Winning Poker Hands

Sticking to the winning poker hands

You have to know the winning poker hands if you are just starting out in no-limit hold'em poker, or if you have been playing a little while but just can't seem to get your bankroll moving.

You are in the same boat that every poker player in the world has been in before. The big question is whether or not you can get out of that boat and onto the ship of success.

The easiest first step you can take is to limit your starting hands to a shorter more specific list and have a clear strategy for how to play them. There is a range of winning poker hands, but for now you would do better to concentrate on playing just a few.

I am always dumbfounded to see new players trying to win hands with any two cards. It takes learned players thousands of hands before they can play a wide range of hands from all table positions and they still often opt to fold.

Premium Pairs- AA KK QQ

Always play these hands, they are all big favorites to win pre-flop. I am assuming you already knew that, so I will move on to how I suggest you play them if just starting out.

RAISE or RE-RAISE and make sure when you do so that you make your bet the size of the pot i.e. you add up all the chips already on the table and make that your bet (throw in a couple of extra big blinds if there's no one in the hand yet). You should not ever “slow play” these hands if you are a new or developing player.

Small/Medium Pocket Pairs- 22 through to JJ

Play these hands also, they are already a “made hand” and will have about a 50% chance of beating two over-cards like KQ or AK. (by the way, I offer different advice for limit hold em)

The important thing to remember about these hands is that unless you flop a third card to match your pocket cards the hand may become pretty useless quite quickly.

Raise about 3 big blinds or call a raise up to 5 big blinds. You will be paid out very nicely if you flop a set and if you just call (limp) with your small pairs and raise with your premium pairs, you become very predictable.

You might also flop three under-cards like 379 if you hold a hand like JJ or TT so you could still be in front there, even if you don't catch a set (three of a kind). Otherwise, be ready to throw your hand away to any strong betting.

Big Cards- AK AQ KQ

Play these hands but play them cautiously. Many players are prepared to go broke with these hands, but like I mentioned above, you are at best 50% against a hand as small as 22.

You'll notice I haven't included AJ, KJ and AT, these hands are trickier to play then they look and you can introduce them once your winning poker hands start paying off.

Raise if first to bet, or flat call if there is action before you. These are not made hands yet, you need to catch cards on the flop for a draw or a pair. The good news is that if you do flop a pair it's likely to be a strong pair, and if you do flop a draw it's possibly the best draw.

Believe it or not that’s it!

I know this sounds simple and there are plenty of other ways to play these winning poker hands and other hands too, but if you are just starting out and struggling a bit, you will find adopting this approach will improve your win percentage and give you a solid base for varying and developing your skills further.

You gotta walk before you can run.

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