As many of you know, Phil Hellmuth is one of the most successful Texas Hold 'em players of all time. I recently read his book, Play Poker Like the Pros, and was very impressed with his Hold 'em Strategy. It is not my intent to plagiarize his book, but no poker strategy site would be complete without mentioning the playing ability and strategy of Phil Hellmuth.
- Top 10 Best Starting Hands In Texas Holdemhold Em
- Top 10 Best Starting Hands In Texas Holdem Tournaments
- Top 10 Best Starting Hands In Texas Holdemas Hold Em
- Top 10 Best Starting Hands In Texas Hold'em Poker
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. To play the game you need to know which texas holdem starting hands are the best to start the game with. We have thus far provided you with a beginner’s guide to playing Texas hold em along with an ultimate poker hand ranking guide where we listed the different possible 5-card poker hands you can have playing games such as Texas hold’em and Omaha.
Therefore, I have chosen to reveal and comment on what Hellmuth calls his “Top 10.” When Hellmuth refers to his Top 10, he is talking about pocket card, starting hand requirements. One should note that this isn't a list of the only hands Hellmuth plays, but he does suggest that the poker player can make lots of money in low limit poker, by waiting on these cards and playing them aggressively.
Without further ado, Hellmuth's Top 10:
1. A-A
2. K-K
3. Q-Q
4. A-K suited
5. J-J
6. 10-10
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7. 9-9
8. 8-8
9. A-Q suited
10. 7-7
Top 10 Best Starting Hands In Texas Holdemhold Em
Hellmuth submits that these 10 hands should be the only pocket cards played by the beginner in low limit Texas Hold 'em. This makes the game much simpler before the flop, however, as you can probably guess, the tricks of how to play these 10 hands after the flop can get complicated.
Top 10 Best Starting Hands In Texas Holdem Tournaments
As a general rule though, bet these top 10 hands aggressively. The higher in the ranking, the more aggressively they should be played. Your strategy after the flop will be determined by what hits the board and the actions of your opponents.
Top 10 Best Starting Hands In Texas Holdemas Hold Em
Play these top 10 right in low limit Hold 'em games and you will make money. As you build your bankroll and your confidence, you can increase your starting hand requirements.
Top 10 Best Starting Hands In Texas Hold'em Poker
Meanwhile, I would suggest making a $16 investment in Hellmuth's book, Play Poker Like the Pros. It's not the perfect poker strategy book, and Phil even cautions that he is a no limit player, not a limit player! However, a look inside the mind of a man who has won multiple World Series of Poker bracelets is well worth the $16!