The biggest threat to Pocket Jacks is overcards, so you should be careful if you have one or more of those on the flop.

A bit over 56% chance to win against AK (or two other over cards).

Around 69% probability of winning against A5 (or one over card).

You have around 77% chance to win against a random hand.

While you might hear players complaining about this holding, it is actually a very strong starting hand, and you should be very happy to see it. The 4 th number in top starting hands is proudly sitting Pocket Jacks, also known as “fishhooks.” However, you will often see overcards on the board, and when this is the case, you should not overplay your hand since, most of the time, it becomes perfect just for bluff catching in those situations. Just like other premium pairs, Pocket Queens is a solid holding with great odds to win before the flop, so you should be looking to play this hand as fast as you can in most situations.

A bit over 56% chance to win against AK.

You have around 80% chance to win against a random hand.

Pocket Queens is the third in the list of the best poker starting hands and beats everything else apart previously mentioned AA and KK.

Around 69% probability of winning against A5Īs you can see, you are in good shape with Pocket Kings against most of the hands, but the biggest threat is the opponent holding an Ax hand since it has the most chance to outdraw the second-best poker hand.

You have around 82% chance to win against a random hand.

The only hand you are afraid of is Pocket Aces, while you will surely dominate everything else when you have Pocket Kings. The second strongest of best poker hands is Pocket Kings, also commonly known as Cowboys. So this hand is a massive favorite in any preflop situation, and you should be happy to get as much money in the middle as you can when holding the best poker hand there is.

around 85% chance to win against a random hand.

It is also known as Pocket Rockets and Bullets because of its strength. The best possible starting hand in Texas Holdem is pocket aces, which is a favorite to win against every other hand with a significant margin. Thus, you should always stick to the top range of hands listed below, and you will significantly improve your results.

No matter if you like one hand above the other, it has been mathematically proven which hands are good to play and which ones should be folded without a second thought. While some people like to debate which are the best poker starting hands, the truth is that there is no art in this subject. In this article, I will analyze the top 10 of the best starting hands so you will understand why they rank so high and how to play them in the right way.

What beats what in a poker hand