If you’re new to the game of Texas Hold’em there is one sure way to increase your chances of winning a pot. That is only entering a hand with a “Premium Hand”.
What is a “Premium Hand” you might ask?
Basically, it consists of the tops rated starting cards that has been shown to statically beat a majority of the other cards pre-flop.
Here is the list:
A-A
K-K
Q-Q
J-J
T-T
A-K
That’s basically it in a nutshell. However, depending on whom you talk to or what you read; the above starting hands will slightly change.
In my experience, if you sit around the table and wait on one of those hands you’ll most likely never enter a pot. So, here are a few variations of the list above:
A-A
K-K
Q-Q
J-J
T-T
A-K
9-9
8-8
7-7
Or
A-A
K-K
Q-Q
J-J
T-T
A-K
A-Q
A-J
9-9
8-8
7-7
By limiting that hands you enter only to premium hands you will vastly increase your success as a hold’em player. This is the most basic step a beginning hold’em player can do to improve there game.
On a side note:
You can go rounds and rounds with out ever getting a starting hand. That’s just cards. Roughly 221 times (I think that’s the number) will you ever be dealt A-A. So, if you are an individual that lacks the patience to wait on decent starting hands then poker might not be for you.
However, later on I will write an article that will discuss how to expand your starting hand criteria depending on the situation you are in.