The best Texas Hold'em Hands every player should know and play right now

Your starting hands shape how each Texas Hold’em hand develops because they set your strength before the flop and guide your early choices. Many online platforms out there, such as Fezbet casino, include Texas Hold’em, which allows newbies to get clear guidance on poker strategy.

This article breaks down the best Texas Holdem hands and explains how these holdem hands give you a more stable base, reduce early mistakes, and also support stronger play in common situations.

Different types of starting hands in Texas Hold'em

Starting hands in Hold’em poker fall into clear groups. With each group shaping your early choices in Texas Hold’em. This chapter explains how to read these types of hands so you can easily spot the best Texas hold 'em hands and build steadier plans before the flop.

Pocket Aces

The best Texas Holdem hands to start with are definitely Pocket Aces. Among all Texas Holdem hands to play, Pocket Aces lead the rankings on any poker starting hands chart. With this combination, you don’t need a cheat sheet on how to play this hand, and pre-flop, folding is never an option.

It is worth noting that post-flop, even Pocket Aces can become vulnerable if the board doesn’t improve your hand. One pair may not be enough against two pairs or sets. So, ensure you avoid pushing all your chips into the pot without assessing the board and your opponents’ likely hands. 

Pocket Kings

Pocket kings are the second-best Texas Hold'em hands after Pocket Aces and, pre-flop, they almost play identically to Pocket Aces. You don’t need a cheat sheet to know how to act.

Almost zero chance to fold KK, and even if an opponent holds AA. Post-flop, the same principles for Pocket Aces apply here as well.

One pair is not always enough, and an Ace on the flop is a warning sign that the opponent can get a pair of aces. Learning how to play Pocket Kings Texas Holdem hands is essential for any novice player.

Pocket Queens and Jacks

Among the best Texas Holdem hands are definitely Pocket Queens and Jacks. They rank below AA and KK but above weaker pairs. This makes them some of the trickiest Texas Hold 'em hands to play.

These pairs remain part of the top 10 poker starting hands due to their profitability. Unlike the stronger pairs, QQ and JJ are foldable pre-flop in certain situations, especially against tight tables or multiple raises.

Post-flop, assume you may be behind or facing AK if there was heavy pre-flop action. Ensure that you continue only if the board improves your hand or your opponents show weaknesses. Besides their weaknesses, QQ and JJ are still some of the best Texas Holdem hands to start with.

Pocket Pairs Below Jacks

Now let’s cover the best Texas Holdem hands below Jacks. These include tens, nines, eights, and lower. These are lower value pairs but playtable Texas Holdem hands when used for set mining.

When you play tight and aggressively, these hands are valuable with no raise or a single raise, especially when multiple players call. Here, your goal is simple: flop a set and try to double up against higher pocket pairs. If you miss it, don’t bet.

These lower pairs are not the best Texas Holdem hands, and they carry a higher risk of set-over-set situations. For example, flopping the under set against higher sets often leads to losing a large portion of your stack.

For these reasons, many players avoid pocket pairs below fives. Using a poker starting hands chart or Texas Hold'em starting hands guide will help you identify which lower pairs are worth entering, keeping your risk controlled while maximizing potential post-flop value.

Top-Pair Hands

When we say top pair hands, we refer to combinations of top hands. For example, an Ace with a King or an Ace with a Queen. You will come across these combinations like AK, QA, AJ, and KQ. These combinations rank among the best Texas Holdem hands.

These combinations, at a loose table, are excellent for raising when you have a position and no one has acted before you. The key to profitability here is tapping loose opponents who hit the same top pair but have weaker kickers.

You should avoid calling raises with these hands. AJ and KQ are easily dominated, and calling frequently will probably cost you significant chips. Ensure that you adjust your strategy based on the type of game. Live, online, or across different poker rooms because dynamics vary.

Since these are not the best Texas Holdem hands, remember that one pair post-flop is vulnerable. Against tight opponents, large bets rarely come unless they can beat your top pair.

Also, always observe the table and adapt your play. Learning how to manage pairs like these, which are not some of the best Texas Holdem hands is crucial for long-term success and minimal losses.

Suited Connectors (and Suited One-Gappers)

Suited connectors are some of the best Texas Holdem hands when used right. These are two cards of the same suit that sit next to each other in rank, such as 7♣-8♣. Suited one-gappers, on the other hand, follow a similar idea but have a one-rank gap, such as 7♦-9♦. 

In Texas Hold’em poker, these card combos draw interest because they can form straights and flushes with coordinated boards, which makes them notable among many Texas Hold 'em hands.

These cards don’t connect often, though, and most attempts result in missed boards. Due to this, players tend to treat smaller suited connectors with a lot of caution, especially in early positions where many poker hands compete for space. 

These suited connector hands become more usable when more players see the flop, because the larger pot can highlight the value of rare but strong combinations. These are some of the best Texas Hold 'em hands.

In live games, poker players prefer suited connectors more often because fewer hands are dealt per hour compared to online play.

Suited Aces

Another of the best Texas Holdem hands when used right is Suited aces. These cards combine an ace with a card of the same suit.

This is a powerful combo because it gives players the potential to make strong flushes. They share some traits with suited connectors because their value comes from rare but powerful dewars rather than frequent strong pairs.

In many Texas Holdem hands charts, suited aces appear often in late-position ranges because their suited nature creates clear upside. 

Still, a small ace paired with a missed board offers little strength, so these become the best Texas Holdem hands only when they connect well. Some charts show them played more often in the cutoff or button than in the blinds.

More Texas Hold’em starting hands

If we look beyond the best Texas Holdem hands, most of the remaining combinations tend to lose value quickly.

For example, many hands might look appealing at first, for example, an offsuit Q-J or J-10. These hands often create difficult post-flop situations, which makes them costly for newer or intermediate players. Having fewer playable options means fewer tough choices, so many players keep their early hand list limited to the stronger groups already covered.

Any broad Texas Hold’em hand chart you see may show dozens of extra combinations, but these are usually added by advanced players who already understand table flow, pressure, and post-flop patterns. Beginners benefit more from focusing on the best Texas Holdem hands and a few reliable supporting hands rather than filling a chart with every marginal option.

The aim for newer players is to reduce mistakes by reducing complexity. When weak hands appear in a starting chart, they often lead to situations where guessing replaces clear decision-making. If you decide to keep these hands out of your early selections, it will simplify the learning curve and keep your attention on the parts of the game that matter most.

Starting hand groups

It is worth visualizing the starting hand groups. This is a good way to organize your cards into starting hands to better understand how these combinations relate to one another.

These groups help show why the best Texas Holdem hands perform well across many situations, while weaker hands struggle to create value.

At the top of these groups, we have premium pairs such as A-A, K-K, and Q-Q, along with strong broadway combinations like A-K or A-Q. These belong to the best Texas Holdem hands category because they enter more boards with built-in strength and face fewer domination issues. 

The next tier includes pairs below Queens, suited broadway cards, and strong suited aces. These hands carry potential but depend more on position and favorable boards.

Mid-tier groups often include suited connectors, suited one-gappers, and medium pocket pairs. These mid-tier groups often miss but can produce powerful combinations when boards line up well. Charts that list these hands show how they rely more on coordination than raw card strength.

Lower tiers contain offsuit broadways, weak aces, and disconnected cards. These groups are typically far less reliable, and most charts highlight them as hands to avoid, especially for newer players who want to limit guesswork. 

Even though some of the experienced players may expand their ranges, if you are a novice player, you should mainly focus on the best Texas Holdem hands and the groups closest to them.

Starting hand groups offer a simple way to compare cards, track patterns, and build a structured understanding of how different combinations behave before the flop.

Poker starting hand charts

Having a clear poker starting hands chart gives players an easy way to see which are the best Texas Holdem hands that offer strong value before the flop. These poker charts group poker starting hands by strength, position, and playability. 

There are so many Texas Hold’em hands, and having a chart available helps people learn which are the good and which are the bad hands. In total, there are 169 possible starting Holdem hands, and a chart makes these hands simple to compare. Here is one chart sample:

Most of the charts out there rank pairs first. Pocket aces sit at the top, followed by kings, queens, and jacks. These best Texas Holdem hands stay profitable across all positions. 

The next group includes broadway cards like A-K, A-Q, and K-Q. They gain strength when suited because suited cards raise the chance of making a flush. 

Suited connectors like 9-8 suited or 7-6 suited fall into the speculative group. These hands need the right board to grow in value, so charts place them in middle or late-position ranges.

A Texas Hold’em strategy chart often shows how ranges shift with position. Early-position ranges stay tight because more opponents remain in the hand. Middle-position ranges open slightly, while late-position ranges include more Texas Hold’em starting hands like suited gappers or weaker aces. 

A clear poker basic strategy chart also explains to you which hands to fold. Weak offsuit cards, low disconnected cards, and dominated hands stay at the bottom. The best charts keep things simple: strong hands go in, marginal hands depend on position, and weak hands fold. 

A poker starting hand chart also shows how suited cards, pairs, and connected cards carry different levels of strength. With this structure, readers can see what hands to play in poker, how ranges shift, and how each group behaves against real pressure.