Holdem Poker Starting Hands Chart
Posted : admin On 4/6/2022This table comes from the book Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth. This is a strategy book for limit Hold'em, but the starting hand groups do have some practical use in no limit Hold'em. What is the Sklansky and Malmuth starting hands table? The table is a general ranking of hands in Texas Hold'em. Hand History Converter for Bodog Poker, and Ignition Casino. Neither Holdem Manager or Poker Tracker supports the importing of Ignition poker hand histories into their databases. Without this information, you’ll never be able to review your hands, stats, or track your progress. Poker Odds Charts. Poker odds charts come in useful when you want to quickly work out the odds of winning a hand in Texas Hold'em. The most commonly used odds charts are the 'standard poker odds charts' below, which give both the percentage and ratio odds of completing your draw depending on the number of outs you have (see pot odds and drawing hands for more information). The above 3 sets of hands add up to form the common answer of 169 Texas Hold’em starting hands There are actually 1,326 combinations of starting hands if you count suits (e.g. A♣- A♦ and A♠- A♥ are different hands), but that is more of a “just for fun” number as suits have no value over each other in Texas Hold’em.
Many poker professionals agree that one of the most important skills of a successful player is knowing which starting handsto play in different positions and situations. Following are three starting hand charts for full-handed limit poker games.
Preflop play
is fairly straightforward, but no starting hand chart can cover everything you need to know. Different games require different strategies. These charts should help you adapt to three types of poker games: Typical Game, Aggressive Game, and Soft Game. These guidelines are not strict, however. There are times when you should play hands that the charts say you should fold. There are other situations where you should raise when the chart says to just call.
Poker
is a complex game. These charts are meant for beginning and intermediate poker players. More advanced players can deviate from our suggestions. Expert players do not rely on charts; they instead tailor their plays to each particular situation. Only experience at the tables can help you reach that level of expertise.
In the meantime, we suggest you study the preflop sections of Hold’em Poker for Advanced Players by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth and Small Stakes Hold’em by Ed Miller. Sklansky, Malmuth, and Miller cover the complexities of preflop in much greater detail than we do here.
| Typical Game: 2-4 players seeing the flop on average. A moderate amount of preflop raising | |||
ActionBefore You | No Raise | One Raise | Raise &Re-raise |
| Early Position | Raise: AA-JJ, AKs-AJs, AKo-AQo, KQsCall: TT-88, ATs, KJs, QJs, AJo, KQo | Raise: AA-QQ, AKs-AQs, AKoCall: JJ-TT, AJs, KQs (You can also reraise with these hands) | Raise: AA-KKCall or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
| Middle Position | Raise: AA-99, AKs-ATs, KQs-KJs, AKo-AJo, KQoCall: 88-77, KTs, QJs-T9s, ATo, KJo | Raise: Same as aboveCall: Same as above | Raise: AA-KKCall or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
| Late Position | Raise: AA-99, AKs-ATs, KQs-KJs, QJs, AKo-AJo, KQoCall: 88-55, A9s-A5s, KTs, QTs, JTs-76s, J9s, ATo, KJo, QJo | Raise: Same of aboveCall: Same as above | Raise: AA-KKCall or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
| Small Blind | Raise: AA-JJ, AKs-AJs, KQs, AKo-AQoCall: All late-position hands, plus any suited Ace and any pocket pair. | Raise: Same of aboveCall: Same as above | Raise: AA-KKCall or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
| Big Blind | Raise: Same hands as small blind.Check: Everything else. | Raise: Same of aboveCall: Same as above, plus 99-77, ATs-A8s, KJs, QJs-JTs, AQo | Raise: AA-KKCall or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
| Aggressive Game: Many pots raised before the flop. Aggressive games can be loose or tight. | |||
ActionBefore You | No Raise | One Raise | Raise &Re-raise |
| Early Position | Raise: AA-JJ, AKs-AJs, KQs, AKo-AQoCall: TT-99, ATs, KJs, QJs | Raise: AA-QQ, AKs, AKoCall: JJ-TT, AQs-AJs, KQs (You can also reraise with these hands) | Raise: AA-KKCall or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
| Middle Position | Raise: AA-TT, AKs-AJs, KQs, AKo-AJoCall: 99-88, ATs, KJs, QJs-JTs, ATo, KQo | Raise: Same as aboveCall: Same as above | Raise: AA-KKCall or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
| Late Position | Raise: AA-99, AKs-AJs, KQs-KJs, AKo-AJoCall: 88-77, ATs-A8s, KTs, QJs-98s, ATo, KQo-KJo | Raise: Same of aboveCall: Same as above | Raise: AA-KKCall or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
| Small Blind | Raise: AA-99, AKs-AJs, KQs, AKo-AQoCall: All late-position hands + any pocket pair if 2 or more players have limped in | Raise: Same of aboveCall: Same as above | Raise: AA-KKCall or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
| Big Blind | Raise: Same hands as small blind.Check: Everything else. | Raise: Same of aboveCall: Same as above, plus 99-88, ATs-A8s, KJs, QJs, AQo. | Raise: AA-KKCall or Reraise: QQ and AKs |
| Soft Games:: At least 3-5 players seeing the flop on average. Very little pre-flop raising | |||
ActionBefore You | No Raise | One Raise | Raise &Re-raise |
| Early Position | Raise: AA-TT, AKs-AJs, KQs, AKo-AQoCall: 99-77, ATs-A8s, KJs-KTs, QJs-T9s, AJo, KQo | Raise: AA-TT, AKs-AQs, AKoCall: AJs, KQs (You can also reraise with these hands) | Raise: AA-QQ, AKs |
| Middle Position | Raise: AA-99, AKs-ATs, KQs-KJs AKo-AJo, KQoCall: 88-22, A9s-A2s, KTs, QJs-76s, ATo, KJo | Raise: Same as aboveCall: Same as above | Raise: AA-QQ, AKs |
| Late Position | Raise: AA-88, AKs-A8s, KQs-KJs, QJs, AKo-ATo, KQoCall: 77-22, A7s-A2s, KTs-K9s, QTs-Q8s, JTs-54s, J9s-97s, KJo, QJo | Raise: Same of aboveCall: Same as above | Raise: AA-QQ, AKs |
| Small Blind | Raise: AA-99, AKs-ATs, KQs, AKo-AQoCall: All late-position hands. | Raise: Same of aboveCall: Same as above | Raise: AA-QQ, AKs |
| Big Blind | Raise: Same hands as small blind.Check: Everything else. | Raise: Same hands as above.Call: Same as above, plus 99-22, ATs-A2s, QJs-98s, KJs-KTs, AQo | Raise: AA-QQ, AKs |
More on the Preflop Recommendations
Holdem Poker Starting Hands Charts
If you have already entered the pot and one player behind you raises, you should call the raise. For example, if you have called with KJs and a later player raises, you should call even though the chart says to fold that hand against a raise. This is because the chart assumes you have not already entered the pot. If there is a raise and a re-raise behind you, you should fold everything other than AA-QQ, AKs, and possibly JJ. We have included special calling standards for the small and big blind positions since you have not voluntarily entered the pot. If you are in one of the blinds and there is a raise before you, follow the chart’s recommendations.
Our recommendations are tighter and more passive than is optimal. This is to keep beginning players out of trouble. After you have gained experience and studied Sklansky, Malmuth, and Miller, you can deviate from the chart’s recommendations. Until then, do not stray too far from our advice.
Holdem Starting Hand Chart
NL Hold’em Starting Hand Charts
One aspect of the game of No-Limit Hold’em that causes beginning players much grief is deciding which hands to play and which hands to dump. NL Hold’em is much more difficult than Limit Hold’em because the value of a hand depends on so many factors other than just the cards in your hand. Despite this difficulty, our coaches believe that following some general guidelines and adjusting from these is a better solution than having no guidelines at all. Given that well over half of your profitability in NL Hold’em is based on hand selection alone, we have developed these charts to help you better determine whether to play or fold.
There are no perfect No-Limit starting hand charts. That is because there are many factors that affect your decision, and charts cannot account for all of them. Some of these include:
- The size of your opponent's stacks.
- How loose or tight, passive or aggressive, your opponents are.
- Where these opponents are located at the table – for example, does an aggressive player still have to act after you?
- Your image at the table – for example, how tight or tricky you are perceived.
That being said, these charts will serve you well in most typical low-stakes No-Limit cash games, such as games with blinds of $1/$2, and home games. These games typically have several loose players at the table, and good opportunities for winning big pots with suited connectors and pocket pairs. With practice, you will be able to be a consistently winning player with these charts as a starting point. As you improve, you'll find yourself making adjustments to these charts based on the factors listed above, and more.
AGAIN: These charts are a good starting point for beginners. Specifically, Chart #1 recommends a significant amount of limping. This is great in loose, passive games but less often seen in tougher games. You’ll find other training material on Advanced Poker Training that may recommend a more aggressive approach for more experienced players.
Note: It would be a serious mistake to apply these hand charts before reading the Frequent Asked Questions first.
CHART #1 ‐ LOOSE, PASSIVE GAME (OFTEN 4-5 LIMPERS PER HAND)
NO ONE HAS RAISED YET
- Raise Always
- Call from Early Position, otherwise raise
- Call always
- Call from Middle or Late Position if the conditions are right (see Frequently Asked Questions)
CHART #2 ‐ TIGHTER GAME (FEWER LIMPERS) OR MORE AGGRESSIVE GAME
NO ONE HAS RAISED YET
- Raise Always
- Call from Early Position, otherwise raise
- Call (or Raise) from Middle or Late Position if the conditions are right (see Frequently Asked Questions)
Texas Holdem Poker Strategy Charts
CHART #3 ‐ THERE HAS BEEN A SINGLE RAISE
(3‐5 TIMES THE BIG BLIND) BEFORE YOU
- Re‐Raise Always
- Call from Early Position, otherwise re‐raise
- Call always
- Call from Middle or Late Position if the conditions are right (see Frequently Asked Questions)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
For the hands in yellow, what do you mean when you say to play these hands if the conditions are right? The hands in yellow are speculative hands. They should always be folded from Early Position. From other positions, they can be profitable given the right conditions. Some of the questions to ask yourself:
- Are there other players who have called so far (the more, the better)?
- Are the players who have called playing poorly after the flop? Will they pay me off if I hit something?
- Is there an aggressive player still to act behind me (you might get raised and have to fold)?
- If there has been a raise and no other callers, what chance do I have of using my position after the flop to win the hand even if I don't improve (Chart #3 only)?
Why does Chart #2 say to sometimes raise with the hands in yellow, but Chart #1 does not? We have different goals in mind. Using Chart #1, we want to call to encourage additional players to enter the pot. These hands will be immensely profitable when our loose, passive opponents enter the hand, and get trapped when we flop a set, or make a well-disguised straight. When using Chart #2, however, we want to size up the opponents still to act. If they are tight, we can raise. Sometimes, we'll pick up the blinds. Other times, our pre-flop aggression will allow us to take down the pot on the flop.
What's the difference between AKs and AKo? AKs means an Ace and King of the same suit. AKo means an Ace and King of different suits.
What are early, middle, and late position? Early Position is generally the first 2 (in a nine player game) or 3 (in a ten player game) positions after the blinds. Late Position is the “cutoff” position (to the right of the dealer), and dealer button positions. Middle Position is everything in between.
How much should I raise? As a general rule, raise 3 to 4 times the big blind, plus 1 extra big blind for every player who has called before you. So if there are 2 callers already, raise between 5 and 6 times the big blind.
What if someone raises after I call? Whether you call the raise depends on how much money the raiser has for you to win, how many other players are involved, and what type of hand you have. As a general rule, if you have a pocket pair, lean towards calling. If there are a lot of other players (and therefore a big pot), lean towards calling. In general, fold suited connectors from early position. Fold hands like KQ that don't play well against a raiser.
How do I play from the blinds? From the small blind, play the same hands you would play from late position, plus a few more. But don't call with junk hands like T5o, just because it is “cheap”. From the big blind, if there is a raise to you, play like you would if you had already called from early position.
Holdem Starting Hands
The chart says to fold KQo to a raise. Really? Yes, this hand performs very poorly against typical raising hands. Against AK, AQ, AA, KK, QQ, you are a big underdog. Other typical raising hands like JJ, TT, 99, AJs, are slightly ahead of you as well. The only time you might call or re-raise is from late position, if the opener was in middle or late position, indicating they might have a wider range of hands.
I was told to fold AJo from Early Position, why do you say to call with it? Folding AJo is not a bad idea in many games. We included it because, at low stakes tables (even tight or aggressive ones), the players are often playing badly enough after the flop that it can be profitable. We used data from millions of hands of low-limit poker to analyze this. The same could be said for KQo, ATs, and KJs – you can make a small profit in the long run at most low-stakes games, but folding would be perfectly acceptable from early position.
Can I use these charts in a NL Hold'em tournament? The charts would be best applicable to the early stages of a NL tournament, when everyone has a deep stack. In the middle and later stages, they should not be used.
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Poker Best Starting Hands
