This article was written by blackrain79.com contributor Fran Ferlan.
Do you want to start quickly winning at Texas Hold'em poker?
Well, the first thing you need to do is stop playing trash hands.
Playing too many hands is the most common, and by far the most costly amateur Texas Hold'em mistake.
So which hands should you actually play in Texas Hold’em?
In this article, we’ll go over 4 hand categories all beginner poker players should play.
Stick to only playing these, and you’ll see an immediate improvement in your results, guaranteed!
Let’s get right into it.
New Year's Poker Sale (72 Hours Left)
Start your 2025 poker journey the right way by learning the proven strategies I have used as a 10+ year professional poker player.
Get $150 off your enrollment in my Elite Poker University training.
Enter code: ELITE150
This is the deepest discount I have ever offered new students in my advanced course.
or...
Get 30% off any of my best selling poker books.
Enter code: CRUSH2025
Make 2025 the year you finally start getting real and consistent results in this game.
Sale ends on Dec 31st, 2024 at Midnight EST.
Everything will go back to regular price in 72 hours from now.
Alright, on to the article.
Best Texas Hold'em Hands #1: Pocket Pairs
The first hand category all beginner poker players should play is pocket pairs (pocket Aces through pocket Twos).
Pocket pairs have an immediate equity advantage over unpaired hands for an obvious reason: you already have a made hand preflop.
Your hand equity simply refers to the percentage chance of winning the hand if all the players took their hands to showdown.
However, not all pocket pairs are created equal in Texas Holdem.
Strong pocket pairs (aka premium pocket pairs) are often strong enough in and of themselves, while weaker pocket pairs usually need to improve post flop in order to be played profitably.
With that in mind, we can put pocket pairs into 3 categories:
A) Premium pairs (AA, KK, QQ and JJ)
B) Medium pairs (TT, 99, 88 and 77)
C) Small pocket pairs (66, 55, 44, 33 and 22)
This categorization is not set in stone, however.
For example, sometimes you can treat pocket Tens as a premium pocket pair, or you can treat pocket Sevens as a small pocket pair.
Now let’s examine how to best play pocket pairs based on their strength, starting with premium pocket pairs.
Premium pairs can often win the hand without needing to improve post flop, so you should play them aggressively, both preflop and post flop.
This means open-raising or 3-betting preflop.
To 3-bet preflop means to raise against another player’s open-raise.
Example:
You have Q♥️Q♦️ in a $1/$2 Texas Holdem game and somebody has raised to $8.
You should re-raise (3-bet) to $30.
You should avoid “getting tricky” and slowplaying your premium pairs preflop, because this strategy can often backfire.
To slowplay means to play your hand passively (i.e. check and call) in order to conceal your hand strength.
If you slowplay your strong hands preflop, you can end up in a multiway pot, which makes it harder for you to win the hand.
You’re also not building up the pot as much as you could, which makes it harder to ship the rest of your stack in the middle post flop.
So your best bet is to keep things simple and "fastplay" your strong hands preflop.
This is honestly the easiest way to start winning at Texas Hold'em fast. I literally wrote an entire book about this.
If you get dealt a medium pocket pair, you should still open-raise them if you’re the first player to enter the pot.
If another player open-raises before you, you can flat call or even go for an occasional 3-bet, but calling is a perfectly viable option.
Medium pocket pairs can be a lot trickier to play than premium pairs, because they won’t flop an overpair as often.
An overpair is a pocket pair that’s stronger than the strongest card on the flop in Texas Holdem.
For example:
K♥️K♦️ on a flop like: Q♦️8♠️5♥️
Both pocket Aces and pocket Kings are overpairs on this flop.
If you don’t hit a set with a medium pair, you don’t necessarily need to give up the hand altogether, because these hands will usually have decent showdown value.
Hands with showdown value are hands that aren’t strong enough to value bet, but can often win the hand at showdown.
This makes them good bluff catching hands, especially on dry board runouts like:
K♥️9♣️8♦️3♦️2♥️
I will often call down here with T♥️T♣️
Finally, small pocket pairs do need to improve post flop in order to be played profitably.
This means that it’s best to play them as set mines.
To set mine means to call preflop with the intention of hitting a set and potentially winning a big pot.
However, since the chance of flopping a set is only 11.8%, you should only set mine if you’re likely to get paid off if you do manage to hit your set.
This is something that I talked about in much more detail in my latest YouTube video.
I make new poker videos every week. Join 130,000+ who are already subscribed.
Best Texas Hold'em Hands #2: Broadway Hands
Broadway hands are strong face cards that can make the strongest possible straight, like A♦️J♦️ or K♥️Q♠️
In texas hold’em, the most common combination you’ll make is one pair, so you want to play cards that can make strong top pair hands.
This way, your hand will often be strong enough to bet for value on the flop.
Betting for value means betting when your hand is ahead of your opponent’s calling range.
Top pair hands can often be bet for value, especially when you have a good kicker to boot.
A kicker is the card in your hand that doesn’t help you make a certain hand combination, but can determine the winner of the hand if both players have the same combination.
For example, if both players have a pair of Aces, the player with the stronger kicker wins the hand.
Broadway hands have good kickers, meaning your hand is often going to dominate your opponent’s hand.
A dominated hand is the one that’s unlikely to win against a stronger hand due to a weaker kicker.
For example, if you are dealt Ace-King, you’re going to dominate all the other Ax and Kx hands.
A lot of amateur players make the mistake of playing just about any Ace (ex: A♥️6♠️ or A♦️4♣️), which often leads to awkward spots due to kicker problems.
Check out my other article on the 4 bad poker hands you will never see a good Texas Holdem player play.
Aside from the potential of making strong pairs, broadway hands also have great nuts potential.
The nuts refers to the strongest possible combination on a given board.
Broadway hands can make the strongest possible straight, and suited broadways can also make strong flushes.
In texas holdem, most of your money will come from spots where you have a very strong hand, and your opponent has a weaker hand that’s willing to pay you off.
So your best bet is to only play hands that have the potential of making monster combinations post flop.
Similar to strong pocket pairs, you should always play strong broadways aggressively preflop.
That’s because you can often get called by a lot of weaker hands, so you want to build up the pot as much as possible while your hand is likely ahead.
If you connect with the flop, you can keep betting for value, and if you miss, you can still make a continuation bet on most flops, anyway.
Example:
You have K♥️Q♠️ flop comes T♦️8♣️5♦️ and you make a bet.
This is a continuation bet (or c-bet for short) which is a bet made by the previous street’s aggressor.
And the reason why this Texas Holdem strategy works so well is because your opponent is just as likely to have missed the flop as you did.
In fact, memorize these Texas holdem odds:
Your opponent will miss the flop 2 out of 3 times on average (so will you).
See my ultimate poker odds cheat sheet for more simple mental shortcuts like this.
And since you have the range advantage, you can credibly represent a lot of strong hands, especially on Ace-high or King-high boards.
How to Win at Texas Holdem Example Hand #1
Cash Game, Effective Stack Size: 100 BB
You are dealt A♣️Q♣️ in the MP (middle position). You open-raise to 3 BB. Villain calls from the BB (big blind).
Pot: 6.5 BB
Flop: K♥️8♣️3♦️
Villain checks.
You: ???
You should c-bet 3.5 BB.
Even though you missed the flop, you can still make a c-bet and potentially take down the pot right away.
The flop is bone-dry, so there’s not a lot of ways your opponent could have connected with the board.
The board also favours your range, so you can credibly represent a lot of strong hands like Ace-King, King-Queen, pocket Aces, pocket Kings and so on.
Your opponent is not likely to have any of these hands in their range, because they called preflop instead of 3-betting.
Even if your opponent calls, you can still improve to a top pair if you hit an Ace on the turn.
You also have backdoor straight and flush draws, which gives you a nice little equity boost in case you get called.
A backdoor draw means you need both turn and river cards to complete your draw.
Get My Free How to Win at Texas Holdem Poker Cheat Sheet
If so, then I wrote this free poker cheat sheet for you.
This is the best completely free poker strategy guide available online today. It shows you how to crush the small stakes games step by step.
Learn exactly what hands to play and when to bet, raise and bluff all in!
These are the proven strategies that I have used as a 10+ year Texas Holdem poker pro to create some of the highest winnings of all time in these games.
Enter your details below and I will send my free poker "cheat sheet" to your inbox right now.
Best Texas Hold'em Hands #3: Suited Aces
Suited Aces are great speculative hands in Texas Hold'em that can connect with the flop in more than one way.
Examples: A♥️T♥️ or A♦️5♦️
Aside from the potential of making a top pair, suited Aces can also make the nuts flush (highest possible), giving them excellent nuts potential.
This is why they are the most underrated hands to help you win at Texas Holdem.
Small suited Aces (A2s through A2s) can also make a straight, which further bolsters their nuts potential.
Due to their great versatility, there’s no one right way to play suited Aces.
If you’re the first player to enter the pot, you should still do so with an open-raise.
This is true for suited Aces and all the other hand categories on this list.
That’s because getting to the flop as the preflop aggressor is statistically more profitable than being the preflop caller.
If you’re using some good Texas Holdem software you can check these stats yourself.
If another player open-raises before you, you can flat call with suited Aces, but you can also go for an occasional 3-bet.
Suited Aces make for great 3-bet bluffing hands preflop, especially small suited Aces (A2s through A5).
Aside from their great nuts potential, (small) suited Aces also have blocker power, which makes them great for 3-bet bluffing.
A blocker is a card in your hand that reduces the number of strong combos from your opponent’s range.
A blocker is a card in your hand that reduces the number of strong combos from your opponent’s range.
For example, if you have an Ace in your hand, it’s less likely for your opponent to have strong combos like Ace-King, Ace-Queen, pocket Aces and so on.
An Ace blocker reduces the number of AK combos from 16 to 12, and the number of combos of pocket Aces from 6 to only 3.
This makes your opponents more likely to fold to your 3-bet, so you can take down the pot right away preflop.
And if you get called, your hand has excellent playability post flop, so you still have a decent chance of winning the hand.
I talk about this in much more detail in my wildly popular Texas Hold'em cheat sheet.
How to Win at Texas Holdem Example Hand #2
You are dealt A♥️2♥️ on the BU (button). Villain open-raises to 2.5 BB from the CO (cutoff).
You: ???
You should 3-bet to 7.5 BB.
Calling is not totally out of the question in this spot, but a 3-bet is an even better option.
If you call here, you leave yourself vulnerable to getting 3-bet squeezed by one of the players in the blinds.
A 3-bet squeeze is a 3-bet when there is at least one caller of the open-raise.
If you just 3-bet against an open-raise, this is not considered a 3-bet squeeze.
Calling also means getting to the flop with an easily dominated hand, which can lead to a lot of awkward spots.
If you 3-bet, on the other hand, you will often be able to take down the pot right away, even without a particularly strong hand.
You’re also attacking a relatively wide open-raising range from the cutoff, so your bluff is likely to work quite often.
These days, it’s not enough to wait around for the nuts to be a profitable long term winner in Texas Holdem games.
You also need to know how to win an occasional pot even without a particularly strong hand.
If you want to learn the advanced bluffing techniques I use as a 10+ year Texas Holdem pro, enroll in Blackrain79 Elite Poker University.
You will learn exactly which hands to play in Texas Hold’em and how to make them fold their hand consistently, even when you totally miss the flop.
For example in video #43 I teach you how to bluff them out of the pot when you re-raise with A♥️2♥️ and the flop comes K♠️J♦️4♥️.
My course contains 17 hours of advanced poker training, hundreds of step by step example hands and downloadable "cheat sheets" below all 50 videos.
If you are serious about taking your poker game to the next level, enroll today.
Best Texas Hold'em Hands #4: Suited Connectors
The last hand category all beginner poker players should play in Texas Holdem is suited connectors.
Examples: 9♦️8♦️ or 7♣️6♣️
Suited connectors are great speculative hands that can connect with the flop in more than one way.
However, unlike other hands on the list, the profitability of these hands depends on their potential to make strong combinations like straights and flushes.
And strong combinations like these don’t really come around often in no-limit hold’em.
This is why suited connectors are considered “speculative hands”; they need to improve post flop to be played profitably.
So if you decide to play them, you need to be able to get your money’s worth once you actually do make a monster hand.
For this reason, suited connectors require deep effective stack sizes, and the deeper, the better.
Deep effective stack sizes mean better implied odds (odds to win a really big pot), which is a necessary prerequisite to play speculative hands profitably.
Implied odds refer to the amount of money you can potentially earn on future streets if you hit a strong combination or complete your draw.
So the best way to play suited connectors is to try to see a cheap flop when the effective stack sizes are deep.
This way, you’re getting a good risk-to-reward ratio, i.e. you can potentially win a huge pot for a small investment.
If you’re the first player to enter the pot, you should still do so with an open-raise.
This is one of the slam dunk easiest ways to start winning fast in Texas Hold'em.
Example:
You have A♥️K♠️ in a $1/$2 game and nobody else has entered the pot.
You should raise it to $8.
But if another player open-raises before you, you can just call to see the flop.
You can also go for an occasional light 3-bet preflop, but the downside to this strategy is that you’re committing a big portion of your stack and you’re decreasing the effective stack size.
This results in a worse risk-to-reward ratio, and can potentially lead to a lot of awkward post flop spots.
Since effective stack sizes are such a huge factor, suited connectors are likely to be less profitable in certain game formats.
For example, in tournament poker, the effective stack sizes are usually a lot shallower than cash games, especially at the later stages of the tournament.
So hands like strong broadways and pocket pairs will perform better in spots with small effective stack sizes than speculative hands.
On the flip side, speculative hands will perform better in cash games, where the effective stack sizes are usually a lot deeper.
That’s because there’s a lot more post flop play involved, and you have more space to actually make a strong combination like a straight or a flush.
New Year's Poker Sale (72 Hours Left)
Start your 2025 poker journey the right way by learning the proven strategies I have used as a 10+ year professional poker player.
Get $150 off your enrollment in my Elite Poker University training.
Enter code: ELITE150
This is the deepest discount I have ever offered new students in my advanced course.
or...
Get 30% off any of my best selling poker books.
Enter code: CRUSH2025
Make 2025 the year you finally start getting real and consistent results in this game.
Sale ends on Dec 31st, 2024 at Midnight EST.
Everything will go back to regular price in 72 hours from now.
How to Win at Texas Holdem Example Hand #3
Cash Game, Effective Stack Size: 100 BB
You are dealt 7♦️6♦️ in the SB (small blind). Villain open-raises to 2.5 BB from the MP (middle position). BU (button) calls.
You: ???
You should call.
While you don’t want to call too often from the small blind, it’s perfectly fine to call here.
With a speculative hand like this, you actually don’t mind a multiway pot.
More players involved means better implied odds, which is great news if you manage to flop a very strong combination.
You’re also getting decent pot odds on a call, which makes calling the best option here. This is something you will learn in any good poker training site.
How to Win at Texas Holdem Instantly - Summary
Knowing the latest advanced poker strategy is a must if you want to win at Texas Holdem quickly.
But even if you’re just starting out, you can achieve decent results with the right formula.
If you want to start winning at poker quickly, your best bet is to only play strong starting hands, which gives you an immediate edge over your competition.
To sum up, here are 4 hand categories you should play to quickly start winning at Texas Hold’em.
1. Pocket Pairs
Pocket pairs have an immediate equity advantage over unpaired hands, and they will make strong combinations like sets and full houses more often than unpaired hands.
While premium pocket pairs are often strong enough in and of themselves, weaker pocket pairs usually need to improve post flop to be played profitably.
2. Broadway Hands
Broadway hands are strong face cards that can make the strongest possible straight.
Since the most common combination you’ll make in Texas Hold’em is one pair, you want to play hands that have the ability to make top pair as often as possible.
Strong broadways also have good kickers, which can often determine the winner of the hand.
3. Suited Aces
Suited Aces are versatile hands with an insane nuts potential.
Apart from the potential of making the nuts flush, they can also be great 3-bet bluffing hands due to their blocker power.
4. Suited Connectors
Suited connectors can make strong combinations like straights and flushes, but they do need to improve post flop in order to be played profitably.
That’s why these hands prefer deep effective stack sizes, so you can get a better risk-to-reward ratio.
---
This article was written by Fran Ferlan
Poker player, writer and coach
Specializing in live and online cash games
For coaching enquiries, contact Fran at fran.redline@gmail.com
Or apply directly for poker coaching with Fran, right here
Lastly, if you want to know the complete strategy I use to make $2000+ per month in small/mid stakes games, grab a copy of my free Texas Holdem poker cheat sheet.
