[Poker Basics] What Are Starting Hands?

One of the most important elements in a poker game is the “starting hand.”

✅ What You Will Learn in This Article

• The order of starting hand strength in poker
• The names of starting hand types in poker
• How to use starting hands in poker

Now let’s start with the order of starting hand strength.

Poker Starting Hand List

As explained in the “Texas Hold’em Poker Rules Introduction!” article, choosing 2 cards from a 52-card deck gives 1,326 possible combinations.

When classified as suited (both cards of the same suit, abbreviated “s” below) and offsuit (both cards of different suits, abbreviated “o” below), there are 169 combinations.

The strength order of all 169 is as follows. (For 2-player matchups)

Those who want to first understand the basics of starting hands can of course skip ahead to the next section.

Rank 1~10

1	AA
2	KK
3	QQ
4	JJ
5	1010
6	99
7	88
8	AKs
9	77
10	AQs

Rank 11~20

11	AKo
12	AJs
13	A10s
14	AQo
15	AJo
16	KQs
17	66
18	A9s
19	A10o
20	KJs

Rank 21~30

21	A8s
22	K10s
23	KQo
24	A7s
25	A9o
26	KJo
27	QJs
28	55
29	A8o
30	A6s

Rank 31~40

31	K9s
32	A5s
33	K10o
34	Q10s
35	A7o
36	A4s
37	K8s
38	QJo
39	A3s
40	K9o

Rank 41~50

41	Q9s
42	A6o
43	K7s
44	A5o
45	J10s
46	Q10o
47	A2s
48	44
49	K6s
50	A4o

Rank 51~60

51	K8o
52	Q8s
53	K5s
54	J9s
55	A3o
56	Q9o
57	K7o
58	J10o
59	K4s
60	A2o

Rank 61~70

61	Q7s
62	K6o
63	109s
64	J8s
65	K3s
66	Q8o
67	Q6s
68	33
69	J9o
70	K5o

Rank 71~80

71	K2s
72	Q5s
73	108s
74	J7s
75	K4o
76	Q7o
77	Q4s
78	J8o
79	109o
80	K3o

Rank 81~90

81	Q6o
82	98s
83	107s
84	J6s
85	Q3s
86	22
87	K2o
88	Q5o
89	J5s
90	108o

Rank 91~100

91	Q2s
92	J7o
93	97s
94	106s
95	Q4o
96	J4s
97	98o
98	107o
99	87s
100	Q3o

Rank 101~110

101	J6o
102	J3s
103	96s
104	105s
105	J5o
106	J2s
107	Q2o
108	97o
109	86s
110	104s

Rank 111~120

111	106o
112	J4o
113	95s
114	76s
115	103s
116	87o
117	J3o
118	96o
119	85s
120	102s

Rank 121~130

121	105o
122	J2o
123	94s
124	75s
125	86o
126	104o
127	93s
128	65s
129	95o
130	84s

Rank 131~140

131	76o
132	103o
133	92s
134	74s
135	85o
136	102o
137	64s
138	54s
139	83s
140	75o

Rank 141~150

141	75o
142	94o
143	65o
144	73s
145	93o
146	84o
147	63s
148	53s
149	92o
150	74o

Rank 151~160

151	72s
152	64o
153	43s
154	54o
155	83o
156	62s
157	52s
158	82o
159	73o
160	42s

Rank 161~169

161	63o
162	53o
163	32s
164	72o
165	43o
166	62o
167	52o
168	42o
169	32o

※ Note ※

The strength order introduced here is for 1-on-1 matchups. Win rates change depending on factors such as the number of players and your position (betting order).

Poker Starting Hands

A starting hand is “the hand you hold at the pre-flop stage (when 2 cards are dealt).”

In the previous section we covered the order of strength, but here we’ll write about what kinds of hands there are and how best to play depending on your hand.

<Hand 1> Pair

When 2 cards with the same number or face value come together — like 2-2 or 7-7 — it becomes a hand called “Pair.”

If your starting hand is a pair, if even one of those numbers appears in the community cards (the shared cards for all players), you get ‘Three of a Kind (three cards of the same number),’ which dramatically increases your win rate.

Getting a pair is ideal, but since it’s a matter of luck, try not to expect it too much.

<Hand 2> High Pair

A pair of numbers 10 or higher is called a “High Pair.”

High pairs have especially high win rates among pairs.

Basically bet unless you feel ‘the opponent has a pair higher than my high pair.’

Tip: What to do when you get a pair in your starting hand?

Try to make your move to reduce the number of participants as much as possible.

This is because your win rate increases the fewer participants there are.

For example, if a pair of 10s comes in your starting hand, the overall win rate (combined win rate across various player counts) is ‘33.9%,’ but in a 1-on-1 it becomes ‘75.1%’ — more than double the win rate.

<Hand 3> Suited

When 2 cards of the same suit come — like ♦♦ or ♣♣ — it becomes a hand called “Suited.”

When suited is in your hand, aim for a Flush (a hand made from 5 cards of the same suit).

<Hand 4> Offsuit

When 2 cards of different suits come — like ♣♡ or ♦♤ — it becomes a hand called “Offsuit.”

At first glance it may seem ‘weak,’ but if the offsuit contains large numbers like A or K, it can transform into a strong hand depending on community cards, so there’s no need to give up.

Also, even with a small-numbered offsuit, the ones introduced below can still have a high win rate.

<Hand 5> Connector

A hand with consecutive numbers — like 3-4 or 7-8 — is called a “Connector.”

When you get a connector, aim for a Straight (a hand with cards in sequential order).

<Hand 6> 2-Gap Connector

A hand with one number missing in between — like 2-4 or 7-9 — is called a “2-Gap Connector.”

To complete a hand, you need to draw the middle number or draw the matching card for a pair.

<Hand 7> 3-Gap Connector

A hand with two numbers missing in between — like 2-5 or 5-8 — is called a “3-Gap Connector.”

To complete a hand, you need to draw both middle numbers or draw the matching card for a pair.

<Hand 8> Suited Connector

A hand with the same suit and consecutive numbers — like ♦2-♦3 or ♣6-♣7 — is called a “Suited Connector.”

When a suited connector is in your hand, completing a ‘Straight Flush’ becomes the primary goal.

With a small-numbered suited connector it’s harder to go for it, but judge comprehensively based on your opponent’s betting pattern and other factors.※ A suited connector without the same suit is called an “Unsuited Connector.”

Tip: With connectors, the closer the numbers, the better!

When you get a connector hand, not only is there no gap to draw, but the fact that ‘the number of straights you can make is different’ is also why a smaller gap is better.

For example, compare 7-8 and 4-7:

If you hold 7 and 8, you can make 4 straights: 4-5-6-7-8, 5-6-7-8-9, 6-7-8-9-T, 7-8-9-T-J. But if you hold 4 and 7, you can only make 2 straights: 3-4-5-6-7, 4-5-6-7-8.

There are 1,020 combinations per straight, so the number of combinations itself only differs by 2, but looking at the overall total, it makes a big difference.

Key Points on Starting Hands

Once you understand the basics of starting hands, it is also important to grasp key points for common situations.

So here we explain the key points regarding starting hands.

Be Cautious Even When Suited

The first thing to keep in mind is not to become too optimistic even when your suits are matched.

When suits are aligned you might hope for a Straight to form, but even playing to the end, the probability of a Straight forming doesn’t come close to 10%.

Since it is overwhelmingly more rare to complete a strong hand, playing recklessly is dangerous.

Be Cautious Even With Strong Starting Hands

Another situation where you shouldn’t be optimistic is when your starting hand contains strong cards.Even if A or K is included in your starting hand, playing carefully is important.

Even if strong cards come, the probability of ultimately completing a strong hand actually increases only slightly.

Since the situation changes greatly depending on subsequent developments, especially for beginners, you should think of the starting hand state as nothing being decided yet.

Please make calm judgments taking into account not only ‘whether strong cards are included’ but also connector and suit conditions.

In that sense too, knowing the types of starting hands first is very important.

Infer the Opponent’s Hand from Hand Range

Inferring the opponent’s hand from hand range is also an important point.

At the starting hand stage, think that the outcome is not almost decided yet, and carefully observe and analyze the opponent’s actions.

Carefully watching the trend of calls and raises, and inferring the opponent’s hand, is far more important than the content of your starting hand.

Since opponents at a certain level may engage in psychological warfare, a very deep reading battle may be required at times.

Of course, knowing the basics of starting hands as discussed here is also important.

By mastering the basics, you’ll be able to focus more on inferring the opponent’s hand and choosing your own actions.

Starting Hand Value Is Affected by the Number of Players

The value of starting hands is actually influenced by the number of players.

There are starting hands where the win rate increases the fewer players there are.

For example, consider the extreme case of heads-up (1-on-1).

In heads-up, the relative value of speculative hands (hole cards with potential to become monster hands) like suited connectors or small pairs decreases.

Conversely, the value of large-numbered cards and pocket pairs increases, and the probability of winning is higher than usual.

Starting Hand Range Also Differs by Position

The hand range for starting hands differs by position.

This is because poker is a game where some positions are more advantageous than others.

While positions that act earlier have less information and are at a disadvantage, positions that act later can gather more information and are advantageous.

Understanding hand ranges by position will help you improve your win rate in poker.

By repeatedly playing online poker faithfully to the basics with the chart open, you’ll gradually learn the fundamentals of hand range.

[Summary] Poker Starting Hands

What this article wanted to convey is as follows:

○The strength of starting hands changes depending on the number of players.

Overall, high pairs of 10 or higher, combinations of large numbers, and combinations of the same suit or consecutive numbers tend to be strong.

○Starting hand types:

◆ Pair → A combination of the same number.
◆ High Pair → A combination of the same number, 10 or higher.
◆ Suited → A combination of the same suit.
◆ Offsuit → A combination of different suits.
◆ Connector → A combination of consecutive numbers.
◆ 2-Gap Connector → A combination like 2-4, with one number missing in between.
◆ 3-Gap Connector → A combination like 2-5, with two numbers missing in between.
◆ Suited Connector → A combination of the same suit and consecutive numbers.
◆ Unsuited Connector → A combination of different suits and consecutive numbers.

There are 8 types.

Starting hands have a strong ‘luck element,’ so there’s nothing an individual can do about them.

However, just by knowing the strength of starting hands, you can change your betting approach and actions.

Also, since the strength of your hand changes based on community cards, starting hands don’t determine everything.

Even if your starting hand is weak, don’t get discouraged — play poker while judging the situation.