Texas Hold'em Hand Groupings
In texas hold'em there are several rankings of hand groupings that most experienced players know by heart. The following are strong hands and how they match up against other hands while playing texas hold'em. These groupings are important because a player should know what possibilities their hand has before they decide to place their money on the table and support it.
The strongest beginning hand is obviously A A. Clearly this hand can lose, but it is a pretty safe bet that you will win the hand. I would be lying if I said that I never lost big by throwing it all in on an A A hand, but usually you can trust it. Take, for instance, any other hand that has an A as its second card. Clearly someone would go in on an A K, but unless they get the straight, or better yet two kings, the hand is pretty much going to the A A. After A A, the next best texas hold'em hand is K K, then Q Q, and then J J. After J J the best hand is considered an A K suited. These hands are considered the best playable hands in texas hold'em poker.
Now obviously most pairs would hold out in a one on one scenario. Therefore it is worth your while if you plan on making something of a 5 5 hand, to make an early bet and try to get some people out of the game. Even a hand like 5 5 will sometimes score on the flop. Yet even assuming you do not get the three of a kind, there is no guarantee that your opponent will land his pair so you can still walk away with the win. If you need a chance to double up then your best bet is to go for it when you have a pair.
A word of caution however… in texas hold'em, pairs tend to come in pairs. If you have a 10 10 then it is safe to assume someone else is holding a pair too. Make sure to watch everyone else's bidding and see if you can spot any signs of who is trying for the three of a kind. If they miss it on the flop then it is a good idea to bet them out of the hand before they manage to river you out of a winning pot.
As always, there are no guarantees in texas hold'em, but it is still good to learn the basic hand groupings to know how the outcome should fall out. Hopefully you will not have to feel the pain of having an A A and seeing it die at the hands of a 2 2.
