Top 10 Texas Holdem Hands & How to Play Them

The Texas Holdem craze is sweeping the nation. Give yourself the edge against them with these handy tips on how to play the top 10 hands.

1) Pocket Aces

Arguably the easiest hand to play in Holdem, since it is the best possible starting hand, but don't fall into its trap so quickly. Before the flop, do your best to get your aces down to a single opponent, and try to get him all-in. You will win most of the time, but be prepared to lose sometimes, and don't let it disrupt your game. Most hands are at best about 23% to win against you, so one in four times you can expect to be out-drawn. The more people you let stay in the hand, the more chance that someone is going to outdraw you.

Don't be afraid to lay this hand down after the flop if your instincts are telling you that you're beat. Pride is a Texas Holdem player's worst enemy.

2) Pocket Kings

Pocket Kings strategy is very similar to pocket aces pre-flop, as you want to get down to a single opponent before the board comes down. Play them aggressively, but be wary that a single ace can bring your hand down; a weakness pocket aces do not share. Also, if a normally tight player who is sitting on a lot of chips suddenly re-raises you all-in before the flop, there is a chance that he has pocket aces and you will be a 4:1 underdog.

After the flop, if there is an ace out there and you have reason to believe your opponent has it, bet out anyways. If you get raised back, let the hand go. If he simply calls, chances are he doesn't have the ace, but he doesn't believe that you do either. You don't, but you have second best and that is likely enough if he is calling weakly.

3) Pocket Queens

One of the hardest hands in Texas Holdem, due to the fact that it is a very difficult hand to throw away, but has a lot of weakness. Unlike aces and kings, pocket queens now have two over-cards to bust them out, on top of other hands out-drawing them. Again, play them aggressive before the flop, raising strongly, and even a single re-raise against someone in late position would be recommended. If someone in early position raises you, simply call; an early raise usually means strength.