Texas Holdem Poker Hands Best To Worst

  
  • This complete guide to proper Texas hold'em starting hand selection covers an overview of the best and worst Texas hold'em starting hands and of the different factors you should take into account when selecting your starting. In addition some common groups of playable starting hands are discussed in detail.
  • Everyone knows that pocket aces are the best starting hand in a game of no limit texas holdem poker, but are you familiar with what the worst hands are? Join me as we go on a trip to the land of Texas Fold’em. 1) 7-2 72 is the #1 worst hand of them all.

These days, even the most casual of poker fans who might happen upon a WSOP broadcast during the summer knows that the best Texas Hold’em starting hand is pocket aces. With an additional 1,300+ potential starting hand combinations, however, the overwhelming majority of the hands you’ll be dealt will consist of inferior holdings. As such, it is best to know how to deal with other card combinations that might come your way.

Sometimes the cards you’re dealt will look appealing and you’ll want to play them. Think a couple face cards, perhaps. Maybe you’ve gotten a couple of connected cards or maybe they’re suited (BUT THEY WERE SUITED!). In most situations, you’ll find that pairs are at least somewhat playable but for all those other hole card combos you’ll get, just like Kenny Rogers’ famous song “The Gambler” advises, “you’ve got to know when to hold’em, and know when to fold ’em.”

The more easily you’re able to identify weak starting hand combos, the quicker you’ll be able to make the right decisions at the table. When to bet, raise, call… or throw your hand away. The easiest decision you’ll usually have is throwing away your hand when it’s quite literally one of the worst combinations possible.

So, without further ado, we present to you the worst Texas Hold’em starting hands.

Below is the list of Texas Hold Em Poker hands in order, ranked from the best hand to the worst: Hand #1 – Royal Flush. A royal flush is made up of the top five cards of the same suit. That is the Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten of the same suit. This is the best Texas Hold Em poker hand and statistically the toughest to make! This complete guide to proper Texas hold'em starting hand selection covers an overview of the best and worst Texas hold'em starting hands and of the different factors you should take into account when selecting your starting. In addition some common groups of playable starting hands. Below you will find a list of poker hands in order from highest to lowest to help you get started, as well as the top starting hands for Texas Hold'em. Click the button on the right to get a cheat sheet that displays the traditional poker hand rankings, which are used in the most popular variants of poker (such as Texas Hold‘em).

Deuce-Seven

Holding a 2 and a 7 (off suit) as your starting hand is without a doubt the worst hand you can get dealt. At best, you’d realistically be hoping to catch a 2 or 7 among the community cards on the flop for a low pair, which still makes for a relatively weak hand to carry on with. In pretty much every scenario then, whether you’ve found yourself a seat at the live casino card games or at your friend’s Friday home poker table, folding is the way to go when dealt the dreaded Deuce-Seven.

Deuce-Eight

The same issues that arise with the previous card combination are present at this one. In fact, it’s only marginally better. Should you decide to go against conventional wisdom and choose to proceed with such holdings, even if you improve to a pair on the flop, you’ll almost always find yourself behind and needing additional help to improve versus your opponents. Save yourself the hassle – and the money! – and get rid of the Deuce-Eight as quickly as you can… yes, even if they’re suited.

Three-Seven and Three-Eight

At this point, you probably know the drill. Starting hand combinations of 3-7 and 3-8 are, indeed, better than the aforementioned couple of combinations. The only advantage these combinations have over the ones we’ve listed already is that there’s an outside chance you might hit an inside straight with precisely the right flop. That, however, is most certainly NOT a reason to hold on to these starting hands. If you’ve got any interest in protecting your poker bankroll, toss the cards into the muck.

Deuce, Three, or Four and a Nine

You pick up your hole cards and start to peel… the first card you see is a 9. Not great, but not horrible either. Then you lift up the second card ever so slightly to reveal… a 2, or a 3, or a 4. The disappointment you feel should be palpable. Even if you’re no math expert and don’t realize that the chances of you winning with a starting hand of that nature are very slim, that sinking feeling you got when discovering that second card ought to lead you to do the right thing, namely chuck the hand.

Best texas holdem poker free

Conclusion

We’re pretty sure you’ve gotten the picture by now. It doesn’t take a card sharp to realize that while many of the hands you’ll be dealt aren’t too great to start out with, some of them are just pure rubbish and out to be discarded.

So there you have it, a rundown of some of the worst possible starting hand combinations you can possibly be dealt in Texas Hold’em. Hopefully, this is the only place you’ll ever have to see such trashy cards, and the dealers will always send premium hands your way.

Other Posts You'll Enjoy

  • Top 10 starting hands in Texas Hold 'Em

    This post lists and expands on the top 10 starting hands in Texas Hold 'Em. Many beginners to the game start out learning these hands…

  • Texas Hold’em – A Guide

    It has been described as the “Cadillac of Poker” by the godfather of the game, Doyle Brunson. No-limit Texas hold’em is the main game played…

  • How Does Open-Face Chinese Poker Differ from Hold’em?

    In this poker tips and strategy post, we list and then elaborate on the main differences between Texas Hold'em and Open-Face Chinese Poker. It's the…

  • Summary of Poker

    Hello World! We've decided to launch a brand new poker blog - hopefully one day we'll be a big website visited by thousands of people.…

  • 3 Awesome Poker Variants You Need to Learn

    Even the most passionate of poker players are eventually likely to get bored playing solely Texas Hold'em and Omaha. Isn't it wonderful, then, that there…

Texas Hold Em Poker hands are ranked by the best five card combination.

This five card combination is made up of the two cards that you, the player, are dealt, also known as your hole cards, and the five cards on the community board.

The rank of the cards within each type of hand can make a difference. This means that a king high flush is better than a jack high flush, for example. A pair of queens is better than a pair of jacks.

Below is the list of Texas Hold Em Poker hands in order, ranked from the best hand to the worst:

Hand #1 – Royal Flush

A royal flush is made up of the top five cards of the same suit. That is the Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten of the same suit.

This is the best Texas Hold Em poker hand and statistically the toughest to make!

Hand #2 – Straight Flush

A straight flush in Texas Hold Em Poker is made up of five cards of the same suit in consecutive order.

If more than one player has a straight flush, the player with the highest ranked card in the straight flush wins.

For example a King-high straight flush beats a Queen-high straight flush.

PokerTexas Holdem Poker Hands Best To Worst

A Royal flush is therefore in essence an Ace-High straight flush, the highest possible straight flush Texas Hold Em Poker hand.

Hand #3 – Four of a Kind (or Quads)

Four of a kind or quads is the third highest rank of the Texas Hold Em Poker Hands.

This hand is made up of four cards of the same rank. For example four aces down to four 2s.

If the four cards being used to make up the quads are the community cards, then the player with the highest 5th card wins the hand. This would therefore ideally be the player with an Ace.

If both players have an ace the pot is split as the two players have the same hand. This applies no matter how many players are involved in the hand.

Hand #4 – Full House (or Boat)

The fouth highest ranked Texas Hold Em Poker hand is called a Full House or Boat.

This is a combination of three of a kind and a pair. That is, three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank.

If two players have a full house, then the player with the highest three matching cards will win the hand.

If two players have the same three highest cards, then the winner is determined by the player who has the highest two matching cards.

Hand #5 – Flush

In Texas Hold Em Poker a flush is made by having five cards of the same suit.

If more than one player at the poker table has a flush, the player with the highest flush will win the hand.

This is determined by comparing the highest card of the flush, with the highest possible flush being the Ace-high flush, which can be made up of the Ace of a suit and any other 4 cards of the same suit.

Poker hands texas holdem rules

This is followed by the King-high flush, Queen-high flush and so on.

If the highest card of each player’s flush is the same card, i.e a community card, then the player with the 2nd highest card of the flush has the higher flush, down to the 5th highest as necessary.

Hand #6 – Straight

Texas Holdem Poker Hands Best To Worst

A straight is made up of five cards of any suit in consecutive order.

If both players have a straight, the person with the highest ranked straight wins the hand, with an Ace-high straight (A-K-Q-J-10) being the highest possible straight.

Do note that in Texas Hold Em Poker an ace can be used as the high card of a straight above the king (A-K-Q-J-10) or the low card below the 2 (A-2-3-4-5).

Hand #7 – Three of a Kind (or Set)

The seventh ranked of the Texas Hold Em Poker hands is Three Of A Kind and this is made up of three cards of the same rank.

The highest possible set is three aces with three 2s being the lowest.

If two players have made three of a kind, the player with the highest three cards wins.

If both players have the same three of a kind, the winner is the person with the highest additional 4th card, or 5th card, and therefore the highest five card combination.

Hand #8 – Two Pair

A player can make Two Pair by having two cards of one rank and two other cards of another rank.

The highest possible two pair is Two Aces and Two Kings with a Queen as your fifth card or kicker.

If both players have two pairs, then the player holding the highest pair wins. For example Two Aces and Two Kings beats Two Kings and Two Queens.

If the players both hold the same high pair, then the player with the 2nd highest pair decides the winner. Therefore Two Aces and Two Kings will beat Two Aces and Two Queens regardless of the fifth card.

If both pairs are the same two pairs, the 5th additional card is the decider. For example Two Aces and Two Kings with a Queen kicker beats Two Aces and Two Kings with a Jack kicker.

Hand #9 – One Pair

A player only needs two cards of the same rank to make one pair in Texas Hold Em Poker. Statistically this is the easiest Texas Hold Em Poker hand to make other than High Card, and is therefore the most common poker hand.

The highest pair any player can make is a pair of Aces and the lowest is a pair of Twos.

If more than one player has a pair at the showdown the player with the highest pair wins the hand.

If two players have the same pair, the winner is the player with the highest additional card.

Hand #10 – High Card

If you have not made any of the above 9 Texas Hold Em Poker hands by the showdown then you have what is called High Card.

The winner of the hand is determined by the highest ranked card in the 5 card combination. For example if your highest card is an Ace you will beat any player whose highest card is a King or lower.

If two or more players have the same high card then then the 2nd highest card decides the winner, down to the 5th card if needed.

There you have it!…A complete and official list of all the Texas Hold Em poker hands in order from the best and hardest to make to the lowest and easiest to make.

So study them and learn them so that when you are playing you always know which Texas Hold Em Poker hand you hold and which poker hands can beat yours.

This is crucial to your success!

Share This With Others:

Hands Of Texas Holdem

Return from Texas Hold Em Poker Hands to The Texas Hold Em Poker Club

Texas Holdem Poker Hands Best To Worst Dressed