Part Five: Junk and everything else you shouldn't play

 

This section discusses a wide variety of Texas Hold'em hands. Many of the hands in this category are very powerful, while others need to be played carefully. Being that this section covers a wide variety of hands, we have divided it into three sections:

 

Big Suited Face Cards

Big Face Cards

Small Suited Face Cards

Middle Pairs

 

 

This is a powerful set of hands. They offer a good chance at winning when they pair and they offer the added bonus of being exceptionally powerful when they make a straight or a flush. These hands play well against many opponents or against just a few. Just realize that there are a few important points about playing these hands. KJ suited is not nearly as strong as AQ suited. You need to be more vigilant in your decision making with these hands as their rank decreases. Play the lower ranking hands when the players are weak and the pot was easy to get into. Remember that you want many opponents when you are drawing to a flush or a straight and you want few opponents when you are hoping a pair or two pair will do the trick. These hands are versitile in that they can produce both, but you have to quickly be able to realize the situation you are in and adapt properly. For more information read our article on playing suited cards.

 

Powerful hands but not nearly as good as their suited counterparts. AQ is a strong hand that will play well almost all the time, but the remaining hands require special care. Hands like AJ and AT are very susceptible to a concept called "domination". This is where your seemingly good hand like AT is really just a scapegoat for other more powerful hands like AQ or AK. Now these other hands are certainly strong, its just important that you realize they need to be played with care and in the proper situation. If you play them correctly they will be great hands for you. If you play them wrong however, they are going to cost you more than you can afford. Many times these hands will get out-kicked and that will cost you lots of money.

These hands are best against many opponents. They have excellent straight making potential but often are not strong enough to take the pot when paired up and against strong opponents. The key to playing these hands is to make sure that the pot will be multi-way and that the opponents are generally weak. You will have the chance to take down some huge pots with these hands when you complete a straight or make a flush. Don't enter a raised pot with these hands unless you are certain the pot will have many players. Playing these hands against a few, aggressive opponent is not a good idea. You can win when these hands pair up over weak or loose opponents but you don't want to try this against good players.

Middle pairs are strong hands in Texas Hold'em. Although they are not as strong as the premium hands, if played correctly and in the right situation, they can win you a lot of money. When playing the middle pairs there are two situations you are looking for. One would be a situation where no over cards fall on the board. This is increasingly rare with the smaller pair you hold, but it's also important to keep in mind that players are less likely to be holding random cards under ten. Big emphasis on less likely, they certainly will still play them from time to time. The second thing you are looking for is to flop a set, or three of a kind. Read our article about flopping a set for more information on this. If flop play is weak and your hand still looks okay, then its probably alright to look at the turn to see if you can get that set.