What Are the Best 2 Cards in Poker?
Getting a couple of great cards makes it easier to feel confident about winning any hand of poker, but what cards should you hope to get?
The following are the best two hole cards you can get in this game, and we’ll also have a look at the worst two you might receive. Next time you are playing online poker on this website you will know which cards combos you should hold on to.
Two Aces
Also known as pocket rockets, pocket aces, or bullets, a couple of aces provide the best possible starting hand in Hold’em games. It’s got a high win rate, which means that you can choose to play aggressively by raising the stakes.
Even if the other players at tables have strong hands, your pocket rockets put you in a powerful position to win any hand. It doesn’t matter what position you’re sitting in at the table, you’ll be delighted to see a pair of aces land in your hand.
Two Kings
This is the second-best starting hand in Texas Hold’em, and the combination of two kings is known as pocket kings or the cowboys. It’s not as strong a starting position as you get from pocket aces, but you’re still likely to feel confident about raising the betting and winning. One issue can be if an ace then gets dealt as one of the community cards, as one of your opponents just needs another ace in their hole cards to beat you in this case.
Two Queens
Poker queens, or the ladies, give you a solid starting point that can only be bettered by two aces or a couple of kings. The win rate isn’t much lower than in the starting hands we just looked at, but there are a couple of situations in which you’ll feel less confident. The first is where an ace or king appears in the flop, and the other is where there are five or more people playing around the table.
Two Jacks
This is the first of the starting hands on the list with a win rate of under 80%, so it’s not as easy to play as the previous combinations are. Two jacks as your hole cards are known as pocket jacks or fish hooks, and it’s important not to overestimate how strong a hand this is. While it’s fourth on our list of the best starting hands, you need the community cards to fall in your favor to win from this good starting point.
Ace and King Suited
Big slick is the name given to an ace and king in the same suit. In fact, some people would put a pair of 10s ahead of this combination because it has a higher win rate, but we’ve got big slick first here because it can work out perfectly with a suitable flop. From this starting point, you can look to build one of the best poker hands like a straight or flush so it’s one of the most flexible hands in terms of improving it with a variety of different community cards.
Two Tens
With pocket tens, or dimes, your expected win rate against random hands is 75%. You’re probably going to want to raise before the flop but if the extra cards are faces or aces then you won’t feel in such a strong position after all. Try not to fall into the trap of being over-confident and highly aggressive with this starting hand, as your fate depends upon the community cards.
Ace and King Offsuit
This is similar to the big slick mentioned earlier, but this time the ace and king are from different suits. It’s a combination of starting cards that is seen more regularly than you might think and people sometimes make the mistake of rating it higher than it deserves to be. You definitely need to see some additional cards that improve your hand, but it’s a solid start point that should encourage you to start the betting strongly.
Ace and Queen Suited
The last of our best Texas Hold ‘em starting hands is known as big chick. This combination looks great but your chances of success ultimately come down to the community cards. If aces, kings, and queens are present then the strength of this hand varies considerably. Big chick has a reputation for tempting players into big losses and only modest wins, so it’s one to be very cautious with whether you play poker online or in a land setting.
The Worst Two Cards – 2 and 7 Offsuit
Having looked at some of the best starting hands in poker, it’s only right that we also consider the worst possible two cards you could be dealt. If you get a 2 and a 7 in different suits, your chances of winning with it are extremely low.
There are very few strong hands you can make, and if you manage to get a pair of 7s or a pair of 2s it’s a weak hand that other players will probably beat.