Sep 19, 2010 Re: Worst plo8 starting hands top 150 If you consider all the 270725 possible combinations is something completely different from just considering 16432 uniquely different starting hands. When you choose the '270725' option, you MUST list the tied hands as you are actually sampling hands from a tied population. However, in this article I will just detail the ten best and the ten worst starting hands. The Ten Best Hands. If you want to be a great Texas Holdem Poker player, you need to know which hands you should play and which hands you should fold. The following is a list of the ten best starting hands and it is a good place to start your education.
In the poker game of Texas hold 'em, a starting hand consists of two hole cards, which belong solely to the player and remain hidden from the other players. Five community cards are also dealt into play. Betting begins before any of the community cards are exposed, and continues throughout the hand. The player's 'playing hand', which will be compared against that of each competing player, is the best 5-card poker hand available from his two hole cards and the five community cards. Unless otherwise specified, here the term hand applies to the player's two hole cards, or starting hand.
- 2Limit hand rankings
Essentials[edit]
There are 1326 distinct possible combinations of two hole cards from a standard 52-card deck in hold 'em, but since suits have no relative value in this poker variant, many of these hands are identical in value before the flop. For example, A♥J♥ and A♠J♠ are identical in value, because each is a hand consisting of an ace and a jack of the same suit.
Therefore, there are 169 non-equivalent starting hands in hold 'em, which is the sum total of : 13 pocket pairs, 13 × 12 / 2 = 78 suited hands and 78 unsuited hands (13 + 78 + 78 = 169).
These 169 hands are not equally likely. Hold 'em hands are sometimes classified as having one of three 'shapes':
- Pairs, (or 'pocket pairs'), which consist of two cards of the same rank (e.g. 9♠9♣). One hand in 17 will be a pair, each occurring with individual probability 1/221 (P(pair) = 3/51 = 1/17).
An alternative means of making this calculation
First Step As confirmed above.
There are 2652 possible combination of opening hand.
Second Step
There are 6 different combos of each pair. 9h9c, 9h9s, 9h9d, 9c9s, 9c9d, 9d9s
To calculate the odds of being dealt a pair
2652 (possible opening hands) divided by 12 (the number of any particular pair being dealt. As above)
2652/12 = 221
- Suited hands, which contain two cards of the same suit (e.g. A♣6♣). Four hands out of 17 will be suited, and each suited configuration occurs with probability 2/663 (P(suited) = 12/51 = 4/17).
- Offsuit hands, which contain two cards of a different suit and rank (e.g. K♠J♥). Twelve out of 17 hands will be nonpair, offsuit hands, each of which occurs with probability 2/221 (P(offsuit non-pair) = 3*(13-1)/51 = 12/17).
It is typical to abbreviate suited hands in hold 'em by affixing an 's' to the hand, as well as to abbreviate non-suited hands with an 'o' (for offsuit). That is,
- QQ represents any pair of queens,
- KQ represents any king and queen,
- AKo represents any ace and king of different suits, and
- JTs represents any jack and ten of the same suit.
There are 25 starting hands with a probability of winning at a 10-handed table of greater than 1/7.[1]
Limit hand rankings[edit]
Some notable theorists and players have created systems to rank the value of starting hands in limit Texas hold'em. These rankings do not apply to no limit play.
Sklansky hand groups[edit]
David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth[2] assigned in 1999 each hand to a group, and proposed all hands in the group could normally be played similarly. Stronger starting hands are identified by a lower number. Hands without a number are the weakest starting hands. As a general rule, books on Texas hold'em present hand strengths starting with the assumption of a nine or ten person table. The table below illustrates the concept:
Best Poker Hands Ever
Chen formula[edit]
The 'Chen Formula' is a way to compute the 'power ratings' of starting hands that was originally developed by Bill Chen.[3]
- Highest Card
- Based on the highest card, assign points as follows:
- Ace = 10 points, K = 8 points, Q = 7 points, J = 6 points.
- 10 through 2, half of face value (10 = 5 points, 9 = 4.5 points, etc.)
- Pairs
- For pairs, multiply the points by 2 (AA=20, KK=16, etc.), with a minimum of 5 points for any pair. 55 is given an extra point (i.e., 6).
- Suited
- Add 2 points for suited cards.
- Closeness
- Subtract 1 point for 1 gappers (AQ, J9)
- 2 points for 2 gappers (J8, AJ).
- 4 points for 3 gappers (J7, 73).
- 5 points for larger gappers, including A2 A3 A4
- Add an extra point if connected or 1-gap and your highest card is lower than Q (since you then can make all higher straights)
Phil Hellmuth's: 'Play Poker Like the Pros'[edit]
Phil Hellmuth's 'Play Poker Like the Pros' book published in 2003.
| Tier | Hands | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AA, KK, AKs, QQ, AK | Top 12 Hands |
| 2 | JJ, TT, 99 | |
| 3 | 88, 77, AQs, AQ | |
| 4 | 66, 55, 44, 33, 22, AJs, ATs, A9s, A8s | Majority Play Hands |
| 5 | A7s, A6s, A5s, A4s, A3s, A2s, KQs, KQ | |
| 6 | QJs, JTs, T9s, 98s, 87s, 76s, 65s | Suited Connectors |
Statistics based on real online play[edit]
Statistics based on real play with their associated actual value in real bets.[4]
| Tier | Hands | Expected Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AKs | 2.32 - 0.78 |
| 2 | AQs, TT, AK, AJs, KQs, 99 | 0.59 - 0.38 |
| 3 | ATs, AQ, KJs, 88, KTs, QJs | 0.32 - 0.20 |
| 4 | A9s, AJ, QTs, KQ, 77, JTs | 0.19 - 0.15 |
| 5 | A8s, K9s, AT, A5s, A7s | 0.10 - 0.08 |
| 6 | KJ, 66, T9s, A4s, Q9s | 0.08 - 0.05 |
| 7 | J9s, QJ, A6s, 55, A3s, K8s, KT | 0.04 - 0.01 |
| 8 | 98s, T8s, K7s, A2s | 0.00 |
| 9 | 87s, QT, Q8s, 44, A9, J8s, 76s, JT | (-) 0.02 - 0.03 |
Nicknames for starting hands[edit]
In poker communities, it is common for hole cards to be given nicknames. While most combinations have a nickname, stronger handed nicknames are generally more recognized, the most notable probably being the 'Big Slick' - Ace and King of the same suit, although an Ace-King of any suit combination is less occasionally referred to as an Anna Kournikova, derived from the initials AK and because it 'looks really good but rarely wins.'[5][6] Hands can be named according to their shapes (e.g., paired aces look like 'rockets', paired jacks look like 'fish hooks'); a historic event (e.g., A's and 8's - dead man's hand, representing the hand held by Wild Bill Hickok when he was fatally shot in the back by Jack McCall in 1876); many other reasons like animal names, alliteration and rhyming are also used in nicknames.
Notes[edit]
Poker Starting Hands Ranking
- ^No-Limit Texas Hold'em by Angel Largay
- ^David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth (1999). Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players. Two Plus Two Publications. ISBN1-880685-22-1
- ^Hold'em Excellence: From Beginner to Winner by Lou Krieger, Chapter 5, pages 39 - 43, Second Edition
- ^http://www.pokerroom.com/poker/poker-school/ev-stats/total-stats-by-card/
- ^Aspden, Peter (2007-05-19). 'FT Weekend Magazine - Non-fiction: Stakes and chips Las Vegas and the internet have helped poker become the biggest game in town'. Financial Times. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^Martain, Tim (2007-07-15). 'A little luck helps out'. Sunday Tasmanian. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
List Of Starting Poker Hands Best To Worst Man
10 Best and Worst Starting Poker Hands
Best Poker Hands To Play
One of the most important thins to learn in texas hold em is which hands are worth playing and which ones you would be better off folding. When it comes to every hand its all about the worth of those two down cards you’re first dealt. I’ve come up with a simple ten and ten list of the best cards to play and the best cards to fold. Just following these alone should increase your odds at the table.
BEST
#1 Ace/Ace This is by far the best hand you can hope to be dealt and has more odds of winning than any other cards
#2 K/K This is a close second to the previous hand. Odds are still in your favor and you can definitely win some money with these “cowboys”.
#3 Q/Q “Ladies” are probably the 3rd best you can be dealt. The two above can take you out but you have everything below.
#4 A/K This is stronger when suited and can still be somewhat of a tricky hand. When it comes to drawing hands this is definitely the strongest. If the flop is on your side and gives you a pair this hand can definitely pay off
#5 J/J This hand still has about a twenty percent chance of winning. Be cautious of the flop. If it shows a K, Q or A your chances go down but other than that you have a strong hand.
#6 A/Q This drawing hand is right under A/K and also has about a 20% chance of a win
#7 K/Q When suited especiallly this is a great drawing hand. Just be careful of the Aces.
#8 A/J Suited really benefits you here but still a decent hand
#9 K/J This hand is decent hand to play with but pay attention. Everything on this list so far can beat you so if you see big raises you should probably fold.
#10 A/10 You can still make a straight with this hand if the odds are in your favor. I wouldnt play this hand very strong and once again suited is going to put you in a better position of course.
WORST
#1 2/7 “the hammer” is what it is otherwise known as. Even if these cards are suited you might have a chance of making a very low flush. This is considered to be the worst starting hand in texas hold em.
#2 2/8 The only difference between this hand and above is you got an 8 instead. You still cant do much with this hand even when suited.
#3 3/and either of the above…This hand can still beat the other two but is not a good hand at all.
#4 2/6 Even if you have a miracle flush or straight chances are someone else on the table will have one higher. This hand is around a 10% chance of winning which is not the best.
#5 2,3 or 4/9 The only thing that may have the chance to save you with this hand is the 9. If you pair it it’s still right down the middle as far as pairs go. You still have a high chance to get beat even tho it’s better than any other hands so far.
#6 2/10 This is not a good hand…unless you’re a professional poker player. Doyle Brunson captured two WSP bracelets with this hand but unless you’ve logged as many hours at the table as him then I suggest you steer clear of playing this one.
#7 5/9 Statistically this is losing hand. It can be somewhat fun to play if thats what you’re playing for but not one that is going to win you money more than likely.
#8 4/5, 4/8, 3/6, 5/….You get the idea….These hands are a maybe at best if suited…if not get rid of em. If you’re in the big blind and can see the flop free ok. Otherwise fold.
#9 Face/Low when unsuited. A lot of times players (especially new ones) want to play any hand with a face card. This does have the chance to win a few pots but most of the time are losing hands that are easy to beat. Don’t get so excited every time you see paint in your hand.
#10 Ace/little unsuited See above. Yes we want to play the ace. Honestly this isnt a bad hand but if you see a lot of raises and you’re sitting at a table with more than four players you’re probably about to be outkicked and out of money.