Starting Hand Selection

Introduction

You've learned the math—pot odds and equity. Now it's time to apply that knowledge to the most common decision in poker: should I play this hand?

Every orbit, you're dealt two cards. Most of the time, the correct decision is simple: fold. The art of poker starts with knowing which hands deserve your chips and which ones belong in the muck.

Starting hand selection isn't glamorous. You won't see it highlighted in poker broadcasts. But ask any professional what separates winners from losers at low stakes, and they'll tell you: hand selection discipline.

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The 169 Starting Hands

In Texas Hold'em, there are exactly 169 unique starting hand combinations:

• 13 pocket pairs (AA, KK, QQ... down to 22)
• 78 suited combinations (AKs, AQs, all the way to 32s)
• 78 offsuit combinations (AKo, AQo, all the way to 32o)

These 169 hands represent all possible starting situations. Some are gold, most are garbage, and a few are deceptively dangerous.

The Hand Matrix

Poker players visualize starting hands on a 13x13 grid called the hand matrix:

    A   K   Q   J   T   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2
A  AA  AKs AQs AJs ATs A9s A8s A7s A6s A5s A4s A3s A2s
K  AKo KK  KQs KJs KTs K9s K8s K7s K6s K5s K4s K3s K2s
Q  AQo KQo QQ  QJs QTs Q9s Q8s Q7s Q6s Q5s Q4s Q3s Q2s
J  AJo KJo QJo JJ  JTs J9s J8s J7s J6s J5s J4s J3s J2s
T  ATo KTo QTo JTo TT  T9s T8s T7s T6s T5s T4s T3s T2s
9  A9o K9o Q9o J9o T9o 99  98s 97s 96s 95s 94s 93s 92s
8  A8o K8o Q8o J8o T8o 98o 88  87s 86s 85s 84s 83s 82s
7  A7o K7o Q7o J7o T7o 97o 87o 77  76s 75s 74s 73s 72s
6  A6o K6o Q6o J6o T6o 96o 86o 76o 66  65s 64s 63s 62s
5  A5o K5o Q5o J5o T5o 95o 85o 75o 65o 55  54s 53s 52s
4  A4o K4o Q4o J4o T4o 94o 84o 74o 64o 54o 44  43s 42s
3  A3o K3o Q3o J3o T3o 93o 83o 73o 63o 53o 43o 33  32s
2  A2o K2o Q2o J2o T2o 92o 82o 72o 62o 52o 42o 32o 22

• Diagonal = Pocket pairs
• Above diagonal = Suited hands
• Below diagonal = Offsuit hands

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Hand Categories

Let's organize all 169 hands into categories based on playability:

Tier 1: Premium Hands

These hands are always playable from any position:

AA, KK, QQ — The powerhouses. You'll build big pots and usually have the best hand.

AKs — "Big Slick" suited. Best unpaired hand, plays well postflop.

Tier 2: Strong Hands

Highly playable from most positions:

JJ, TT — Strong pairs, but vulnerable to overcards on the flop.

AKo, AQs, AQo, AJs — Big broadway hands that make strong top pairs.

KQs — Suited broadway with straight and flush potential.

Tier 3: Medium Pairs and Strong Broadways

Playable from middle-to-late position:

99, 88, 77 — Medium pairs. Great for set-mining.

ATs, KQo, KJs, QJs — Broadway hands with decent playability.

Tier 4: Speculative Hands

Playable in the right conditions (late position, deep stacks, multiway pots):

66, 55, 44, 33, 22 — Small pairs. Live to flop a set.

Suited connectors: JTs, T9s, 98s, 87s, 76s, 65s — Make straights and flushes.

Suited aces: A5s, A4s, A3s, A2s — Nut flush potential and some straight possibilities.

Tier 5: Trouble Hands

Look stronger than they are. Proceed with caution:

KJo, KTo, QJo, QTo, JTo — These hands flop top pair with a bad kicker or second pair frequently. They're often dominated.

AJo, ATo — Better than KJ/QJ but still risky against aggressive opponents.

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Hand Strength Is Relative

Here's what separates good players from beginners: understanding that hand strength depends entirely on context.

Position Impact

The same hand can be a clear raise from the button and a clear fold from under-the-gun. Why?

• More hands to act behind = more chance someone has you beat
• Worse position postflop = harder to realize equity

Number of Opponents

Heads-up pots: High card strength matters. AK is great.

Multiway pots: Drawing hands improve. Suited connectors gain value; bare high cards decrease.

Why? In multiway pots, someone is more likely to hit the flop hard. Top pair becomes less reliable; straights and flushes become more valuable.

Stack Depth

Short stacks (under 30bb): High card hands increase in value. You're often getting it in preflop or on the flop.

Deep stacks (100bb+): Speculative hands improve. Small pairs and suited connectors can win massive pots when they hit big hands.

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Speculative Hands Deep Dive

Speculative hands are hands that usually miss but win big when they hit. Understanding when to play them is crucial.

Small Pocket Pairs (22-66)

The goal: Flop a set (three of a kind).

The math: You'll flop a set about 12% of the time (roughly 1 in 8).

The requirement: You need implied odds of about 15:1 to profitably set-mine. This means:

• If you call a 3bb raise, you need to win 45bb when you hit
• Realistically, you need 75bb+ effective stacks

Suited Connectors (JTs, 98s, 76s, etc.)

The goal: Make straights, flushes, and two pairs.

Best conditions:

• Position (preferably button or cutoff)
• Multiway pots (more people = bigger implied odds)
• Deep stacks (need room to realize potential)

Worst conditions:

• Out of position
• Heads-up against aggressive player
• Short stacks

Suited Aces (A2s-A5s)

The goal: Make nut flushes and occasional straights.

Value: When you make a flush with a suited ace, you have the nuts. This means maximum extraction against other flushes.

Danger: Don't overvalue flopping an ace. A5s flopping ace-high is a weak pair, not a value hand.

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Trouble Hands Explained

The KJ Problem

You have K♠J♥ and the flop comes K♦8♣3♠.

You think: "Great, I flopped top pair!"

Reality: Any opponent with AK, KQ, or AA/KK has you crushed. You have a dominated kicker.

Now you face bets on three streets. Do you fold top pair? Call and lose big? You're in no-man's land.

Reverse Implied Odds

Trouble hands have reverse implied odds—when you make your hand, you often lose even more money.

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Game Type Adjustments

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Common Beginner Mistakes

Mistake 1: Playing Any Ace

A9o, A8o, A7o... these are usually folds. When you hit an ace, you often have kicker problems. When you miss, you have nothing.

Mistake 2: Overvaluing Suited Cards

K5s is not a good hand. Being suited adds about 3-4% equity, but that doesn't turn trash into treasure.

Mistake 3: Playing Too Many Hands Out of Position

"But I had odds to call!" You have reverse implied odds. You'll make expensive mistakes postflop.

Mistake 4: Never Folding Pairs

22 is not playable from every position at every stack depth. Sometimes pocket pairs are folds.

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Practice: Categorize These Hands

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Scenario: Should You Play This Hand?

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Summary

Starting hand selection is your first line of defense against losing money. Master this, and you've already beaten most recreational players. In the next module, you'll learn exactly how position affects which hands you can play.

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Test Your Knowledge

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