We’ve talked a little about starting hands worth trashing — like 72o and 95o — but what about the ones that are actually worth keeping? What about the ones that you will want to use to push into pots and otherwise terrorize the other players on the poker table? There are just going to be times where you really do want to make sure that you hold on to your hand rather than just giving it up — even if someone raises the pot stakes a bit higher than what you might be used to.

Generally speaking, the following hands are definitely worth keeping:

AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT (10-10)
99, 88, 77
AK, AQ, AJ, AT
A9, K9, Q9, J9, T9 (good chance to catch straights)
KQ, KJ, KT
QJ, Q10

You get the idea. There’s going to be a lot of opportunities to have these hands come up. Now, does that mean that you suddenly can’t play A8o? That’s not true at all. You might want to limp in with a starting hand that isn’t as good as what we’ve listed. Let the flop guide you. If you really have a two pair on the flop, why not make a small bet? It’s better to take chances sometimes that are calculated than to just push all in and let the cards go where they may. That’s a recipe for disaster.

As you might also expect, there is going to be a difference between suited and unsuited cards. Unsuited cards are going to be less favorable than suited cards, because you’re not going to have that automatic flush draw chance. Yet just because you flop a flush doesn’t mean that there isn’t someone waiting in the wings that can ultimately connect to a full house or even quads depending on how your flop came down.  Always be thinking not just about what you have, but what everyone else has as well. That’s the real key to doing well with poker.

One last point that we do have to make — just because you are going to have these starting hands memorized doesn’t mean that you get to be married to them for life. There are going to be times where you’re still going to have to fold when the flop doesn’t go your way. We would hate for you to read this guide and then think that you have to hold onto these starting hands no matter what.

So go out there and use caution — you’ll be alright in the long run!