hands.
  • Turn and River: Draws can complete, or high cards can hit as the community card board is completed.
  • Top Hands and Position: Why being dealt a top 10 poker hand alone is not enough to win big.
  • How to Tell: If you can spot those times an opponent has a monster hand, you’ll be in a great position top get away from 2nd best holdings.

Starting Hands: The Top 10 Hands Before the Flop

Pocket Aces rule the rankings before the flop. If you are dealt this hand, you’ll win 80% of the time against any single hand your opponent could hold by the river.

Here are the top 10 hands pre-flop in Texas Hold’em:

  1. Pocket Aces: There is no better feeling in Hold’em than looking down at a pair of aces. Especially if there has been a raise ahead of you.
  2. Pocket Kings: With aces so rare, it is usual to assume that your pocket kings are the best hand pre-flop. You can always reassess if you face multiple re-raises. With no aces on the flop, you can hope to win a big pot with this hand.
  3. Pocket Queens: There is a risk that opponents have aces, kings or ace-king when you are dealt Queens. With no ‘card removal’ for those hands as when you are dealt A-A or K-K. Pocket Queens is still a very strong hand and should be played for a raise.
  4. Ace-King: This hand is even stronger when suited, though plenty strong enough with just the high card value. If you make a pair on the flop, you will have the top kicker to go with your top-pair.
  5. Pocket Jacks: As you get down the rankings, even strong starting hands start to become vulnerable to over-cards on the flop. Jacks are often good enough to win unimproved, though you need to be cautious when an ace hits the board.
  6. Ace-Queen: Again, a suited version is much stronger than an unsuited one – as you’ll be able to make the nut flush on occasion. This hand becomes stronger if your opponents are prone to overplaying aces with weaker kickers.
  7. Pocket 10’s: This is the last pocket pair which is more likely than not to be an over-pair on the flop. It has hidden value, blocking straights and allowing you to hit a set (as with all smaller pairs) on boards which look ‘safe’ for the higher pairs.
  8. King Queen Suited: This hand has a lot of potential multi-way. Heads up against one of the premium hands, it does not do as well. If you find yourself with king-queen suited in position in a multi-way pot, you can often make a hidden monster and win a big pot.
  9. Ace-Jack / Ace-Ten: These hands are vulnerable, though suited versions can make the nut flush, if you don’t make 2 pairs, there is always a chance of a Broadway straight.
  10. Mid-Pairs: Finally, mid-pairs can make sets – giving them a lot of deceptive strength. When someone has aces, and bets strongly, you can often win their whole stack with a hidden pair or 7’s (for example).

Relative Strength of Poker Hands on Different Flops

Key to success in poker is not to get married to the top 10 starting hands after the flop. There are several factors to consider. While you can often assume that your premium starting hand is still best (and bet it accordingly), a clear assessment of the risks is always useful.

When you see a flop, think about the following:

The best starting hands in poker are AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, AK, AQ, AJ, KQ, KJ and more holdings like this. The reason why they are the best starting hands is because they are statistically most likely to win the pot at showdown. You can improve your winnings in. Don't Play Every Hand/Do Fold More. Probably the number one mistake beginning poker players.

  • How many opponents saw this flop (what is the risk that some random hand connected!)?
  • Does this flop have the potential to hit many drawing hands (straights and flushes)?
  • Is this the type of flop that will not connect with hands my (tight) opponents are likely to play (low, unconnected flops fit this category)?
  • Are there cards on the board which are higher than my pocket pair?

These questions highlight an error that many new players make with premium hands. If you limp or call, instead of raising with those aces – you can end up in a tricky spot. You could see a wet flop (lots of potential draws available) with multiple opponents who might have random holdings. If you have to act first in the betting, the situation looks even trickier. Here your hand is too strong to give up on, though if you get a lot of action on subsequent betting rounds, you could be in trouble!

Top Poker Hands To Play Canasta

Playing good hands strongly, and raising a few outside the top 5 for balance, is a great way to avoid too many tough spots on the flop.

Turn and River Cards: How Likely my Opponent Hit?

When the turn or river card completes a flush (for example) and your opponent comes out firing with a big bet, you need to ask yourself how often you are beaten.

The wrong question to ask here is ‘how often do players make flushes by the river?’. You have some additional information. If your opponent called a bet on the flop, or even raised, then they are likely to have some kind of hand. If they continued all the way, only to re-raise you at the end when their card hit – you might just be in trouble.

Getting ‘married’ to over-pairs can be expensive in these situations. What is demonstrates is that even the top 10 starting hands can be losers in certain run-outs. You’ll need to use your judgement to decide whether your opponent might be bluffing in the scenario above. This can be based on the player, their bet sizing in the hand and your history with that opponent. In my experience, players at the smallest stakes are not bluffing frequently enough in this type of spot to make this a profitable call.

Playing the Top 10 Poker Starting Hands in Position

With the dynamics or poker hand strength changing as the community cards come out, playing in position is a great way to optimise your profits. This simply refers to acting last in the betting on the flop, turn and river betting rounds. The player with the ‘Dealer’ button position acts last – though keep in mind that acting last relative to the raiser pre-flop is a different factor.

When you are last to act, you can get away from hands when there is a raise and a re-raise ahead of you. It is always an option to bet out and steal a pot you might otherwise have given up on when everyone checks to you as well.

Position strategy goes a lot deeper than this. When you are starting out, keep in mind that acting last + having a top 10 poker hand is the best spot to be in!

How to Tell If Your Top Hand is Beaten?

As you gain experience playing on different board-textures, and against different types of opponents – spotting those times when your pocket aces are second best becomes a lot easier.

While some opponents keep betting at any pot where they have a piece of the board (or a draw in some cases), other opponents are more cautious. If someone who usually limps and calls suddenly wakes up with big bets, this is a great sign that you could be beaten. I have seen opponents play passively for hours, and suddenly check-raise when they made the top flush. If you pay those types off, it is down to you not paying attention – rather than bad luck.

Top Poker Hands To Player

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On this site you can find all possible combinations of preflop hands that can occur in Texas Hold'em Poker. As a bonus you will also learn the nicknames of the different hands.

The hands are ranked from #1 to #169, where #1 is the best. This ranking is applicable when the poker table is full ring (9-10 people). The ranking is based on computer calculation results with all the players staying to the river card. It is not applicable to any real play.
If the hand is named XXs then it means the hand is suited, if XXo then the hand is off suit.


#1
AA


Pocket Rockets
American Airlines
The Hand
Bullets
Rocky Mountains

#2
KK


Cowboys
Kamikaze
King Kong
Cold Turkey
Kangaroos

#3
QQ

Hilton Sisters
Ladies
West Hollywood
The Bitches
The Witches
Double Date
4 Tits
Flower Girls

#4
AKs


Big Slick in a suit
Anna Kournikova
Santa Barbara
Mike Haven

#5
JJ


Jokers
Brothers
Hooks
Jackson Hole
SHIP
Gays Online

News »

January 10, 2007
A lot more nicknames added
November 29

More nicknames added

November 25
More nicknames added

November 11, 2006
Site complete with all possible hands.

November 7, 2006
Site was online for the first time.

#6
AQs


Big Chick
Little Slick
Anthony & Cleopatra

#7
KQs


Mamas and Papas
Newlyweds
Marriage
Royal Couple
Parents

#8
AJs


Ajax
Black Jack
Jack Ass
J-birds

#9
KJs


Kojak
King John
Hary Potter
Bachelor's Hand
Tucson Monster

#10
TT


TinTin
Tension
Twenty Miles

#11
AKo


Big Slick
Anna Kournikova

#12
ATs


Johnny Moss
Bookends

#13
QJs


Oedipus
Maverick

#14
KTs


Katie
Big Al

#15
QTs


Quint
Varkony
Gratitude
Greyhound

#16
JTs


Morgan

#17
99


Wayne Gretzky
German Virgin
Popeye's
Phil Hellmuth

#18
AQo


Big Chick
Little slick

#19
A9s


Rounders Hand
Driving the Truck

#20
KQo


Mixed Marriage
Othello

#21
88


Snowmen
Little Oldsmobile
Two Fat Ladies
Catnuts

#22
K9s


Canine
Pair of Dogs
Turner & Hooch
Pedigree
Fido
Sawmill

#23
T9s


Count Down

#24
A8s


Dead Mans Hand

#25
Q9s


Quinine

#26
J9s


Jeanine

#27
AJo


Ace Jack-off

#28
A5s


High Five

#29
77


Buggy Tops
Saturn
Sunset Strip
Hockey Sticks
Mullets
Walking Sticks

#30
A7s


Red Baron

#31
KJo


Kojak
King John
Jack-King-off
Harry Potter

#32
A4s


Sharp Tops
Amen
Tranny's

#33
A3s


Ash Tray
Baskin Robbins

#34
A6s


Mile High

#35
QJo


Maverick
Fred & Ethel

#36
66


Route 66
Kicks

#37
K8s


The Feast
Kokomo

#38
T8s


Tetris
Tenaciously

#39
A2s


Hunting Season
Arizona
Acey-Deucy

#40
98s


Oldsmobile

#41
J8s


Jeffrey Dalmer

#42
ATo


Bookends

#43
Q8s


Kuwait

#44
K7s


King Salmon
Kevin

#45
KTo


Katie
Woodcutter

#46
55

Presto
Double Nickels
Speed Limit
Sammy

#47
JTo


Morgan

#48
87s


RPM
Tahoe

#49
QTo


Quint
Greyhound

#50
44


Robert Varkonyi
Quint
Magnum
Colt 44
Sail Boats
Diana Dors

#51
33

Crabs
City Parks

#52
22

Quackers
Pocket Swans
Ducks
Barely Legal
The Strippers

#53
K6s


The Concubine

#54
97s


Grapefruit

#55
K5s


King of Nickels

#56
76s


America
Union Oil

#57
T7s


The Bowling Hand
Split

#58
K4s


Fork

#59
K3s


King Crab
Sizzler
Commander Crab

#60
K2s


White Men Can't Jump

#61
Q7s


Computer Hand

#62
86s


Eubie
Maxwell Smart

#63
65s


Ken Warren

#64
J7s


Dice Hand

#65
54s


Colt

#66
Q6s


#67
75s


Heinz 57 Sauce

#68
96s


Overtime
Soixante Neuf

#69
Q5s


Granny Mae (if spades)

#70
64s


Revolution
The Rabbit

#71
Q4s


#72
Q3s


Bitch with Crabs
Gay Waiter

#73
T9o


Countdown

#74
T6s

Driver's License

#75
Q2s

Windsor Waiter

#76
A9o

Jesus
Chris Ferguson

#77
53s

#78
85s

Finky Dink

#79
J6s

Jack Sikma

#80
J9o

Emergency
9-11

#81
K9o

Sawmill

#82
J5s

Jackson Five
Motown

#83
Q9o

Quinine

#84
43s

Waltz Time

#85
74s

Barn Owl

#86
J4s

Done Hand
Jermaine
Flat Tire

#87
J3s

J-Lo
Bird Table

#88
95s

Dolly Parton
Hard Working

#89
J2s

The Jew

#90
63s

JFK
Three Dozen

#91
A8o

Dead Man's Hand

#92
52s

Two Bits
Quarter

#93
T5s

Dimestore
Woolworth
Five and Dime

#94
84s

Big Brother
George Orwell

#95
T4s

Roger That
Over and Out
Convoy
The Good Buddy

#96
T3s

#97
42s

The Answer
Lumberjack

#98
T2s

Texas Dolly
Terminator II

#99
98o

Oldsmobile

#100
T8o

Tetris

#101
A5o

High Five

#102
A7o

Red Baron

#103
73s

Dutch Waiter
Swedish Busboy

#104
A4o

Crashing Airlines

#105
32s

Hooter Hand
Jordan

#106
94s

San Fransisco

#107
93s

Jack Benny

#108
J8o

Jeffery Dalmer

#109
A3o

Baskin Robbins
Ash Tray

#110
62s

#111
92s

Twiggy

#112
K8o

The Feast
Dr Spoon
Kokomo

#113
A6o

Mile High

#114
87o

Tahoe

#115
Q8o

Kuwait

#116
83s

Raquel Welch

#117
A2o

Arizona
Big Balls
Hunting Season

#118
82s

Fat Lady and a Duck

#119
97o

Grapefruit

#120
72s

Beer Hand

#121
76o

Union Oil

#122
K7o

King Salmon

#123
65o

Ken Warren

#124
T7o

Split

#125
K6o

The Concubine

#126
86o

Maxwell Smart

#127
54o

Colt 45
Jesse James
Jane Russell

#128
K5o

Rotten Cowboy

#129
J7o

Dice

#130
75o

Filipino Slick
Heinz

#131
Q7o

Computer Hand

#132
K4o

Fork

#133
K3o

Commander Crab
King Crab

#134
96o

Percy

#135
K2o

Big Fritz

#136
64o

The Question

#137
Q6o

#138
53o

Bully Johnson

#139
85o

The Scag

#140
T6o

Sweet Sixteen

#141
Q5o

#142
43o

Waltz Time

#143
Q4o

#144
Q3o

Gay Waiter

#145
74o

Cambodian Slick

#146
Q2o

The Vesty

#147
J6o

Jack Sikma

#148
63o

JFK
Blocky

#149
J5o

Jackson Five

#150
95o

Dolly Parton

#151
52o

Quarter

#152
J4o

Kid Grenade

#153
J3o

Fortran

#154
42o

The Answer

#155
J2o

Bennifer

#156
84o

Big Brother

#157
T5o

Nickels and Dimes

#158
T4o

CB Hand
Roger That

#159
32o

Big Gulp
Hooter Hand
Mississippi Slick
Can of Corn

#160
T3o

#161
73o

Rusty Trombone

#162
T2o

Texas Dolly

#163
62o

Bed & Breakfast

#164
94o

Joe Montana Banana

#165
93o

Jack Benny

#166
92o

Montana Banana
Twiggy

#167
83o

Suzanna Banana
Sven
Raquel Welch

#168
82o

Sixty Nine

#169
72o

Death
The Big Man Hand
The Hammer

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