The Top 4 Starting Hands and How to Play Them

Starting hand selection is a controversial subject in poker, as many players tend to play some hands differently then others. Although there will always be a variety of situations in which you will have to adapt to table dynamics, different player styles and play certain hands differently, for the most part there are certain guidelines that you must follow to become a successful poker player.

Here is a list of the top 4 starting hands in Texas Hold’em as well how to play these premium hands correctly.

1. Pocket Aces – How to Play AA

This hand, it is notorious for losing huge pots and winning small ones. The biggest mistake most beginners make with this hand is slow-playing it. Never slow play pocket aces with the rare exception if you are playing in a heads up pot or its a dry board texture. The standard way of playing pocket aces is raising 3 to 4 times the big blind from any position. If there has already been a raise then three bet to narrow down the field. There is no perfect way to play this hand but most players will agree that you should re-raise when a bet is made pre-flop.

2. Pocket Kings – How to Play KK

Pocket kings is another strong starting hand to play which will bring you more profit if you play them correctly.
You should play this hand much the same way as pocket aces. Now if you go all in and lose to pocket aces, you must put it down to just being a cooler. That’s poker. Always play this hand aggressively. Don’t play this hand passively before the flop because an ace may come on the flop. You would be losing a lot of value and even if the A comes on the flop you could still have the best hand.

3. Pocket Queens – How to Play QQ

This hand should be treated with caution but is still a great hand when you learn how to play it right. Play pocket queens according to your position at the table and also according to your chipstack. Raise them from any position and re-raise if there has been a raise in front of you and play the flop accordingly. If a lot of high cards are out there back off and maybe check especially if its a multi way pot because its likely to have hit someone else involved in the pot.

4. Big Slick – How to Play AK

Inexperienced players have trouble with this hand. The biggest mistake most beginners make with this hand is to flat call with this hand pre-flop. Don’t play AK like this – especially out of position. Make a raise – its a monster drawing hand! By smooth calling, there’s more people in the pot since you didn’t raise and you lose a ton of value. In addition, by not playing the hand aggressively pre-flop, (let’s say the flop is – A K 4), you put your opponent all in for all their chips. They only have a pair, right? He shows down a set of fours. Ouch! All because you didn’t make a big raise pre-flop. If you would have raised it hard he would have most likely been out of the pot.

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