Worst Hand in Poker is NOT 7-2 Offsuit If you answered 7-2 off you're not even close. But yeah, 7-2o is awful. Any pair is likely beat, you can't make a straight or a flush without giving away one of your cards and when you do it's often beaten by a bigger flush or higher straight. Holding 2 and 7 off suit is considered the worst hand in Texas Hold'em. They are the lowest two cards you can have that cannot make a straight (there are five cards between 2 and 7). Even if they are suited, they will make you a very low flush, and if either makes pairs, it is still a low hand. 2-8 This gives you the same problem as above, and whether you are using a seven or an eight, this is definitely still a very low high card in Texas hold'em. 3-8, 3-7 When it comes to the ten worst starting hands, these are the two that come tied for third place. In Texas Hold’em a hand where aces, kings and queens pair up preflop is very rare. At a 9 player table this scenario unfolds roughly every 17,000 hands. The odds are 1:16,830 and the probability is 0.006%.

This article will discuss a very important topic in texas hold’em, which is starting hand requirements, and more specifically, which kinds of hands you should avoid playing.

It is an incredibly crucial concept to get your head around as novice players can easily be mistaken for thinking they can play a super wide range of hands because they’ve seen some high stakes pro take down a huge pot after playing a very mediocre holding like one discussed below.

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But this is playing poker dangerously even the worst starting hands in Texas Hold’em can give professional players headaches and even though poker pros play a lot of hands, doesn’t mean the novice player is capable of doing the same, as they lack post flop abilities.

When you’re dealt one of the worst starting hands, however, there is no reason to play like a donkey. The key is playing a solid game and having the discipline to muck mediocre hands that you know can get you into trouble.

1. 7-2 7-2 off suit is undoubtedly the worst starting hand in Texas Hold’em. These two are the lowest possible cards that cannot make a straight. After all, there are four cards between 2 and 7. In fact, even when they are suited, they make a very low flush or, in the event that either becomes a pair, a horribly low hand. Because 7-2 is the worst starting hand, many players ham it up and play it for fun.

What Are The Worst Hands In Texas Holdemem

2. 8-2 8-2 earns a place among the worst starting hands in Texas Hold’em for precisely the same reason that 7-2 does. Suited or not, you’d do well to hold or fold this hand.

3. Tie: 8-3 and 7-3 While these are slightly better than the first two, they’re some of the worst starting hands known to man. These two can beat no other hands except for the first two.

4. 6-2 Against four players, this hand is expected to lose 90% of the time. These are terrible odds, and this is precisely why 6-2 is one of the worst starting hands a player could ever get.

5. Tie: 9-2, 9-3, and 9-4 Here’s one reason why these three qualify under worst starting hands: the only thing going for them is the 9. But even if the 9 pairs, you’ll still be left with a middle pair that could be beaten by pocket 10s, jacks, queens, kings, or aces.

6. 10-2 This hand has been conferred an almost mythical sheen because ferocious poker player Doyle Brunson used it to capture two World Series of Poker Bracelets. But think wisely. You are not Doyle Brunson, who is widely considered one of the best at the game. Unless you are Doyle Brunson or someone better than Doyle Brunson, please do not convince yourself this is a good hand.

7. 9-5 People call the 9-5 the Dolly Parton and despite it being one of the worst starting hands in Hold’em, many play it because it’s fun. Unfortunately, a funny name doesn’t guarantee a sure win, and 9-5 is a statistically proven loser.

8. Tie: 7-4, 5-4, 5-3, 6-3… Do not even contemplate holding onto these starting hands. Toss ‘em. Please just toss ‘em. Even when suited, these rarely win, and you can be up against better flush combinations.

9. Face card + low card, unsuited Here’s a common mistake that beginners make. Once they see any paint (such as jacks, queens, or kings), they play it. While this may not be the worst starting hand one could get, it could fool you into thinking you have a winning hand with top pair, when you don’t.

10. Ace + low card, unsuited. Also known as playing ace rags. This is another mistake that you see lots of beginners make. They play the ace plus a low card. While heads-up, this is a good hand, it seldom wins at a full ring table since there is a good chance you will be dominated.

Now that you know what the ten worst starting hands are to play in no limit texas hold’em, you can hopefully find a way to work your play around them by having the patience and discipline to avoid playing these junk hands that have little chance of being the winner at showdown. After all, no general should have to lose the war just because of a few rotten soldiers.

The problem with playing these garbage hands is that because you will rarely flop a big hand with them, when you decide to play them, you’ll often be tempted to bluff more often when it’s the wrong time and the wrong opponent to try and bluff, simply because you can’t win at showdown. You can avoid all of this if you simply decide to just fold the worst starting hands before the flop.

There are a lot of really good opening hands in Texas Holdem that can win you a bunch of money. There are a lot of other hands in Texas Holdem that are you so bad, you know you should muck them and you do.

Then there are a bunch of hands that are in-between. Sometimes they can be good and you win a lot of money. Sometimes, they instill you with a false sense of confidence and whisper in your ear that it’s okay for you to push huge stacks of chips only to see those chips evaporate away…

I know statistically that 2-7 is the worse hand in Texas Holdem by percentages, but I’m going to do something today I never do: toss out the numbers. Instead, I am going to dig into my own brand of horrible baggage and bad luck. From there, I’ve identified five hands that I just knew I could do something with only watch all my chips melt away.

And that’s my definition of the worst hands: the ones I thought would let me win and instead, make me a loser. Because that’s fair, right? A hand is bad because it made me lose.

Pocket Kings

I hate pocket kings.

That may sound like a strange thing to say, but I do. Nothing else in this world has broken my heart as often and thoroughly as pocket kings.

Sure, you are probably sitting there in utter bewilderment that I am referring to this as a terrible hand, but like the title says you didn’t know it was awful. Only me and my bad luck and overinflated sense of confidence realize that pocket kings are a trap.

Why do I think pocket kings are awful? Because they seem really powerful. They’re the second highest pair in the entire game and it would seem that if you were to be dealt this hand, you are sitting pretty. Of course, I wouldn’t argue that preflop, pocket kings is a powerful start.

The problem is that if you play enough poker or watch enough of it on TV, you start to notice that if anyone was dealt an ace, they tend to keep that hand at least through the flop. That means that there’s a pretty good chance that unless the betting gets very aggressive, someone at the table has a literal ace in the hole.

Therefore, my caution with this hand is to not bet like you have the world beat. You can bet as though you have a strong hand, but do keep in mind that your opponents can knock you out at any moment.

It’s actually for this reason that I would prefer pocket queens. There’s something about queens being several cards in power away from aces that always reminds me to bet a little less seriously.

This also means that should anyone flop an ace, your pocket kings are a losing hand. Of course, you could flop a king and make a set, but if you start to bid aggressively with pocket kings, you could find yourself out to multiple other players very quickly.

What Are The Worst Hands In Texas Holdem Play

You’ve been warned.

King/Queen Off-Suit

Hopefully, amongst the list of terrible poker hands that you didn’t know were awful, this hand makes more sense why it’s not great right off the bat. Just like in pocket kings, neither the king or the queen are an ace.

If we go with the theory that pretty much everyone at the table is going to keep a pocket ace, king/queen offsuit smells way worse than two kings. In fact, you can’t even hope to make a flush draw with this hand.

Ideally, you would be dealt this hand, stay in (after some light to moderate bidding) and flop the makings of a straight. Ideally, you’d flop the ace everyone else is looking for and a jack or a ten. Then you would be set up for something good.

The problem with this hand is that while setting yourself up to draw into a straight is a valid poker strategy, it’s never as foolproof as actually having the goods yourself. Also, the probabilities of you drawing a straight aren’t fantastic, so realistically you’re looking at building a pair.

The strength of that pair will be determined by what gets flopped and that’s why I don’t like this hand. I can go from feeling pretty good that I have decent cards at the start of the hand to being quickly out if an ace gets added to the board.

Even worse, as has happened to me, the dealer can deal out an ace on the last card when I have been betting aggressively throughout thinking I was sitting pretty on a pair of queens.

All I’m saying in this situation is be careful with how you bet. Pay careful attention to board state and how aggressive others are betting. It is possible that your king or queen could be paired up and you win the hand. It’s also possible those shiny face cards lull you into a false sense of security and you lose.

Jack/Ten Off-Suit

If you think king/queen off-suit is bad, imagine how much worse this texas holdem starting hand is. Still, it’s one I’ve kept and lost with enough I am liable to muck it when these cards come my way.

If you do end up keeping the cards, you actually have a better chance of drawing a straight because jack/ten can be at the beginning, ending or middle of a straight. That is one nice thing about it.

However, if you keep this hand, you are going to have to be very aware of the other cards at the table because it’s almost impossible that if you get dealt another jack you will end up with top pair. Someone else is likely to have an ace, king, or queen where you can’t see it and if any of those cards form a pair, your jack/ten is out.

When I get jack/ten off-suited, if the betting is light I’ll stay to see a flop. If there’s not a chance I can get a straight draw or if the board is suddenly lousy with face cards, I am out.

Pocket Jacks

Pocket jacks was a big trap for me when I first started playing. There is a theory that I used to subscribe to heavily that said any pocket pair was good and that I should bet accordingly. For me, this was as true of pocket jacks as it was pocket twos or pocket aces.

Recent history has taught me that this is a load of bunk and I’ve definitely been able to disabuse myself of this notion as it applies to anything less than pocket tens. However, being dealt a pair of jacks and tens piques my interest and keeps me playing in more hands than it should.

However, as I have started to learn recently, I need to be very careful to how other players are betting. It’s not bad to have a pair in the hole, but it’s easy enough for someone else to have a better hole card that ends up being a pair later.

What Are The Worst Hands In Texas Holdem Tournaments

Ace/Queen Suited

This is another hand that can cause bad luck if you’re not careful with it. Despite the somewhat tongue-in-cheek title of this article, I am not advising that you throw your cards away if you get ace/queen suited.

In fact, I argue above that someone probably keeps this hand and ends up making a pair on the flop.

However, like the other hands listed above, there’s a better than average chance that someone who gets this set of cards is thinking it’s really great because:

1. There’s an ace (and those are always good)
2. There’s a queen backing up the ace
3. They’re suited, so I could make a flush
4. They’re close to each other, so I could make a straight

What Are The Worst Hands In Texas Holdem Tournament

And all of these things are true, but keep in mind one important factor: you need more cards to make this hand worth anything. It doesn’t even have the intrinsic value of pocket jacks and will need cards to make a flush, a straight or even a pair.

Just bid carefully if you have it. Yes, you have the building blocks of a great hand here, but you don’t yet have a great hand. Make sure your betting patterns account for that.

Conclusion

Like I said, the title of this article was not meant to be taken too seriously. You can win a game of Texas Holdem with any of these hands, however, they do present challenges if you’re not careful. Like many things, these hands aren’t as good as they appear to be. They’re probably not as bad as I make them out to be, though.

Still, if you bet right, you can win with them. Just pay attention to the board and, as always, no matter how good your start, if you don’t have the goods, don’t be like me. Just fold.

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