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This article was written by blackrain79.com contributor Fran Ferlan.
In no-limit hold’em, most of the money you’ll win will come from only a select few strong starting hands.
So knowing how to play these hands optimally is absolutely crucial for your long term success in this game.
In no-limit hold’em, most of the money you’ll win will come from only a select few strong starting hands.
So knowing how to play these hands optimally is absolutely crucial for your long term success in this game.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at 5 strong starting hands that will generate the most profit over the long run.
Let’s get right into it.
Big Profit Hand #1: Pocket Aces
Pocket Aces are the strongest starting hand in no-limit hold’em, and it’s not even close.
Pocket Aces will be by far the most profitable hand for you over the long run.
It has a ton of equity against virtually any other starting poker hand, namely other premium pocket pairs like pocket Kings and pocket Queens.
Here’s how pocket Aces stack up against other premium poker hands in terms of equity (odds to win):
- AA vs KK 81% Equity
- AA vs QQ 81% Equity
- AA vs AKs 88% Equity
As you can see, pocket Aces have a whopping amount of equity against virtually any hand.
This means that your best bet is to play your pocket Aces aggressively, especially preflop where you are guaranteed to have the best hand.
A lot of amateur poker players make the mistake of slowplaying their strong hands, which often ends up backfiring.
Slowplaying means playing your hand passively (i.e. checking and calling instead of betting and raising) in order to conceal your hand strength.
There are certainly times where slowplaying can be a viable strategy, but most of the time, a better bet is to simply play your strong hands straightforwardly, and let your opponents make the mistake of continuing with weaker hands.
Check out my article on exactly when to slowplay your strong hands for more info by the way.
Therefore, pocket Aces are the ultimate value hand, because there’s no other hand that’s stronger preflop.
To bet for value means betting when you can get called by weaker hands. This is the opposite of betting as a bluff, when you want to get stronger hands to fold.
There are a few problems with slowplaying pocket Aces preflop.
First of all, you are failing to build up the pot while your hand is ahead.
In order to win big in poker, you need to win big pots. And the best way to do that is to build up big pots with your strong value hands.
If you fail to build up the pot preflop, you will have a much harder time winning a big pot post flop.
This has to do with pot geometry: the bigger the pot you build preflop, the easier it will be to ship the rest of your stack in the middle post flop.
Building up the pot preflop will also make your post flop play easier, because it will create a smaller stack-to-pot ratio.
A stack-to-pot ratio is the preflop and flop metric that determines how pot committed you are on the flop.
In other words, it tells you how willing you should be to put the rest of your stack in the middle.
You can calculate the SPR by simply dividing the effective stack size (the smaller stack size of the players involved in the pot) by the size of the pot.
For example, if the effective stack size is $80, and the pot size is $20, the SPR is 4.
If the SPR is very small (3 or less), you are automatically pot committed with a top pair hand or better, and you should be comfortable with putting the rest of your chips in the middle.
Conversely, the bigger the SPR, the less pot committed you are, and you should exercise more caution before committing more chips to the pot.
Put another way, the bigger the SPR, the stronger hand you need to commit more chips to the pot.
So why is SPR important with strong pocket pairs like pocket Aces?
The SPR is important because pocket Aces will ALWAYS flop at least an overpair, meaning you will automatically be pot committed with a small SPR.
An overpair is a pocket pair that’s stronger than the strongest card on a given board.
For example:
On a board like: Q♦8♣5♥
Pocket Aces and pocket Kings are an overpair.
If you don’t build up a big pot and a small SPR with strong pocket pairs, you run the risk of your hand getting outdrawn on future streets.
Pocket Aces are the strongest starting hand, but it’s worth remembering that it’s still only a single pair.
This means that it’s vulnerable to getting outdrawn, especially in pots with deep SPR.
This brings us to another reason why you should play your pocket Aces aggressively preflop, and that is to thin the field.
The more players involved in the pot, the smaller your hand equity.
This makes sense, because more players means a bigger chance of at least one of them making a stronger hand than you.
If you don’t play pocket Aces aggressively preflop, you are encouraging a lot of multiway flops, which can end up backfiring.
Here’s an example to illustrate this point.
Against a single random hand, Pocket Aces have 85% hand equity.
But against 4 players with random hands, your hand equity falls to only 56%.
When amateur poker players complain about constantly getting their Aces cracked, this may well be one of the reasons.
By the way, check out my recent video on the 5 poker hands everybody plays wrong.
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Big Profit Poker Hand #2: Pocket Kings
Pocket Kings are the second strongest starting hand in no-limit hold’em, and it should be your second most profitable hand overall.
While you are not always guaranteed to flop an overpair with pocket Kings, you should still treat it as the strongest starting hand.
That’s because it’s quite unlikely for your opponent to have pocket Aces if you are dealt pocket Kings.
This certainly can happen from time to time, but it’s important to recognize that there’s nothing much you can do about it.
If you are dealt pocket Kings and run into pocket Aces, this is known as a cooler.
A cooler is a situation where you have a strong hand, but your opponent ends up having an even stronger hand.
While coolers are certainly frustrating, it’s worth remembering that they happen fairly infrequently.
And when they do, there’s not much to do other than shrugging it off, and remembering that the shoe’s going to be on the other foot next time.
It’s also worth noting that if you get coolered, it doesn’t mean that you played the hand wrong.
In poker, you should always consider your opponent’s whole range when making decisions, not only their actual hole cards.
Stacking off with pocket Kings preflop is perfectly acceptable if your opponent’s range consists of other premium pocket pairs and Ace-King, for example.
Against the range consisting of pocket Jacks or better, plus Ace-King, pocket Kings have
63% hand equity.
This means that in the vast majority of cases, you should treat pocket Kings as the strongest starting hand.
If you do run into pocket Aces, just shrug it off as basic variance, and move on with the next hand.
Playing pocket Kings post flop is not as clear cut, because they won’t always flop an overpair.
Still, pocket Kings flop an overpair far more often than not.
Pocket Kings flop an overpair 77.4% of the time.
Even if there’s an Ace on the flop, you can still fire off a standard c-bet most of the time.
That’s because you can credibly represent a lot of Ax hands, provided that you are the preflop aggressor (which should be the default when you get dealt pocket Kings).
Big Profit Example Hand
You are dealt K♥K♠ in the MP (middle position). You open-raise to 3x.
Villain calls from the small blind.
Pot: 7 BB
Flop: A♥6♣3♥
Villain checks.
You: ???
You should c-bet 3.5 BB.
Even though you didn't flop an overpair, you should still be inclined to make a c-bet in spots like these most of the time.
There are a few reasons for this.
First of all, the board texture is fairly dry, so it's unlikely your opponent connected with the flop in some meaningful way.
There are a number of Ax hands they could potentially have in this spot, but these hands represent only a small part of their overall range.
Also, the villain's range is capped, meaning you can exclude a number of strong hands from their range, like pocket Aces, Ace-King and Ace-Queen.
These hands would have likely 3-bet preflop, which was not the case.
On the other hand, your range is uncapped, meaning you can credibly represent the aforementioned hands.
You are also playing in position, meaning you can keep applying the pressure throughout the hand.
Check out my flop strategy cheat sheet for more advanced c-betting tips.
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Big Profit Poker Hand #3: Ace-King Suited
Ace-King suited is the strongest drawing hand in no-limit hold’em, and it should be one of your most profitable hands, behind only other premium pocket pairs.
While premium pocket pairs are often strong enough in and of themselves, Ace-King needs to improve post flop in order to be played profitably.
The good news is that when it connects with the flop, you will always have a strong hand capable of extracting a lot of value.
If it connects with the board, Ace-King will always flop at least a top pair, top kicker.
So if the flop comes with either an Ace or a King, you will often be able to value bet it and get called by weaker Ax or Kx hands.
On top of that, Ace-King suited has insane nut potential.
With AKs, you are always drawing to the strongest possible straight and the strongest possible flush.
This means you don’t have to worry about the reverse implied odds like you would with other suited connectors.
Even if you miss the flop completely with Ace-King, you can still make a light c-bet quite often.
A light c-bet is a continuation bet on the flop made with the intention of getting your opponent to fold.
This is the opposite of a value c-bet, where you expect to get called by weaker hands.
The reason you can often make a light c-bet with Ace-King is the fact that you have plenty of outs to rely on in case your c-bet gets called.
You have 6 outs (3 Aces and 3 Kings) to make a top pair, top kicker hand, meaning you have plenty of hand equity to fall back on.
Due to its great post flop potential, you should play Ace-King aggressively, especially preflop.
This means open-raising and 3-betting, and continuing the aggression post flop with a c-bet.
Like other premium hands, Ace-King performs better in shallow SPR pots, so your best bet is to build up the pot with it as soon as possible.
This applies to both Ace-King suited and Ace-King offsuit.
In fact, there isn’ much difference between how to play Ace-King suited and Ace-King offsuit.
The only difference is that Ace-King suited has an added nuts flush potential.
Big Profit Example Hand
You are dealt A♦K♦ in the SB (small blind).
Villain open-raises to 2.5x from the BU (button).
You 3-bet to 10x. Villain calls.
Pot: 21 BB
Flop: J♦5♠2♥
You: ???
You should c-bet 10 BB.
This is a textbook example where you should be inclined to make a c-bet, despite missing the flop.
There are a few reasons for this.
First of all, you have range advantage, meaning you can credibly represent a lot of strong hands on this board, namely strong premium pocket pairs.
A preflop aggressor has the range advantage, meaning they theoretically have more strong hands in their range than the preflop caller.
Another reason to c-bet here is that the board texture is bone-dry, meaning it’s unlikely that your opponent connected with the flop in any meaningful way.
The range of hands that can call you on this flop consist of a number of Jx hands, medium pocket pairs etc.
Against these hands, you have a decent chunk of equity.
If your c-bet gets called, you still have 6 outs to improve. You also have a backdoor straight and flush draw for some additional equity.
So even if your c-bet gets called, you can keep applying the pressure on future streets, depending on the board runout.
If you want to know more about light c-betting and other advanced poker strategies, enroll in Blackrain79 Elite Poker University.
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Big Profit Poker Hand #4: Eight-Seven Suited
Unlike premium pocket pairs that are often strong enough in and of themselves, suited connectors are speculative hands that need to improve post flop in order to be profitable.
Suited connectors like 87s are great speculative hands that can connect with the flop in a variety of different ways.
This means that you’ll often be able to win big pots with them if you’re lucky enough to hit a strong combination post flop, namely straights and flushes.
What’s great about a hand like 87s is the fact that it can connect with a number of different flop textures, so it has great playability post flop.
This means that suited connectors have great implied odds.
Implied odds refer to the amount of money you can potentially win on future streets if your hand improves.
Speculative hands like suited connectors perform best with deep stack sizes, because it gives you better implied odds.
Conversely, strong premium pairs prefer smaller stack sizes and smaller stack-to-pot ratios, because they often don’t need to improve post flop in order to be played profitably.
Therefore, the best way to play suited connectors is to see the flop as cheaply as possible, and try to hit some sort of a draw on the flop.
Contrast this with strong premium pairs, where you want to put as much money in the middle as soon as possible, when your hand is likely to be ahead of your opponent’s range.
Since it’s best to play suited connectors where your implied odds are favourable, hands like 87s don’t mind multiway flops as much as other premium hands (namely strong pocket pairs).
A multiway pot is a pot with more than two players involved.
While you usually want to avoid playing in a multiway pot with a hand like pocket Aces, this is often not the case with a hand like 87s.
That’s because multiple opponents bolster your implied odds.
The more players involved in a pot, the better the chance of at least one of them having a hand that’s strong enough to pay you off.
Of course, the assumption is that you actually manage to hit a strong hand combination like a straight or a flush.
While suited connectors can make monster combinations post flop, it’s important to bear in mind that you’re not always drawing to the nuts, i.e. the strongest possible combination.
For example, if you make a flush with 87s, there are multiple stronger flushes that can theoretically beat you.
This means you also need to take the reverse implied odds into account.
Reverse implied odds refer to the amount of money you can potentially lose on future streets if you complete your draw, but your opponent ends up having an even stronger hand.
Even so, suited connectors are going to be profitable hands for you over the long run if you play them the right way.
The key is not to overplay them, because they do need to improve post flop if you want to play them profitably.
But once they do, you’ll often be able to take down a huge pot with them.
Another advantage of a hand like 87s is the fact that your hand strength will often be well concealed.
For example, let’s say you are dealt 8♣7♣ and the board is:
A♥6♠5♣Q♥9♦
You have the stone cold nuts, and your opponent will have a hard time putting you on your exact hand.
The more concealed your hand strength, the better your implied odds.
If you happen to flop a strong draw with a suited connector, your best bet is to play it aggressively (i.e. bet and raise a lot).
This way, you’re giving yourself more than one way to win the pot.
You can either win the pot outright by making all your opponents fold, or you can complete your draw on future streets and take down an even bigger pot.
Big Profit Example Hand
You are dealt 8♥7♥ in the BB (big blind).
A tight and aggressive player open-raises to 3x from the CO (cutoff).
You call.
Pot: 6.5 BB
Flop: K♣6♥5♦
You: ???
You should check-raise.
This is a great spot for a semibluff.
You are semibluffing when you don’t have a strong made hand yet, but can often improve on future streets if your bluff gets called.
Semibluffing is usually preferred to stone-cold bluffing, where the only way for you to win the pot is by getting your opponent to fold.
In this spot, you have an insanely strong draw.
You have 9 outs to a straight (Fours and Nines), as well as a backdoor flush draw.
A backdoor draw means you need both turn AND river cards to complete your draw.
As a general rule, the stronger your draw, the more aggressively you should play it.
In this example, you can expect the villain to c-bet with quite a high frequency.
A lot of players make the mistake of simply flat calling a c-bet in similar spots, but since you have an enormous amount of equity here, you can afford to be more aggressive.
Remember, you don’t need to rely on hitting your outs if you make your opponents fold.
This is discussed in much more detail in The Microstakes Playbook.
Big Profit Poker Hand #5: Pocket Sevens
Pocket Sevens and other middle pocket pairs are not premium hands by any means, but they can still be insanely profitable if you play them the right way.
Granted, medium pocket pairs can be tricky to play at times, so it’s important not to overplay them.
But they can potentially earn you a big pot if you manage to hit a set with them.
When you play small and medium pocket pairs with the intention of hitting a set post flop, this is called set mining.
Set mining can be very profitable if you have good implied odds.
You will usually have good implied odds when you can see the flop cheaply, and the stack sizes are deep.
In other words, you want a favourable risk-to-reward ratio when set mining.
The reason that set mining is so profitable is the fact that it’s very hard for your opponents to put you on your exact hand.
This means that your hand strength will be well-concealed.
Another reason pocket pairs can be very profitable is their great nuts potential. More specifically, their ability to make full houses.
That’s because it’s a lot easier to make a full house with a pocket pair than an unpaired hand.
In poker, most of your money will come from the situations where you make a very strong hand, and your opponent is willing to pay you off with worse hands.
The problem is, these strong value hands don’t come around too often, so it’s important to get paid off once they do.
It’s worth noting, however, that it’s quite rare to hit a set in the first place, let alone a full house.
If you don’t manage to hit a set with pocket Sevens, it’s very hard to play them profitably post flop.
That’s because they won’t hit an overpair on the flop nearly as often as other, stronger pocket pairs.
They also can’t make other strong combinations like straights and flushes as often as suited connectors, for example.
This means that pocket Sevens have a much more limited playability post flop, and rely mainly on hitting a set to be played profitably.
Still, pocket Sevens will usually have some sort of showdown value.
Hands with showdown value are mediocre hands that aren’t strong enough to value bet with, but can often win the pot unimproved at showdown.
This means that hands with showdown value can be used as bluff catchers.
Check out my recent video for more advanced bluff catching tips.
5 BEST "Big Profit" Hands - Summary
You don't need to study advanced poker strategy all day to learn the best starting hands.
To sum up, here are 5 starting hold’em hands you should (almost) never fold:
1. Pocket Aces
Pocket Aces are the strongest starting hand in no-limit hold’em, and it’s going to be your most profitable hand overall.
They have a ton of equity against virtually any other starting hand, and they are so strong that they basically play themselves.
2. Pocket Kings
For all intents and purposes, you should treat pocket Kings as the strongest starting hand, because it’s quite unlikely for you to run into pocket Aces.
If you do, remember that it’s just variance, and that the shoe’s going to be on the other foot the next time.
3. Ace-King suited
Ace-King suited is the strongest drawing hand in no-limit hold’em. If it connects with the flop, you will always have a top pair, top kicker hand at the very least.
However, unlike other premium pocket pairs, it usually needs to improve post flop in order to be played profitably.
4. Eight-Seven suited
Suited connectors aren’t premium poker hands by any means, but they can still be insanely profitable due to their great nuts potential.
They have great playability post flop, can connect with a variety of different boards, and make strong combinations like straights and flushes.
5. Pocket Sevens
Middle pocket pairs can be tricky to play, but their insane nuts potential more than makes up for it.
Pocket Sevens also have decent showdown value, so they can also be played as bluff catchers if you don’t manage to hit a set post flop.
Lastly, if you want to know the complete strategy I use to make $2000+ per month in small/mid stakes games, grab a copy of my free poker cheat sheet.
