The Best Texas Hold'em Poker Hands

Texas Hold 'Em
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If you're new to Texas Hold'em, getting a handle on the best hands and figuring out what beats what can seem a little intimidating at first. You probably don't want to trust your opponents to fill you in. Not to fear—here's a quick guide to the 10 top hands you might be lucky enough to call yours. If you begin with any of these 10 hands in a Texas Hold'em game, you're usually in excellent shape, although position and the action in front of you can still have a big effect.

01
of 10

Ace-Ace

Two aces is the best Hold'em poker hand you can hope to have. It's the best of the best, and it will win you more than any other hand. It's also known as American Airlines, pocket rockets, and bullets.

02
of 10

King-King

The second best Hold'em hand is still incredibly strong and it should win you a good chunk of change. Two kings or "cowboys" are only dominated by aces.

03
of 10

Queen-Queen

Two queens or "ladies" are also a very good hand. Sure, kings and aces will beat you, but you've got the upper hand on jacks and below, and that's a lot of cards. 

04
of 10

Ace-King

Ace-king is a strong but tricky hand. It is the strongest of the drawing hands, but the flop needs to work with you to give you a pair of aces or kings for it to really pay off. When it's suited—meaning that the cards are of the same suit—it's slightly stronger than unsuited because you can then also make the nut flush much more easily.

05
of 10

Jack-Jack

A pair of jacks, 10-handed, will win almost 20 percent of the time. Watch out if the flop shows a queen, king, or ace, but otherwise, you should have smooth sailing.

06
of 10

Ace-Queen

Ace-queen is the second best drawing hand. When it's suited, it will win about 20 percent of the time.

07
of 10

King-Queen

King-queen is a great drawing hand that is only afraid of an Ace falling on the board, especially when it's suited. 

08
of 10

Ace-Jack

Ace-jack is another great drawing hand. Suited is always better here, but unsuited is still playable.

09
of 10

King-Jack

King-jack is a fine hand to play, especially in later positions. But it can be beaten by any of the hands listed above and should be folded to big raises. Statistically, it will win just under 19 percent of the time when it's suited, but that drops to just 15 percent when it's unsuited. 

10
of 10

Ace-Ten

Ace-ten is still a good hand—you've got the ace, and you can make a straight if the miracle J-Q-K falls on the board. But be wary of playing it too strongly, especially unsuited. If all you end up with is a pair of aces, you may be out-kicked.