Poker Cheat Sheet – In-Depth Starting Hand Guide
Beyond the Basics: An In-Depth Starting Hand Guide
A simple starting hand chart is a great first step, but to truly master poker, you need to understand the ‘why’ behind the recommendations. A hand’s value comes from several key properties. Understanding these will help you adapt to any situation.
- High Card Strength: Hands with an Ace or King have significant power because they can make the top pair. A hand like Ace-King is strong not just because it can make a straight, but because it dominates other Ax or Kx hands.
- Paired Hands: Pocket pairs already have a made hand. Their biggest value, however, comes from their potential to hit a “set” (three of a kind) on the flop, which is often a very disguised and powerful hand.
- Connectivity: This refers to how close in rank two cards are (e.g., 9-8). Connected cards have a higher probability of making a straight.
- Suitedness: Having two cards of the same suit gives you a chance to make a flush—one of the strongest hands in poker. A hand that is both suited and connected (like 8♠7♠) is particularly valuable as it can make both straights and flushes.
The following table provides a more detailed strategic outlook for each category of starting hand. Study it to move beyond just knowing *what* to play, to understanding *how* and *why* to play it.
| Hand Category | Example Hands | Core Strategy & Goal | Common Pitfalls to Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Monsters | AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AKs | Your goal is to build a large pot before the flop. Raise and re-raise (3-bet/4-bet) to isolate one or two opponents and maximize value. These hands are your primary source of income. | Slow-playing (just calling): This is a major error. It lets weaker, speculative hands see the flop cheaply and gives them a chance to outdraw you. Also, don’t get married to QQ/JJ if an Ace or King appears on the flop and you face heavy aggression. |
| Very Strong Hands | AQs, AJs, KQs, TT, 99 | Open-raise from most positions to take control of the hand. You are happy to see a flop, but you don’t need to commit your entire stack pre-flop without more information. Your goal is to see a favorable flop or take the pot down immediately. | Overplaying them against a 3-bet: When a very tight player re-raises you, a hand like AJs can be in big trouble against their AA/KK/AK range. Calling big re-raises out of position often leads to difficult, money-losing situations post-flop. |
| Medium/Small Pairs (Set Mining) | 88, 77, 66, 55, 44, 33, 22 | Your strategy is called “Set Mining.” The goal is to see a flop as cheaply as possible (typically by calling a small raise). If you hit your set (three of a kind), your hand is very disguised, and you can win a huge pot. If you miss the flop, you fold to any significant bet. | Calling large pre-flop raises: You need the potential reward to be much greater than the initial risk. Calling a big raise violates this rule. Also, avoid falling in love with your pair if higher cards are on the board and you face a lot of action. |
| Good Speculative Hands (Suited Connectors/Gappers) | Axs, KJs, QJs, JTs, T9s, 98s, 87s | These hands thrive in multi-way pots where you can invest a small amount for a potentially huge payout. Your goal is to hit a big draw on the flop (a straight draw, a flush draw, or both). Play them from middle-to-late position where you have more information. | Playing them from early position: This is very dangerous as you are likely to face a raise behind you and will be out of position post-flop. Also, avoid overplaying a simple one-pair hand. If you have 8♠7♠ and the flop is 8♣2♥K♦, you just have a weak pair, not a monster. |
| Dominating High Cards | AKo, AQo, AJo, KQo | These hands have great high-card strength but lack the flush potential of their suited counterparts. They are best used to open-raise from middle-to-late position to steal blinds or play against weaker opponents. | Calling 3-bets out of position: A hand like KQo can be easily dominated by AK, AQ, AA, KK, QQ. Getting involved in a big pot pre-flop without the initiative can be a costly mistake. Be prepared to fold them to significant aggression. |
| Weak/Trash Hands | J2o, 94o, T3o, 72o | The strategy is simple: discipline. Your goal is to recognize these hands as unprofitable and fold them instantly without a second thought. This discipline is the foundation of winning poker and saves you countless chips. | “Suitedness is not magical”: Don’t play a hand like K3s just because it’s suited. It can make a flush, but it will lose money in many other ways. The biggest pitfall is getting bored and playing a trash hand “just for fun”—this is a losing mindset. |
How to Adjust: A Hand Chart is a Guide, Not a Rulebook
This guide is your baseline. True mastery comes from adjusting your strategy based on the specific conditions of your game.
- Adjusting to Table Dynamics: At a “loose” table where many players see the flop, you should play tighter than the chart suggests, as your strong hands get paid off more. At a “tight” table where everyone folds, you should loosen up, especially from late position, to steal more blinds and small pots.
- Adjusting to Opponent Tendencies: If you are playing against a “calling station” who never folds, bluff less and bet your strong hands for more value. Against a “nit” (a very tight player) who folds everything, bluff them more often.
- Adjusting for Stack Sizes: With deep stacks (100+ big blinds), speculative hands like suited connectors and small pairs go up in value because you can win a massive pot if you hit your hand. With short stacks (under 40 big blinds), high-card strength (Aces, Kings) becomes much more important, and speculative hands should be folded.